Real Madrid rested several key players during their 1-1 draw away at relegation-threatened Cadiz on Sunday (May 15), ahead of their Champions League final against Liverpool.
Los Blancos took the lead within five minutes thanks to a strike from Mariano Diaz after a scintillating run from Rodrygo. The hosts equalized when Ruben Sobrino capitalized on some static Madrid defending in the 37th minute.
Cadiz could have claimed a vital victory against the Spanish champions when they won a penalty just after the hour mark. However, former Manchester City forward Alvaro Negredo had his penalty saved by Andriy Lunin.
With the La Liga title already wrapped up, Carlo Ancelotti rested the likes of Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois and Luka Modric. The Italian gave the chance to several fringe players to impress ahead of the May 28 showpiece event in Paris.
Vinicius Junior was also taken out in favor of Marco Asensio, while Eder Militao started for the Galacticos in their backline.
Militao, who has been criticized for his recent form, was caught napping for Cadiz’s goal. He was also easily beaten in the leadup to the penalty that his side gave away.
Meanwhile, Asensio was largely anonymous for their clash with the side in the bottom three. The 26-year-old failed to add to his tally of 12 goals in his 41 games this term.
The winger, as well as Militao, were slammed by Real Madrid fans for their performances during the draw, and took to Twitter to voice their discontent:
NAH ASENSIO AND MILITAO MUST BE THIS SHIT ON PURPOSE 😂
Carlo Ancelotti claims Eden Hazard will stay at Real Madrid
Since his big-money move from Chelsea in 2019, the Belgian winger has endured a miserable time at the Bernabeu, having scored just six times in 66 games.
The 31-year-old has been blighted by injury since his arrival. The 25-minute cameo showing against Cadiz was his first top-flight appearance in 13 games.
Despite Hazard’s problems, Ancelotti told a press conference (as quoted by ESPN):
“His plan is quite clear. He stays.”
“He has a lot of motivation because he hasn’t had a good time these last few years and he wants to show all of his quality, which for many reasons he hasn’t been able to do.”
The Italian boss was also asked about the prospect of resting players before the Champions League final, to which he replied:
“With a squad at the level of Real Madrid you play a lot of games. There’s tiredness and we’ll rotate, even if we haven’t much this year. With a more complete squad you can rotate more and everyone can have their chance.”
He added:
“I think the quantity of minutes isn’t so important, it’s about the quality.”
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“We have a clear example which is Rodrygo; he hasn’t played a lot of minutes but he’s played with great quality and made the difference.”
