Three takeaways from Real Madrid’s 3-1 win against PSG

Real Madrid’s crucial 3-1 win against PSG provided some interesting talking points. Players like Marcelo or Cristiano Ronaldo bounced back from a disappointing first half of the season while Marco Asensio also made his case. Here are three takeaways from the match.

1. Zidane was brave. Zinedine Zidane realized that a 1-1 draw would have been a bad score for Madrid and decided to take Casemiro out of the game even when Los Blancos were struggling. Meanwhile, Emery shockingly replaced Cavani with Meunier in what was a baffling substitution for the French side. It’s clear that Zidane had the upper hand against his counterpart here and his substitution —although a bit late— gave Los Blancos the win.
2. Marcelo is a legend. The Brazilian defender completed one of his best performances as a Real Madrid player and arguably made his bid to be considered one of the greatest left-backs to ever play the game. Maldini or Roberto Carlos are up there, but Marcelo is too.
3. Benzema and Isco deserve some praise. It’s true that Real Madrid scored when these two players weren’t on the field, but their performances were solid and paved the way for the reserves to have a chance. Isco in particular worked very hard defensively and while he should’ve tried to impact the game closer to PSG’s box, his help in the midfield was underrated.