Real Madrid near perfection in Dortmund

Posted Friday, September 29, 2017 by Marca.com

It isn't a secret that Real Madrid's start to the 2017/18 season hasn't been the most auspicious one and in three domestic home matches Los Blancos haven't recorded a single victory, however, these concerns were put on the backburner on Tuesday as the team reached near perfection in Dortmund.

A 3-1 victory at Signal Iduna Park was a result few saw coming, especially with the Spanish giants having failed to win in any of their previous six visits, yet Zinedine Zidane's charges were well worth their margin of victory.

Peter Bosz's arrival at Borussia Dortmund has brought an energetic, attacking style of play but Los Blancos were more than equal to it and knew exactly how to defeat the hosts.

The visitors were patient when in possession with Luka Modric dictating the tempo of the match, equally they were able to get forward on the counter-attack with the speed of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Gaps within the Dortmund defensive line were exploited and by the time the first-half reached its conclusion, Real Madrid could have had at least three goals.

Goals have been an issue for the Spanish champions this season and the focus is no longer on the trio of Bale, Karim Benzema and Ronaldo, but rather the midfield.

Toni Kroos and Modric's partnership has long been appreciated and the addition of Isco into this dynamic has given Zidane an extra dimension.

Marcelo's absence was something that concerned many inside Valdebebas but Dani Carvajal stepped up and took on more of a presence in attack.

As the former Bayer Leverkusen right-back bombed forward, Nacho Fernandez's versatility came into play with the natural centre-back being able to form a back-three alongside Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane.

The sense of control was always present in Real's style on Tuesday evening and it was the perfect solution to the high-intensity style of their opponents.

Any doubts about the team's identity dissipated after the Champions League victory and Zidane will now hope this newfound confidence will translate to matches at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.