Zinedine son makes debut
Ronaldo and Bale score in Real draw
AFP
AFP, MADRID: Real Madrids final Champions League rehearsal was running perfectly on Saturday until Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted and Villarreal scored twice to snatch a 2-2 draw.
Gareth Bale and Ronaldo put Real in cruise control at the Estadio de la Ceramica but the Portugese, along with Luka Modric, was taken off shortly after the hour and Villarreal came surging back.
It was two substitutes that did it, Roger Martinez unleashing a stunning strike into the top corner before Samu Castillejo struck the equaliser five minutes from time.
Castillejo took advantage of some hesitation from Luca Zidane, Zinedine Zidanes 20-year-old son, who was making his debut for Real in goal.
I am happy for his debut, it is an important day for him and his coach, Zidane senior said afterwards.
For his father, we will see what he says at home.
The draw means any hopes Real had of snatching La Ligas runner-up spot off city rivals Atletico are ended but their attention will quickly turn to Liverpool and next weekends showdown in Kiev. Villarreal jump above Real Betis into fifth.
If Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had been spying for signs of weakness he would have found few in the opening hour, when Real looked slick, clinical and set for a comfortable victory.
But, defensive frailties were exposed again and perhaps this result underlines that if Ronaldo can be neutralised, this is still a team that is far from unbeatable.
Ronaldo was withdrawn after 61 minutes, the 33-year-old showing no sign of discomfort in what was his first outing since spraining his ankle against Barcelona a fortnight ago.
Bale too will hope his smart turn and finish could yet earn him a starting spot against Liverpool, even if Zidane has shown propensity for ignoring the Welshmans league form in the past.
After scoring twice against Celta Vigo last weekend, Bale was excellent again here and he at least heads to Ukraine knowing he could not have done much more. He has now scored 17 goals in 19 matches this year when playing more than 60 minutes.
Liverpool will have played only one match in 20 days by next weekend and Zidane opted for rhythm over rest, picking a strong team that could be close to his line-up in seven days time.
The Frenchman, however, has tended towards caution in Europe and it would be a surprise if Bale and Isco both started ahead of Lucas Vazquez, and even Marco Asensio, next weekend.
There was a debut in goal for Zidanes son Luca, who joined Reals academy when Zidane was playing for the club in 2004 and has been a regular presence in the squad this season.
Luca was born in May 1998, a month before his father inspired France to win the World Cup.
