Real Madrid

Castilla showed its fans in the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium that it is back to its best self and that it continues to be a strong contender to stay in second division. The white reserve team beat Racing in its fourth match at home, in a game that got on track with a brace from Jesé in the first half and was decided with another one from Cheryschev in the second. It was a breath of fresh air for the Real Madrid players, who needed a boost of this sort in order to get their confidence back. Three points more that put them in fourteenth place with five days left in the first leg.

Castilla came to this match with the goal of showing its fans that it has done its homework. The Whites began by dominating in the midfield, but without any clear scoring opportunities, thanks to Racing’s good defense. But the home team calmly waited for their chance, which didn’t take long to arrive. Jesé scored the first goal with a beautiful, powerful shot from outside the area in minute 17. The goal spurred on the visiting team, which responded four minutes later with a cross shot from Dani Bautista that just missed the goal.

The pace of the game picked up midway through the first half. Both teams repeatedly closed in on the rival goal, but neither made any truly special plays. Mosquera and José Rodríguez tried to score in minutes 30 and 33, respectively, but their shots from outside the area went high. The game began to get tied up until a penalty committed on Fanbinho in minute 42 changed its course once more. Jesé took charge and scored the goal that would let the Whites breathe easy, his ninth with Castilla. The half arrived with the score at 2-0 and the Whites on track to win.

After the half-time break, the home team had a two-fold objective: increase their advantage and not let in any goals, in order to win their fourth victory in the Di Stéfano stadium. They only needed ten minutes to achieve the first objective: plays in minutes 52 and 55 increased the score to 4-0, both after fantastic joint actions by Jesé and Cheryshev. In the first, the Russian made a powerful left-footed shot from the left sideline and in the second, he took advantage of a perfect shot to the center from the Canarian to get the ball past Mario and score.

The visiting team did not give up and sought to catch up, but the home team thwarted all of their attempts. Meanwhile, the Whites looked to increase their advantage. Jesé tried in minute 60 with a cross shot that was deflected. The minutes flew by but Toril’s players did not lose intensity and continued to circle around the Santander goal. In minute 76, Borja García could have scored the fifth goal in a one-on-one against Mario, but he was unsuccessful. And time wound down in a game in which Castilla showed its best side and potential on offense in order to achieve its fourth home-game win for the fans.