Honeymoon period? Not for Rafa Benitez in his new managerial post at Real Madrid, who dropped points in their very first game of the season in a pulsating goalless draw at Sporting Gijon.
In truth, Benitez’s side played well enough and should have won the game with comfort, mustering 25 goal attempts and only denied three points by a combination of imprecise finishing and excellent goalkeeping from Sporting’s Ivan Cueller.
But that will do little to appease Los Blancos fans, who will be aggrieved at the sight of arch-rivals Barcelona coming through their tough away trip to Athletic Bilbao with a victory while their own team failed to do the same.
The tactical and selection questions facing Benitez also remain unresolved, with Gareth Bale in particular looking vulnerable after a personal performance which started brightly but faded badly. Quite how the contest remained goalless is a mystery, because a remarkably open match was played at a rollicking pace with both sides committing men forward in attack and chances flowing freely.
Cristiano Ronaldo had two early opportunities – mis-hitting a shot and then sending a free-kick into the wall – before the first clear opening came after 12 minutes. Luka Modric split open the Sporting defence with a delicious pass, allowing Bale to race clear and round advancing keeper Cuellar but, with Ronaldo begging for a cross in the middle, he could only shoot into the side-netting from a narrowing angle.
– EPL: Pedro scores on debut as Chelsea beat West Brom
– EPL: Man City recapture top spot with victory over Everton
– GALLERY: Eight players to snub United for Chelsea
The movement of Madrid’s front four was causing plenty of problems for Sporting, and there were two chances for Isco, both sent off target, as well as a shot dragged wide by Jese Rodriguez and a long-range blaster from Ronaldo which Cuellar got down well to save.
But Sporting were also menacing, especially when they attacked with width, and were cruelly denied an opener when right-back Alberto Lora crossed for Arnaldo Sanabria, whose thumping header beat Keylor Navas but crashed against the underside of the bar, bounced on the goal-line and away to safety.
The frantic pace continued as Madrid immediately broke and Bale crossed for Ronaldo, who furiously claimed a penalty as he tangled with Bernardo Espinosa.
The second half followed a similar pattern as Isco had a low effort saved before Sporting squandered another great chance when Carlos Carmona ran onto an inviting deflected cross and powered his header narrowly wide.
Real Madrid – a team with £300m of attacking talent – held to a goalless draw in their Liga opener. Rafa Benitez is back.
— Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven) August 23, 2015
With Sporting noticeably tiring, Madrid smelled blood and laid siege to the hosts’ goal. Ronaldo had a low shot saved, Bale directed his header from a corner too close to Cuellar and then Ronaldo inexplicably shot wide as he slid to meet Danilo’s low cross, although the assistant’s flag was raised.
Benitez made several changes, including a debut for Croatian Mateo Kovacic, and Los Blancos continued to create openings. Most of them fell to Ronaldo, who had a powerful drive batted away by Cuellar, before the unbeatable home keeper saved his best for last with an astonishing reflex save from Ronaldo’s sweetly stuck longrange missile.
The Portuguese star’s luckless night was summed up when he failed to take the last chance of the game in the final minute of stoppage time, blasting another freekick into the wall to spark joyous celebrations from the delighted Sporting fans.
