There are matches that last a sneeze; others, on the other hand, are as long as a night watching over a baby. The Madrid-Oviedo (2-0) with nothing at stake falls squarely into the second category. What is the point of the game of a team whose motto is only to win when it can no longer do so? That is what the white players who took to the pitch would have thought, whistled by their fans during the warm-up, then victims of a sepulchral silence in a half-empty Bernabéu. It is more interesting to spend the San Isidro holiday elsewhere than watching Camavinga lose balls in his forgettable season, the icing on the cake being that, hours before the match, it was made official that he would miss the World Cup. “I understand that he is pissed off,” said the eloquent Didier Deschamps.
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With little to take to the mouth on the pitch, the substance was in the stands or in the box. The club, which received the ruling on Wednesday that the concert promoters were responsible for the acoustics (and therefore the offense), decided to raise the decibels like never before when chanting the names of the Madrid players. Whistles were sensed directed at Vinícius and Mbappé. These were later confirmed on the pitch.
Meanwhile, security removed two banners (“Florentino guilty” and “Florentino go now”). The president, who received many applause, appeared more outgoing than on other occasions, now already immersed in the pre-election campaign (just in case Enrique Riquelme runs) and that has made him open up throughout the week. He was seen, as caught by the Dazn cameras, gesturing with a member in the row below, in a sign of argument.
Applauded by the Bernabéu, Oviedo appeared already with relegation in hand and with a good group of fans in the stands. Returning to the Bernabéu was already a reward for them and they did not sit back, proposing a cheerful and open football, with back and forth although played at fewer revolutions than a Vespa.
Only Brahim and Gonzalo livened up the white scene, with a dull Vinícius, tangled in his dribbles and whistled every time he touched the ball, and a Mastantuono with little clarity. The Moroccan international tested Escandell and came close to scoring on three occasions. The Argentine also tried, but the liveliest was Gonzalo, with his Raúl-like qualities. He received the ball in the area and, at lightning speed, controlled, positioned himself and placed the shot to the far post from the Oviedo goalkeeper. 1-0 at halftime. Calm waters. For now.
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Madrid, in the middle of the storm, regained its dignity when Santi Cazorla entered the field in the 55th minute and received the ovation of the night. A forty-year-old standing up the Bernabéu, which then looked to the sideline, where Kylian Mbappé was starting to warm up.
The Frenchman jumped onto the pitch in the 69th minute and undoubtedly his entrance broke the sound meter. His figure was the one that most united the local fans, who turned on him after his recent episodes every time he touched the ball. Carvajal received the other ovation, in his penultimate match at this stadium, but Vinícius and Mbappé were the most singled out in a match that could be delisted for what happened on the pitch, except for Bellingham’s superb goal, all technique, precision and power to make it 2-0 in the 81st minute.
All resolved, only the farewell from the stands and the attitude of the white players remained to be seen. But the scene was repeated. The referee did not add a second and the megaphone sounded like never before. Mbappé left smiling, so calm. There were hardly any spectators left.
