Real Betis appears to be absolutely no match for Real Madrid, and appeared well beaten just four minutes into their La Liga match on Saturday. That’s important context, because it’s not like Madrid scored this goal against a top opponent. By the time they’d scored their fourth goal of the afternoon, it appeared that a lot of the fight had been beaten out of the Betis players.
5 Real Madrid players combine for a perfect end-to-end team goal
Featuring a 100-yard run and assist by a central defender.
But holy crap, this goal would be impressive against amateurs. That any team could put together a goal this good against 11 opposing adult humans is something to appreciate. Off a Betis corner, Madrid starts a quick counter, with the catalyst being center back Pepe. He then takes off on a sprint down the pitch, never quits until Cristiano Ronaldo finds him, then sets up Isco for a tap-in.
Again: Pepe, a 33-year-old center back, started an end-to-end counter attack and set up the goal while sprinting 100 yards in 10 seconds.
Credit: user flarept1 on r/soccer
Everyone does their job here, making the perfect runs and perfect passes to the perfect places. Quickly, a listing of contributors.
- Pepe: we’ve covered him.
- Mateo Kovacic: makes the correct decision twice, both in nodding to Pepe and his pass into the center.
- Karim Benzema: instead of dribbling into the space like lesser players might do, plays a perfect early through ball.
- Cristiano Ronaldo: looks up before he even takes his first touch and spots the far post run.
- Isco: You hardly notice him before he scores, but he starts on the edge of his own 18-yard box. He recognized how Madrid should be spaced instantly and got himself into the right spot.
Even considering the opponent and game state, you’re unlikely to see a better team goal this season. Watch this repeatedly and appreciate how many players made absolutely perfect plays.
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