Real Madrid kicked off the defence of their Copa del Rey title defence on Saturday evening with a comfortable 3-1 victory over fourth-tier Arandina. Joselu Mato, Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo got the goals for Los Blancos, but the big story was Arda Guler, who finally made his long-awaited debut for the club.
Guler was the star of the show for Los Blancos in the opening 45 minutes. They were unable to score, but if so, it looked like coming from the Turkish teenager. Needless to say, supporters came away with a good impression, and Joselu was also delighted with his teammates, as he told the media post-match (via Diario AS).
“Before we started, I told him to enjoy himself. He had been away for a long time, it was his first time with us. It’s not easy, he’s very young, we’re all taking care of him. He’s got a lot of quality. It was a special moment for him. He’s a diamond that we have to take care of.”
Joselu only spoke on his goal, which was Real Madrid’s first converted penalty of the season after three failed attempts.
“The gaffer gives me confidence to keep shooting them. The pitch was very soft, and I was afraid it would miss.
“Going forward, it will depend on who’s on the pitch. We have a lot of specialists in the squad, players with a lot of quality. Today it was my turn.”
Joselu, Guler and the rest of the Real Madrid squad will be satisfied with their evening’s work against Arandina, and they can now look forward to the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, which takes place in Riyadh.
Very impressive performance, I liked what I saw.
Would have been so sweet if he scored but it was so close, twice.