In the wake of the 2-1 win against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Zinedine Zidane made the decision that he would rest his star players in the coming weekend to make sure that they are at their best when they play the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid faced Leganes on Saturday and the boss lined up a much-changed squad that saw players like Llorente, Ceballos, Borja Mayoral, Achraf, Vallejo and Theo Hernandez all getting starts alongside Gareth Bale, who has been rumored to be out of favor at the club. The Welshman scored the opener on the 8th minute after Karim Benzema’s shot was blocked by a defender before falling in the path of Bale who volleyed the ball past Cuellar who could not help but watch the ball pass between his legs and into the net.

Much like the Los Blancos, we have seen all season in La Liga, a lapse in concentration was bound to happen. The first came through Miguel Angel Guerrero and he failed to convert a cross-come-shot into the net as he tried a fancy flick. Nordin Amrabat also found space and hit a shot that beat Casilla in goal but could only hit the crossbar before it whiskered away into the stands. Borja Mayoral Moya then scored the second for Real Madrid in the 45th minute from a cross by Mateo Kovacic on the left.

Leganes found a consolation Darko Brasanac in the 66th minute who was assisted by Amrabat after he comfortably beat Theo Hernandez before sliding into the unmarked player. 10 changes but still Real Madrid manage to win. This means that they are 1 point behind second-placed Atletico Madrid and 12 behind Barcelona in first place.