Bale scores in a 2-1 win for Madrid against Leganes

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.  

Aubameyang makes Arsenal good as they win 4-1 against West Ham

The game against West Ham saw Wenger make changes to his team ahead of the semifinal clash against Atletico Madrid in the coming week. Ozil, Wilshere and Cech were not in the team while Aubameyang was dropped to the bench despite his red-hot form since joining Arsenal in the winter transfer window. Wenger planned to boost the confidence of Lacazette who will be the striker in the UEFA Europa League since Aubameyang is cup-tied. The match had nothing to appease the many Arsenal fans who returned to their seats in the stadium after having protested against the performances in recent games.

On this day, the fans were there and backed their manager who is set to leave in the summer. They did not stop cheering their team even when they went into the break without a goal. Nacho Monreal who has arguably been Arsenal’s best player this season opened the scoring from Xhaka’s corner on the 51st minute with a half-volley. His finish was something that even strikers can look back to and learn a few things. West Ham boss, David Moyes responded by introducing Lanzini and Javier Hernandez to support the striker Arnautovic. It was not long before these changes paid dividends as Arnautovic control the ball with his left leg and fired a shot across goal and into the net after Arsenal had failed to clear the ball out. 1-1 was the scoreline when Aubameyang was called onto the pitch.

The team started to believe with their star man on the pitch as they began to create spaces for forwards to capitalise on. It was not long before Aubameyang caused confusion in West Ham’s box just by his presence as Aaron Ramsey’s cross flew straight into the net. The Gabon international then turned provider to Lacazette’s goal in the 85th minute after some slick passes by Arsenal. Lacazette scored his second of the night 4 minutes after from a pass by Ramsey, and he celebrated with his strike partner Aubameyang. The pair already calls themselves The Bad Boys which draws a comparison to the relationship between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in their classic movies from the 1990s and early 2000s. Will this relationship help bring Arsenal more success after Wenger leaves?