Real Madrid could be left rueing Sunday's Euro 2020 qualifier between Wales and Croatia after seeing two key players potentially laid low during the 1-1 draw.
Ryan Giggs' Wales battled back from a goal down in Cardiff thanks to Gareth Bale's goal at the end of the first half.
The result keeps the hosts alive in their battle to reach the European Championship finals next year, although they must beat Azerbaijan and Hungary in their final two games while hoping Slovakia drop points against Croatia and Azerbaijan.
But, while the honours were shared on the pitch, Madrid were made to look like the real losers as they face a nervous wait to find out the extent of injuries to Bale and Luka Modric.
Bale finished the game limping and was forced to play on due to Wales using all three substitutions, however, Giggs suggested the issue wasn't serious.
"Gareth Bale got a bit of cramp. He didn't want to come off," the Wales boss said post-match.
"It was a fantastic performance [by him]. It was a shame he got that for the last 10 minutes, so we were down one player really."
Modric, meanwhile, was left in some discomfort after careering into Harry Wilson in the final minutes, a tackle for which the midfielder was shown a yellow card.
The Ballon d'Or winner was able to leave the field without needing a stretcher but could not continue, with Milan Badelj replacing him for the final minutes in the Cardiff City Stadium.
"[Modric] got hit in the muscle, which is awkward and quite painful, so he had to go off," coach Zlatko Dalic revealed after the match.
"He will certainly need a two to three-day break, but I hope he will be alright."
There was also a scare for Manchester United's Daniel James, who was laid out following a collision early in the first half but continued to play despite a feared head injury.
Madrid will have to wait until Bale and Modric return to the club following international duty to find out just how severe their knocks are, with several key weeks on the horizon for Zinedine Zidane's men.
Not only do the Merengue face two must-win Champions League clashes in the next month against Galatasaray, having failed to pick up a win so far in Group A, but they must also defend their lead at the top of La Liga.
Two away games follow for Madrid in the league, with October 26's Clasico against Barcelona already looking like a game with huge title implications.
And, having endured mixed fortunes at the start of the season, the club will want to be at full strength in order to bolster their quest to lift a first domestic title since 2016-17.
Comments
Post a Comment