Real Madrid humiliated by Donetsk's "bis team"

Two months after having lived the worst by condemning his team to elimination with two big balls at Manchester City in the round of 16 second leg of the last edition, Varane (27) saw his nightmare continue on Wednesday night for the big comeback of the Real Madrid in the Champions League.

After the opening of the score of the Brazilian Tetê (20th) for Shakhtar, the central defender, French international with 68 caps, scored a goal against his camp (33rd) while trying to remove a ball dangerously pushed into the area by Thibaut Courteous.

Without Ramos, Varane collapses

Then ten minutes later, the French world champion was too absorbed by the ball near the halfway line, and was too late in his withdrawal to prevent Manor Solomon from scoring the 3-0 goal for the Ukrainians, after a heel of the elusive Tetê.

Despite the semblance of hope created by the pretty goals of Luka Modric (54th), a clear strike from 30 meters into the skylight, and Vinicius (59th) on an interception fifteen seconds after coming into play instead of Luka Jovic, these achievements did not change the result ... Ditto for the final goal of Valverde (90th + 2), invalidated by video refereeing.

After the rout in Manchester in early August (1-2, 2-1), the Spanish media had assured that it was "the worst performance of his career" and that an evening like that would only occur "once ".

But amputated from his sidekick and usual captain Sergio Ramos (hit in a knee but very present by the voice in the stands of the small Di Stéfano stadium), and associated with the Brazilian Eder Militao (who had also assisted him in Manchester in August), Varane, as he emerged from a solid international window with the Blues, once again offered a mediocre performance in the Champions League.

"We deserve the criticism"

A defensive feverishness that is largely enough to worry Zinédine Zidane and all of Real Madrid, after Saturday's premonitory defeat at home against the promoted Cadiz (1-0), and three days before a first clasico of the season at Camp Nou already important.

"We deserve the criticism, all of us, and me first," Zidane said Tuesday at a pre-match press conference.

"Because at the end of the day, it is I who am responsible for all this, not the players", added the technician.

“We're all in the same boat.

It makes sense that there are criticisms when you're in a club like Real Madrid and playing a match like the one the other day (against Cadiz).

The only thing that we can and that we must do is get back to work and think about the next match, ”Zizou thundered.

But the message did not get through.

As in the 2019-2020 season, Madrid themselves sabotaged their start to the European campaign.

The traumatic 3-0 defeat at the Parc des Princes in September 2019 took the Merengues to second place in their group behind PSG ... and to a very tough round of 16 against City, the outcome of which was fatal.

After this failed return to C1, Zidane and the Madrid group will still go to revealing Saturday at 14:00 GMT at Barça, which regained color against the Hungarian club Ferencvaros on Tuesday (5-1) in the Champions League.

And in the event of another unfavorable result, the White House will also plunge into a new crisis.

Read also

• Champions League standings

• Relive the Real Madrid - Donetsk live