Asensio strikes gold at Butarque

Real Madrid headed into the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final on the back of a 1-0 defeat in La Liga, with Zidane under pressure and the team eager to gain control of the tie with a good result at Leganes to take home a healthy advantage for the return fixture.

With Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema all left out of the squad at Butarque, Real were compelled to score goals without the firepower of the so-called 'BBC' up front, who admittedly have all been out of form so far this season. Injuries to Sergio Ramos and Marcelo meant Zidane travelled across Madrid with a relatively inexperienced side for a fixture with the potential to define Real's season.

There were high hopes at the start of the term for the likes of Theo Hernandez, Llorente, Kovacic, Lucas, Borja Mayoral, Ceballos and Asensio and, for one reason or another, they have failed to convince. They could claim limited chances but they all got a chance at Butarque and only the latter took it.

In the first half, it was a good defensive display from the hosts, who looked to hold their own for the second leg at the Bernabeu. But, unlike the team that flattened opponents last season, it is very easy to defend against this Real Madrid side and Leganes were mostly comfortable throughout the match. Real Madrid saw most of the ball, with tidy passing in the middle of the park, but they were toothless and without ideas in the final third.

The visitors began to build up some pressure towards the end of the first period, but they were limited to a handful of half-chances. A rare defensive mistake, Ruben Perez giving away the ball on the edge of the area, left Mateo Kovacic through on goal with only Champagne to beat, but he side-footed the ball shockingly wide of the mark.

An even start to the second half saw both sides locked for possession and limited to shots from outside the area. Leganes were the first to find space in behind the defence, Naranjo forcing Casilla into action from a tight angle. A long cross into the area almost saw Marcos Llorente head the ball into his own net, but luckily for the Madrid youngster it bounced off the crossbar. A period of intense pressure from the hosts ensued, backed by the roaring support inside the stadium. 

- Momentous substitutions -

With Leganes clearly on the front foot, former Watford man Nordin Amrabat came on for the hosts. Just seconds after coming on, he fired a left-footed shot on the turn from the middle of the penalty area which drifted wide. Moments later, it was his cross to the back post that was met by Beauvue, who lashed a fierce volley at goal. Casilla was equal to it, but Real were beginning to feel the pressure.

Zidane also moved things around, bringing on Isco and Modric, and the latter's impact was almost immediate. His flick allowed Vazquez to break into the box and get a shot on goal, Madrid's first in the entire half. Zidane's men lacked imagination up front and, as it looked like the hosts were about to clinch a favourable result for the second leg, Madrid pounced.

Isco led the counter-attack, spreading out wide for Theo Hernandez. The left-back's cross was swept in at the near post by Asensio, with nothing Champagne could do to stop it from going into the top corner. Leganes will feel hard done by as they saw all their hard work unravel, even dominating periods of the second half.