The Battlefield of the Superstars

Real Madrid ultimately defeated Switzerland's Zurich 5–2 away from home, securing their first victory in the Champions League Group Stage.

In the final moments of stoppage time, Raul scored another goal for Real Madrid.

Normally, a commanding away victory in the Champions League should have earned widespread praise, but the reality was completely different. The Spanish media were dissatisfied with Real Madrid's performance after the match.

El País called it a deceptive rout, while ABC openly stated that Real Madrid had used their sharp attack to conceal many of their own problems and weaknesses—something that would expose fatal flaws when they faced stronger opponents.

Without exception, they all turned their criticism toward Real Madrid's defense.

After leading 3–0 at halftime before slipping into a precarious 3–2, Real Madrid had played an extremely dangerous game. Even more unbelievable was that both goals had come within just three minutes.

One came from a counterattack in which Casillas was forced to rush out of his goal and commit a foul, while the other resulted from a failure to mark an opponent during a corner.

El País also analyzed the situation, concluding that Real Madrid's defensive weakness had not first been exposed in this match. It had already been evident in the opening-round game against Deportivo La Coruña. Although the team had won 4–0, their defensive problems had remained severe, giving Deportivo La Coruña several opportunities during the match.

Afterward, whether against Espanyol or now away to Zurich, the problems Real Madrid had exposed had been extremely obvious. They were the team's longstanding defensive flaws.

"This can be called an old problem that has plagued Real Madrid for nearly ten years!" El País declared.

The last time Real Madrid had truly inspired confidence could probably be traced back to 2000, or even earlier.

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