Villarreal star Samuel Chukwueze fails to shine against Real Madrid

Chukwueze was closely watched by Mendy who ensured that the Nigerian could not make any impact in the La Liga clash.


Nigerian star Samuel Chukwueze rose to critical acclaim with his performances for Villarreal, especially against La Liga top sides.
He tore Barcelona apart and scored in a 4-4 draw at the El Madrigal, tormented Marcelo and the whole Real Madrid defence in a 2-2 draw in January.

It was performances like these that shot Chukwueze to fame in his breakout season with Villarreal but on Sunday, September 1, he couldn't replicate it.

Villarreal hosted Real Madrid in La Liga on Sunday with the 20-year-old Nigerian starting out on the right-hand side of the Yellow Submarines’ attack. Instead of Marcelo, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane opted for Ferland Mendy to make his competitive debut in the left-back role and it was the French defender who made life difficult for Chukwueze on the night.

Unlike Marcelo the last time he played against Real Madrid, Chukwueze could not get better of Mendy all through the game. Instead, he was the one who had difficulty in tracking Mendy’s overlapping runs and also caused a penalty for his side while trying to stop the left-back.

Chukwueze lasted 73 minutes before he was taken out for Carlos Bacca. He managed just 24 touches, made just one pass and could not put one ball across from the wing.