On-Loan Real Madrid Star Endrick Has Positive Debut For Lyon
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It was a difficult Sunday for Real Madrid. For a second successive year, and the third time in three seasons, the club lost the Supercopa de España final to arch-rivals FC Barcelona. Another frustrating night in a frustrating season to date.
Since the start of last season, Real Madrid have lost four of five El Clásicos, with the sole win being the 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu towards the end of October. There is an inquest going on within the fanbase and media as to how this keeps happening.
So, with fans fully focused on the game and the reaction afterwards, you would be excused for not knowing that another Real Madrid player was in action. Indeed, Endrick was making his first appearance for French side Lyon since joining on loan this window.
Endrick gets off to positive start in Lyon
The French giants were in Coupe de France action away to Lille. Manager Paulo Fonseca decided to put Endrick straight into the starting XI - no easing him via substitute appearances - which marries up with reports that they must start the teenager in 25 games to avoid paying Real Madrid a fine.
Interestingly, Fonseca opted to deploy the Real Madrid loanee on the right wing for this game. During his time at Palmeiras, he often played as a "right ten" in a 3421 formation. From there, he had that license to drift inside and get on the ball in central areas.
It was the perfect start for Lyon, who took the lead in the opening minute of the game. However, not long before the half-hour mark, Lille equalised to make it 1-1 in an intense showdown.
Then, three minutes before the interval, Endrick got his moment. After an inswinging cross from the left-hand side, the 19-year-old gambled and made a back-post run. From there, the ball was flicked towards the youngster, who timed his run perfectly before sidefooting the ball into the bottom corner with a well-taken finish.
That goal proved to be the winner, as Lyon held on for a 2-1 victory to advance to the round of 16. Endrick played 72 minutes and was very impressive. During his time on the pitch, he took 6 shots, hit the woodwork, completed 3 dribbles, 2/2 long balls, and won 8/13 ground duels, showing no signs of needing an adaptation period.
Having scored on his Real Madrid debut and just 47 minutes into his Brazil career (second substitute appearance), Endrick has precedent for being a quick starter. Let's hope this is the start of a very fruitful loan. If it is, we could see him going to the World Cup with Brazil this summer.
The French side's round of 16 opponents are yet to be confirmed, but the game is set to take place the week commencing the second of February. Next up for Endrick and his new team is a Ligue 1 game at home to Brest on Sunday evening, for a 20:45 CET kick-off.
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Tom Vinall is a sports writer covering Real Madrid On SI. Previously, he had worked at FanSided as both a contributor and site expert, covering the likes of Spurs and Bayern Munich. He has also previously written for Transfer News Live. Tom was born and lives in Bristol, South West England, and loves to listen to music as well as learning Spanish.
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