Raphael Varane turned in another unconvincing defensive display in Real Madrid’s shock 3-2 home loss to Shakhtar Donetsk. After his error-strewn performance in last season’s last 16 loss against Manchester City, the Frenchman was once again at fault on Wednesday night, putting through his own net and generally being part of a porous Real Madrid back line.
In a competition where the 27-year-old has produced some of his best ever games in the famous white shirt, the last two have – conversely – been among his worst. Given that Sergio Ramos was missing with injury, Varane was expected to be the leader in the hosts’ defence against the Ukrainians. But that was far from what happened, as both Varane and Eder Militao looked anything but secure against a side shorn of several players due to the coronavirus.