Well, much better than expected, even if we were on the ropes for most of it.
I don't blame Aurier for making that challenge - no way to know if Toby was going to come across before Kroos pulled the trigger, and it's a split-second decision anyway. I do blame Aurier for giving it away too easily before that, though - we can't afford that against this sort of opposition. Still, he's new to the team, this is his first year - no judgement here.
Eriksen's been sub-par, though. He seems like the only one overawed by the occasion - others have been nervous (Toby, Jan) but he's been overawed. Winks has been quietly effective, Kane's been unfazed, Sissoko's made some good runs and covered reasonably well for Aurier on the right. Llorente's been...okay, I guess. Hasn't done much, but his presence in the box is making Madrid nervous on the rare occasions we're getting the ball into their half.
We will concede another, though. That much seems nailed on, and we don't have options on the bench to change that. We do, however, have an option to try going for another goal of our own - namely, in Son. A switch with Llorente coming off for Son in the 70-75th minute if we're level or only one down would make a lot of sense.
Whichever way it goes, though, we headed into a half at Madrid level. That is a world away from the last time we were at the Bernabeu, and the lads should take heart from that for the second half. Just...no unnecessary giveaways, please. No Aurier meekly passing infield out wide. No Kane shooting from 60 yards and giving it straight to Madrid from the resulting block.
You can compete on this level, lads. Cooler heads.