12 TIMES CHAMP REAL MADRID REPLY TO THE DOUBTERS WITH 3-1 WIN OVER PSG

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Madrid: Zinedine Zidane has been questioned for his failure to repeat Real Madrid's magnificent feats of last season but the

 Frenchman showed he still knows how to manage a 

big game as his side beat Paris St Germain 3-1 on Wednesday 

in the Champions League. 

Zidane was expected to match PSG's 4-3-3 formation and field Gareth Bale in the last 16-first leg at the Bernabeu but instead opted to play Isco to give his team numerical superiority in midfield. 

"We wanted to control the game and we did that, " Zidane told reporters. "We did that by playing four in middle against their midfield three, Isco had a great game and gave us greater possession and the game went as we had envisaged it

Real made the stronger start although they fell behind to Adrien Rabiot's strike, which Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out from the penalty spot.

Zidane looked to his bench to win the game and made ultra attacking changes by throwing on Bale and wingers Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez.

The injection of fresh legs startled the tired visitors and after Bale came close to scoring from the right-hand side Asensio made two darting runs down the left which led to Ronaldo putting Real ahead in the 83rd

minute and Marcelo's late strike tightened their grip on the tie. "Despite all the speculation, we showed that you can never presume Real Madrid are dead," Real captain Sergio Ramos said.

“We were effective in a way we haven't been for much of the season and we played a complete game," he said.

"This is the example we need to follow in the second leg, we need to play as serious as we did and keep showing that desire to keep defending this title.”