No Ronaldo, no Zidane, no trophy! Costa mauls Madrid's defence in Super Cup shocker

              

                We knew before Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup final that Real Madrid would face Atletico Madrid without both Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
What we did not know was that the reigning European champions would also turn up in Tallinn without a defence.
               Madrid's back four were wretched, badly beaten up by the brilliant Diego Costa, but ultimately undone by their own ineptitude.
Every goal Real conceded in their 4-2 defeat at the A. Le Coq Arena featured at least one horrendous error from a defensive perspective.
                In that context, it would be wrong to apportion too much of the blame to Julen Lopetegui, especially given the usual pre-season rustiness and post-World Cup fatigue could well have been factors in his players’ shocking sloppiness, but this was a disconcerting debut for the Blancos' new boss.
Indeed, not since Michael Keeping in 1948 had a Real coach seen his side concede four times in his first game at the helm and that the defeat came at the hands of their city rivals only made the experience all the more galling.
                 Death, taxes and beating Atletico in European finals: they are the three constants in life, as far as Real fans are concerned. As a result, this loss will only heighten the sense of unease among the Bernabeu faithful ahead of the new season.
The build-up had been shrouded in enough uncertainty, as far as they were concerned. How would Real play without Zidane? How would they fare without Ronaldo? Why had their been no stellar summer signings?
The last thing Madrid supporters wanted to see, then, was such a horribly disjointed, disorganised display.
                 The strange and unsettling lack of solidity was evident from the kick-off, too, with Real conceding the fastest goal in Super Cup history. Costa required just 49 seconds to open the scoring, taking advantage of not one, not two, but three Real errors.
                 Even then, though, Costa had no right to score from such an acute angle. His shot was fiercely struck but Keylor Navas was unforgivably beaten at his near post.
It was a goal that would have hit the Costa Rican hard. With new signing Thibaut Courtois ineligible to play in Estonia, the Super Cup represented an excellent opportunity for him to show that he will not give up his starting berth without a fight.
Instead, he merely gave Lopetegui a convenient excuse for dropping him for this weekend's Liga opener against Getafe.