By florida 
Yesterday I was bored, and suddenly remembered that match between Leganés and Real Madrid from a few years back. Real Madrid was a top-tier powerhouse, while Leganés was still a small-time team back then—most people hadn’t even heard of them. By all logic, Real should’ve cruised to an easy win.
But I got curious: Was the final score really that lopsided? So I opened a soccer stats site and searched “Leganés vs Real Madrid data.”
I expected to see a bunch of numbers showing Real Madrid dominating, but the first thing I saw stunned me—Leganés had 58% possession?
They actually controlled the ball more than Real Madrid? And this match was played at Real Madrid’s home stadium, the Bernabéu!
I quickly double-checked the year: Yep, it was a 2018 La Liga match. Not a friendly, but an official league game.My immediate thought: “How is this possible? A small team dictating the pace at Real Madrid’s home stadium?”
Refusing to believe it, I dug deeper into the players’ detailed stats.
First, total distance covered. Leganés’ left-back, Naranjo, ran 13.2 kilometers that match.You might not know what this means—it’s nearly the highest distance covered by any player on the field.
Now look at Real Madrid’s side. Their starting midfielder, Kroos, known for his consistent running, only covered 10.8 kilometers that match. That means an obscure player outran Real Madrid’s core by over two kilometers!
Even more astonishing, the heatmap shows Naranjo relentlessly defending the left flank, thwarting nearly every attempt by Vinícius Júnior to break through. He didn’t rely on fouls, but on sheer speed and positioning.
This made me laugh: Who would have thought a defender from a small club could dominate Real Madrid’s wing attack like this at the Bernabéu?
What stunned me most were the goalkeeper’s stats.
Leganés’ keeper, Quilliar, was nothing short of divine that night. He made 11 saves throughout the match! Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s Courtois managed only 2.
Just look at the shot distribution map: Real Madrid’s attempts poured down like rain into Leganés’ penalty area, from every possible angle. Yet Quilliar touched the ball nearly every time, pushing it away.
His save percentage reached 84.6%—an exceptionally high figure in professional football. Put another way: for every five shots on target Real Madrid took, he blocked over four.
No wonder the final score was 1-1—with an ordinary goalkeeper, they might have conceded four or five goals.
I also noticed something particularly interesting: Leganés committed 19 fouls throughout the match, mostly minor infractions like pulling or tripping to disrupt Real Madrid’s attacking rhythm.
But what about Real Madrid’s captain, Ramos? Zero fouls all game. That’s incredibly rare. Ramos is famously a “tough-guy” defender who often picks up cards for his aggressive play. Yet he played the full 90 minutes without committing a single foul.
At first, I thought the data was wrong. I checked two different websites, and both showed the same result. It might be because Leganés had more possession, forcing Real Madrid to chase the ball. With less defensive pressure, their actions weren’t as aggressive.
Finally, the overall stats:
- Shots: Real Madrid 28, Leganés 7
- Corners: Real Madrid 17, Leganés 1
- Possession: Leganés 58%, Real Madrid 42%
See? Real Madrid dominated in shots and corners, yet still didn’t win. Why?
Because a small team used discipline, grit, and a superhuman goalkeeper to turn a “sure loss” into a hard-fought draw.
This match taught me: Football isn’t just about who has the most money or star players. Sometimes, determination and form decide the outcome.
The numbers don’t lie. They won’t give you extra points just because you’re a powerhouse, nor will they dismiss your efforts just because you’re the underdog.
The statistics from this game are the best proof.