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Today, we’ll be with Real Madrid at UCLA. If you have questions for anyone on the team, ask away. We’ll do what we can to get them answered.
1L!
-Alex V.
You’ve got Barcelona and Real Madrid, and a few mid-table contenders, but what has happened to Spanish football!?
Today’s 5-1 victory over Tenerife was almost unfair. Coming off of a loss to Lyon, you have to wonder if Madrid is suffering from a lack of competition in La Liga. Here are highlights.
Barça’s 2-1 victory over Málaga was more conservative, though a 1-1 tie to Stuttgart in the UCL begs a similar question about the quality of their competitors.
The two Spanish giants are expected to win everything, but the quality of their play will almost certainly suffer if they can’t be challenged. All across Europe the title races are getting tighter and tighter with many teams competing for top spots. In turn, we see stunning performances from Lyon, Bordeaux, Stuttgart, and Panathinaikos in the Champions League.
Here’s a look at Barça vs Málaga…
By Jake Glavies
David Beckham’s first match against former club Manchester United was a bit anticlimactic thanks in large part to the stellar play of striker Wayne Rooney.
Playing at the San Siro in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 Tuesday, Rooney was nothing short of magnificent while netting two late goals in just eight minutes to give United a 3-2 victory over Beckham and AC Milan. The first goal came in the 66th minute when Rooney headed home a cross from substitute Antonio Valencia; he used his head again for his second score, knocking in a pass from Darren Fletcher. The scores were Rooney’s first European goals of a year, which give him a total of 25 for the season.
Milan got on the board first when Ronaldinho scored in the third minute off a Beckham free kick. Paul Scholes made it a 1-1 match with a goal in the 36th minute. After the break it was all Rooney until Milan’s Clarence Seedorf drew the Rossoneri to within one, hitting the back of the net at the 85-minute mark.
AC Milan v Manchester United
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In other Champions League action, Lyon stunned red-hot Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their showdown. Jean Makoun netted the match’s lone goal when he scored on a rocket shot from 25-yards out. Madrid dominated every facet of the match except the scoreboard. The squad had six shots on goal compared to four for Lyon; it also attempted three more corners and held the ball for 66 percent of the match.
The closest Madrid got to lighting up the scoreboard came in the first half when Gonzalo Higuaín received a quality pass from Cristiano Ronaldo but couldn’t manage to get past defender Jean-Alain Boumsong. In the second half, Ronaldo tried his best from 25-yards away but was rejected by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Olympique Lyon v Real Madrid
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Heading into the match, the return of former Lyon star Karim Benzema dominated headlines. Benzema entered the match in the 64th minute as a substitute for Higuaín and had little to show leading up to the final whistle.
Despite allowing an away goal, Madrid’s statistical dominance Tuesday will give it an advantage when Lyon travels to the Bernabeu March 10. United will take its distinct goal advantage home to Old Trafford when it faces Milan again the same day.
Ronaldo and Kaká ran circles around Xerez – photo credit: AFP/Christina Quicler
Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká put on one of the most entertaining attacking displays of the year against Xerez on Feb 13th.
Will Raúl be missed? Of course. Will the Galactico’s be ok without him? Come on, now.
By Jake Glavies
photo credit: Higauin vs Getafe/Getty Images
When Real Madrid kicked off the 2009-10 La Liga season, there was little thought as to who would be the squad’s top scoring threat. With Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year, coming in from Manchester United, the safe bet was on Ron to lead the Madrid charge.
But, some 19 matches into the year, the Portuguese winger hasn’t hit his stride and has most recently made headlines for crushing Patrick Mtiliga’s nose with his elbow in a 2-0 win over Malaga Sunday. To date it’s been an old face that’s helping Real Madrid keep pace with last season’s champion Barcelona. Despite playing alongside the newest Galacticos – including such high-profile transfers as Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema – Gonzalo Higuain is proving that his star can shine amongst the Madrid galaxy.
Higuain transferred to Madrid from River Plate for just a shade over $18 million in 2006, and ever since it’s appeared to be money very well spent. In only 14 appearances this season, including 11 starts, Higuain is holding pole position on the team’s state sheet, netting 11 goals on just 36 shots. His scores are coming every 3.3 attempts, compared to a staggeringly high 8.2 for Ronaldo and every 8.6 for Benzema.
His success is no surprise, though. Scoring a team-high 22 goals during last season’s second place finish, Higuain is merely picking up where he left off. The only thing that’s different is that he’s doing it with some of the most talented players in the world yelling for the ball. After getting off to a slow start this season, scoring zero goals in Madrid’s first six league games, the Argentine has caught fire. He’s had three multi-goal games, including back-to-back two score performances against Valencia and Real Zeragoza – during which he left the match in the 62nd minute.
Ronaldo – who currently has nine goals on the year – may be the biggest draw in town, but Higuain is the driving force behind his team’s success. If Madrid is to overtake Barcelona and reclaim the league crown, they’ll do it on the leg of the 22 year old Higuain. Though often overlooked for a starting spot, even in his native Argentina, he’s rapidly making a name for himself as one of the top young strikers in the world.
With three years left on his contract, Higuain may just prove to be the brightest star in the Real Madrid galaxy.
51,000 spectators packed into Benfica’s Stadium of Light today to watch Zizu and friends take on a selection of Benfica’s most notable talent from the past 15 years. Luis Figo, Kaká, Pires, Edgar Davids, Ronaldo and Nedved were among Zidane’s All Star teammates.
It ended at 3-3, though it didn’t seem like anyone was keeping score. Proceeds from the match went to a Haiti relief effort.
For more info visit – www.slbenfica.pt
Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká are sending yuletide joy to their English-speaking fans…
Check out Video from earlier today. Almería put up a real fight until Los Blancos broke ahead in the second half (despite Ronaldo being sent off). Real Madrid wins 4-2.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence has proven to be a blessing in disguise. As the star player readies himself for a battle with Barcelona next weekend, his teammates are learning to work as a unit. Today’s victory against Santander helped to further solidify some on-field dynamics that needed to be ironed out in time for CR9’s return. Higuain, pictured above, is the real thing. Benzema seems to be more in-tune with the squad, and Kaka is playing to his potential.
As the young guys take over, it’s clear that the Raul era (and the Van Nistelrooy era, for that matter) is long gone. The culture will change. The philosophy will change. But there will be a future if they can stay at the top of the table. Not an easy standard to maintain, but that’s what they bought into.
Real face Barcelona next weekend – 11/29.
Today’s big matchups proved to be well balanced as top contenders Man U, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and AC Milan each earned a point in their respective outings. Many expected that Real Madrid would emerge victorious after an embarrassing 4-0 defeat in La Liga last week. Kaka, Higuain, and Benzema all came out shooting for Madrid in the first half, which resulted in a goal from Benzema in the 29th minute. Los Merengues lost stride after a beautiful penalty kick from Ronaldinho brought the score level just a few minutes later. (more…)
