Realmadrid News

Athletic Bilbao1-2Real Madrid: Quality stock; Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos' two goals seal Real Madrid turnaround

The penultimate match of Day 13 of the Spanish League saw the clash between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. The Whites began the match with the same number of points in the championship they enjoyed ten years ago, during Capello's first stage with the Merengues, who ended up winning the domestic torunament. Ronaldo didn't make the starting 11 and had to sit it out on the bench, awaiting his moment. The Italian coach's main concern tonight was devising a solid defensive block, with both Cannavaro and Helguera out, suspended and injured respectively. The Italian decided to hand control of the centre of the defense to 'jack-of-all-trades' Sergio Ramos and to youth system product Mejía. The remainder of the line-up was exactly the same as in recent matches, with Raul replacing Guti in the midfield. We will still have to wait some time to see how the Bilbao of newly-arrived coach Mané shapes up. The managerhas only just arrived and it is still too soon to pass judgement.

Real Madrid had victory stamped on their foreheads, especially given that Barcelona had drawn against Levante, while Sevilla had lost against Espanyol. Winning would give the Whites the second spot on the table, leaving them only one point behind Barcelona. Real Madrid took the pitch with a serene disposition, not rushing anything. Meanwhile, their opponent managed to build up the game with constant back and forth passing and looking quite comfortable. Basque playmaker Fran Yeste led the Bilbao Lions with his usual temper and exquisite ball control, proving that he could be a true problem.


MADRID'S WEAPONRY
Real Madrid began showcasing their football weaponry ten minutes into the match. Attacks started shaping up, with Robinho aiming to link up with Van Nistelrooy after a 50 metre dash that eventually found no fruition. In the 14-minute mark, Raul whipped a fantastic volley that was barely off target. One minute later, after a phenomenal series of step-overs typical of the Brazilian star, Robinho performed a superb and cheeky flick for Míchel Salgado to volley. The Real Madrid number '10' saw his teammate running to overlap him, but the fullback was denied by rival keeper Lafuente, failing to lodge the ball at the back of the net. The subsequent corner was misheaded by Ramos.

Real Madrid played joyful and pacy football suring these minutes, but they just didn't seem to be making the most of their domination, as they did in Valencia last week. Athletic defended well and even had a chance with an impressive free kick by Yeste that grazed the post in the 21st minute. The best moments of the first 45' were, no doubt, courtesy of Robinho. The winger did excellently well in the 27th minute, managing to get some space and shooting the ball, not far from target. Five minutes later, he had another go, but it also went wide.

CONTROVERSIAL GOAL
Bilbao only managed to create danger with set pieces. With 34 minutes on the clock, Luis Prieto took a free kick. He hit a well-directed, powerful ball. Iker dove in the right direction and was sure to stop it, but an offside Javi Martínez first blocked his view and then, hit the ball with his chest, netting it in Real Madrid's goal. The referee decided to ignore the offside despite the entire home team's protests and allowed the goal. The 1-0 result forced the Whites to push themselves to the limit.

Athletic grew more confident with the goal and reached Casillas' goal a couple of times through their pivotal man, Yeste, but didn't bring much danger. Real Madrid were having a hard time in the creation department without Guti in the midfield. As always, Captain Raúl went the extra mile, as he always does, but his and Madrid's last attack in the first half was aborted by Lafuente.

REACTION
The Whites reacted in the second 45'. Capello sacrificed Emerson, replacing him with Ronaldo -who would once more form an attacking duo with Van Nistelrooy- and subbed Reyes for Beckham.

Becks spiced things up, taking advantage of this exceptional passing abilities, and was instrumental in making his team's game flow. Robinho kept the spark he displayed during the first half, while Ronaldo delighted the crowd with typical treats of his: as soon as he stepped onto the pitch in the 46th minute, Ronie served Van Nistelrooy the perfect goal assist, but the Dutchman failed to reach the ball. It definitely wasn't Van Nistelrooy's night; moments later he faced Lafuente one-on-one but failed to score, kicking the ball straight to the goalkeeper's chest. In the 55-minute mark, his tap-in was disallowed after the linesman rightfully called the offside position fo the passer, Robinho. Athletic's very few chances were always frustrated by Iker.

Ronaldo was dying for this chance. When this happens, it is inevitable for the Brazilian to score. Ramos lobbed a long ball for Real Madrid's number '9', who made a picture-perfect control and immediately flicked the ball into the net with a fantastic finishing touch. The entire Bernabéu roared, celebrating the Brazilian star's strike as if it had been scored during the Champions League final.

HOUNDING THE LIONS FINALLY PAYS OFF

From this point forward, the fans kept cheering and making themselves heard. This was a very different Real Madrid from that which they had seen in recent matches. They anxiously awaited their winner against Bilbao, who roughened their game. Aduriz elbowed Diarra on the cheekbone in a terrible challenge, managing to slit it open as much as six centimetres. The referee sent the Bilbao forward off on the spot with a direct red card.

Facing a ten-man side, Real Madrid put even more pressure on their opponent. Beckham tried to score with a free kick in the 78th minute. Ronaldo had a shot in the 80-minute mark that was miraculously saved by Lafuente, who lived up to his reputation as a good shot stopper. And finally, one minute later, Roberto Carlos scored with a spectacularly powerful slingshot kick 25 metres away from goal. The stadium went absolutely crazy; their team was now second in the League, only one point behind Barcelona. Nevertheless, Casillas had to do his bit for it to stay that way: two minutes before the end, he made a spectacular save following an on-target shot by Iraola which always looked like it was going in. And right at the end, Raul tried to score a fantastic chip shot that nearly grazed the far post. Real Madrid celebrated their comeback in style, fighting against the odds all game long and having to sweat it out to counteract the 1-0 of Bilbao. But they reached their objective: they are second in the La Liga table, with Barça are only one point away. Patience: good things come to those who wait.



Report by Santiago Siguero
Photography by Ángel Martínez & Daniel Sastre
Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

posted by khalidmrrakchi@hotmail.com @ 11:51 AM