Realmadrid News

Villarreal 1-0 Real Madrid: The locals put an end to the Whites' winning streak

Villarreal took the pitch determined to make history, since they had never won against Real Madrid up until tonight. During the first fifteen minutes, the match mainly took place on Real Madrid's side of the pitch, as Villarreal pressured much more and proved more decisive. All the Whites could do was defend themselves any way they could, particularly from numerous corner kicks awarded in favour of the locals. Villarreal focused on attacking down the left wing through José Enrique, Mati Fernández and Marcos, who managed to put Ramos and Reyes through a lot of trouble.

Torres -who played his fifth consecutive match as a starter tonight- was also put to the test on the left wing, but he defended his position with accuracy. Villarreal's dominance ended with a long shot whipped in by Mati Fernández that Casillas had no trouble saving. From then onwards, Real Madrid got more involved in the match and started passing the ball much quicker. Robinho soon got a chance from a quick pass from Ramos, but he shot the ball over the crossbar.

Growing intensity
Reyes constantly asked for the ball and was in charge of taking all of his team's free-kicks. On one occasion he was close to scoring, but Viera managed to save the day for Villarreal. It seemed the stakes had been turned: Gago and Diarra were in control of the midfield, while Villarreal were growing quieter by the minute. But this was not meant to last. The locals soon took on the attack and reached Casillas' box on several occasions, especially through Senna, who even had a shot on goal that went over the crossbar.

Villarreal's attack grew stronger and their best chance was yet to come. Most of the fight for the ball took place in the midfield, where the game was stopped several times, but on the 30-minute mark Casillas' reflexes were put to the test, by stopping two consecutive shots -by Senna and Mati Fernández, respectively- and getting in the way of a third. His savings were masterly. The pace of the match decreased up until the end of the first half. Villarreal were showing signs of exhaustion and Real Madrid were quietly waiting for their chance, which came through a shot by Higuaín that the local keeper managed to stop. Both the Argentine and Van Nistelrooy were hardly assisted by their teammates tonight and they had hardly any chances to shine.

Villarreal strike
The second half also saw most of the fight taking place in the midfield. Both teams showcased a lot of heart and passion, but not enough planning. Robinho served two balls to Sergio Ramos, but the defender failed to put them into the back of the net, while Villarreal had one of their best chances from a corner kick by Senna. The game desperately needed a goal and Mati Fernández, determined to fulfil its need, gave an excellent pass to Marcos, who managed to put the ball in.

Casillas was powerless to stop the shot, which went in on the 67'. Capello looked to create more ball movement by replacing Reyes with De la Red and Real Madrid tried and tried, but were incapable of catching Villarreal off-guard. The locals, playing safe, focused on defending in order to keep the positive result they earned. It took them nine years to defeat Real Madrid, but through hard work they managed to finally do so. The Whites' next League match will be against Levante on Sunday 4 February.






Report by Luis Navarro
Photography by : Reuters/AP Photos
Special correspondents to Villarreal
Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

posted by khalidmrrakchi@hotmail.com @ 2:36 PM