More than a victory: Figures highlight the importance of Real Madrid's victory over Espanyol
Real Madrid's four goals against Espanyol have established new figures for some Real Madrid players. Van Nistelrooy still leads the top scoring ranking of La Liga with 21 goals and Raúl has become the second top scorer in Real Madrid history with 186 strikes, the same as legendary player Santillana. Di Stéfano still leads the Club's ranking with 216 goals.
Saturday's match was truly special because it allowed Real Madrid to become leaders of the League for the first time in over one year. The Whites hadn't been in the top spot since 15 October 2005.
Real Madrid showcased their greatness by becoming leaders after a phenomenal 4-3 victory over Espanyol against all odds. Their comeback from an adverse 3-1 score has been described as "epic and heroic" by the media. Nevertheless, Real Madrid have managed to come back from losing by two goals 39 times in their entire history, winning 19 games in total. The last time this happened was at Valladolid's Nuevo Zorrilla Stadium on 1 February 2004. The Whites were losing 2-0 by half-time, but Ronaldo and Figo scored two and one goals, respectively, turning the score around and earning a victory for their team. The last time this happened at the Bernabéu was on 15 December 2002 against Recreativo Huelva. 14 minutes into the game, the Whites were losing 2-0, but Raúl Bravo, Iván Helguera, Raúl and Figo -on the 89-minute mark- drove Madrid to a 4-2 victory. But the greatest comeback the Whites have ever had has to be that of the 1972/73 season against Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabéu, in which Grande, Pirri and Amancio netted three strikes in only eight minutes.
Saturday saw the first game in the League this season to end with a 4-3 score. Real Madrid hadn't finished a game with such a score since their victory over Malaga on Matchday 21 of the 2000/2001 season. That game was very similar to Saturday's in several aspects: its goal scorers were Raúl (2), Guti and Helguera, all of whom were on the pitch against Espanyol. The latter scored the winner in the very last minutes of the encounter, after Darío Silva netted Malaga's equaliser on the 73-minute mark.
Real Madrid hadn't scored four strikes at the Bernabéu in over a year, since their 4-0 victory against Deportivo on 26 March 2006.
It is impossible not to mention the team's top scorers. Di Stéfano leads the ranking with 216 strikes, but Raúl is getting closer to that figure. The captain equalled Santillana's 186 goals on Saturday and now shares the second spot with him.
On the other hand, Van Nistelrooy scored his 21st League goal against Espanyol -his 29th in all competitions-, getting closer to winning the Pichichi Trophy -awarded to the championship's top scorer- at the end of the season. He has won similar awards in two different European leagues so far. The player has recovered his goal scoring instincts, netting strikes in seven of his team's last ten games. Van Nistelrooy is also a strong candidate to win the Golden Boot award. He is rivalled only by Alfonso Alves, who has earned 51 points so far this season. Ruud currently has 42, but he's still got four games left in which to try to overtake Alves.
Report by Patricia Alcubilla
Photography by Ángel Martínez & David R. Anchuelo
Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell
posted by khalidmrrakchi@hotmail.com @ 1:51 AM
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