After a long time, we saw Real Madrid play like Champions.
However to do so, they had to go down a goal from a penalty - which should never have been given - as there was absolutely no contact and ofcourse at half time, Ancelotti must have given the players a real earful.
In the second half, an error of Vidal gave the ball to Benzema, who for a change, passed the ball through nicely to Ronaldo and Cristiano only had Buffon to beat which he did with a lot of class.
Madrid was level with Juventus 1-1.
Very shortly afterwards Gareth Bale received the ball at the top of the box and after side stepping a couple of Juve defenders, beat a diving Buffon. In slow motion, you could see the ball turning away from the diving hands of Buffon. It was nice to see.
This was Gareth Bale's first goal for Madrid in the Champions League. I am sure many many more will follow.
During this period of play, Madrid was dominating the play, they kept possession and if they lost the ball, they kept at the Juventus player - not giving an inch or a second to settle on the ball. Madrid's persistence was paying off and at times, we could see nine Madridistas in the Juventus half.
Then against the play, a floating ball found Fernando Llorente poking his head forward, beating Varane and the outstretched hands of Iker Casillas.
Juventus had equalized 2-2.
It was a good match to watch for the spectators.
For Real Madrid it meant going through to the next phase.
I am afraid Juventus will not make it through.
Today after a long time, I felt the midfield and the back four stuck to their task well - in the second half. Hope they have solved their defending problems once and for all.
All Madrid fans should thank Iker for all the saves that he made during the match.
That's what we, the Real Madrid fans, had to go through today to see Real Madrid win.
As I have said time and time again, the Real Madrid midfield and the back four DO NOT inspire any confidence. They are slow and lethargic and roam the pitch for 90 minutes without clearly identifying who they are supposed to mark.
Forget winning any silverware this year Sr. Florentino Perez.
What I am concerned about is just about any team in the Liga has a chance to beat Real Madrid this season.
Luckily in football it is the team that scores most goals wins.
For if it had been for possession, skill, pace, attacking football, Rayo would have won.
Ronaldo's goal was quite nice but I wonder whether he could have done that against a better side. But hey a goal is a goal.
Gareth Bale again provided some nice crosses from the right - one was headed in by Benzema and another pass to Ronaldo was neatly put away.
After scoring that goal, it seemed as if Benzema went off to sleep.
To all Real Madrid fans I have one question. Where was Alonso? Did he lead the midfield? Did he organize the plays? Did he do anything? Simply put - did he play?
Why can't Ancelotti see that he is including players who are past their prime.
Why not give Isco, Morata, Jese and Varane a go. They add a dimension which is lacking.
Finally what is the use of having Gareth Bale in the team when he rarely gets the ball. He has to always come back to collect the ball.
A great game and Real Madrid pulled off a good victory beating the reigning Italian Champions - Juventus 2-1 at home at the Santiago Bernabeu.
This victory virtually assures Madrid to go through to the quarter finals stage of the Champions League heading their Group.
The match started in a frenzy and in the 4th minute, Di Maria dribbled the ball from the right and came to the top Juve's area and passed the ball inside through to Ronaldo. Cristiano very skillfully, side stepped the charging Buffon ( Juventus's goalkeeper ) and put the ball into the back of the net - even though the angle was very acute. The goal was well constructed and elegantly finished.
The score was 1-0.
The goal galvanised the Italians. Juve started dominating possession of the ball and the midfield. Juventus had so much of the possession that sometimes, there were atleast two or three Italians around the ball with Real Madrid players nowhere to be seen.
It has to be said that Pirlo, Vidal and Martin Caceres were in total command of the game. They did not allow Real Madrid to build up any move and on the contrary, were quick to put their forwards on the counter attack.
With so much pressure being built up, it was inevitable that during this period of play was when Juventus scored. A floating ball found a Juve forward who crossed the ball to the far post. The ball beat the Madrid defenders in the air and the Juve player headed the ball towards the Madrid goal. Casillas had to make a diving save but in doing so, the ball fell in front of the goal line and Llorente tapped the ball into the back of the net - giving Casillas no chance to make a save.
It was a defensive lapse - first Marcelo was out place and could not prevent the ball from being crossed and secondly Arbeloa was not guarding the far post. These fundamental defensive problems have been a constant problem for Madrid this season so far.
The scores were level 1-1.
The match was fast paced and it was end to end football. Very exciting to watch. Around the 35th minute a high ball into the Juventus area saw Chiellini grappling Sergio Ramos around the neck and bringing him down in the penalty area. The linesman very bravely and correctly signaled the penalty to Madrid. Cristiano converted beating Buffon going the correct way - but the kick went into the top left hand corner of the net. Buffon had no chance.
In the process, Chiellini received a yellow card for bringing Sergio Ramos down in a wrestling hold.
The score at half time was 2-1 inMadrid's favour.
The second half started with Madrid in the driving seat. Shortly after the start, Ronaldo picked up a through ball and was going towards the goal when Chiellini elbowed him in the mouth and sent him falling to the ground. This brought out the red card and Chiellini was sent off.
With the sending off, the stuffing was knocked out of Juventus. With 10 men Juve could not compete - their players were exhausted. When Pirlo was substituted, Madrid roamed the pitch freely but could not score even though they had two great goal scoring chances.
The first chance came when Di Maria chipped the ball to Arbeloa who had come into the box behind the Juve defence and made a great pass across Buffon's goal line. However Benzema kicked the ball over the crossbar - missing an open goal - a "sitter" as some would say. The Madrid supporters did not like Benzema missing such an easy chance and voiced their feelings.
The second chance came when Khedira found himself inside the Juve area with only Buffon to beat. He tried chipping the ball over Buffon's head but the experienced Buffon was not to be fooled.
Benzema was substituted by Gareth Bale - who was only given about 20 minutes by Ancelotti. He made a few runs but nothing special.
Morata and Isco were brought in for Di Maria and Iyarramendi. With what little time they had, they played well.
Juventus continued to hold through the valiant efforts of Vidal and Martin Caceres. With only 10 men, they created two clear chances of goal but then with fatigue and being overwhelmed by the Madrid numerical superiority, they could not convert.
The match ended 2-1.
Two incidents stood out during the match which are worth noting. It tells the story of what Real Madrid stands for. The first came when Fernando Llorente was being substituted. You will remember Llorente used to play for Atletico Bilbao and this was his first match in Spain after his move abroad. The Madrid fans gave him a standing ovation for the hard work he put in and the goal that he scored. The second standing ovation was reserved for Pirlo. When Pirlo was walking off the field after being substituted, the Madrid fans clapped and acknowledged what a great footballer he is and has been all these years. Yes Madrid fans acknowledged the class of this great footballer.
Hopefully this victory will boost the team morale for Saturday's CLASSICO.
If Madrid wins on Saturday, they will be equal on points with Barcelona.
The Madrid team did not start with Sergio Ramos, Isco and Arbeloa but instead selected Marcelo,Carvajal and Varane. These were good moves as Madrid protected its left flank and Marcelo's speed and skills helped mount attacks from the left wing.
Carvajal played a more attacking game down the right hand side but he also seems incapable of crossing or centering balls to the forwards waiting in the area. This has become a major concern this year.
In the first half, Madrid attacked frequently but most of the moves fizzled out due to lack of ideas. The Madrid forwards were at one time lining up to take shots at the Copenhagen goal but the lack of accuracy was quite pathetic to watch.
As usual Benzema was not playing well but later in the match, he made a couple of good passes that brought back some of the Madrid fans to his side.
Late into the first half, Marcelo's measured, floating cross from the left completely fooled the Copenhagen goalkeeper and Ronaldo made no mistake in heading in his first goal. The cross was a beauty and all credit to Cristiano Ronaldo to head the ball down onto the grass and then bounced it in.
Madrid went into the interval with a goal advantage.
The second half began in the same manner as in the first half. Madrid lacked finishing skills and then after the first 10 minutes, the game changed. Madrid it seemed woke up and started playing some attacking and attractive football.
The second goal started with back heel from Benzema to Di Maria inside the area and Di Maria floated the ball to the near post. The beauty of this goal was that Ronaldo who was behind the defender, moved out in front of the defender and headed the ball home. The move to go in front and meet the ball and thereby taking the defender out the equation was really great thinking.
Madrid made two substitutions - bringing on Isco for Khedira and a little later Morata for Modric. The substitutions were applauded by the fans because firstly Khedira had not played particulary well and secondly Isco and Morata are fast becoming the Bernabeu favourites.
The third goal was a solo run by Di Maria at the Copenhagen goal and he curled the ball into the far left hand side giving the goalkeeper absolutely no chance at all. It was a great goal to see - specially when you can see the ball turning and beating the goalkeeper - a treat for the eyes.
Madrid made their third substitution for the night bringing on Jesse for Benzema.
The fourth goal came from the right hand side when Morata managed to "rob" the ball from the Copenhagen defender and pass the ball to Di Maria who made no mistake in putting the ball into the back of the net.
The match ended Real Madrid 4-0.
Although the fans were happy to go home with a victory, the Madrid defence let the Copenhagen forwards too much space and time with ball in their area. The Copenhagen team created quite a few dangerous chances. The first was in the first half when Luka Modric had to kick the ball away from Madrid's goal line. And in the second half, a Copenhagen forward found himself solo in front of the Madrid goal and thank Saint Iker for bringing off a brilliant save. That save was followed by a corner when Iker again had to pull off a left handed save. These were three clear chances of goal that Copenhagen missed.
Ancelotti should be careful of corners because everytime Copenhagen had a corner, the Madrid defence was caught out. This is a very serious weakness in the Madrid defence. The finishing skills have to be honed and finally the accuracy of passing needs improvement.
Anyway it looks like Real Madrid will sail into the next round with this victory.
Is this the result of Ancelotti being brought to the Bernabeu?
Is this the result of Zidane's influence on the team as the Assistant Coach?
Is the result of buying super stars?
I don't mind Real Madridbeing beaten by a good and better team. But for Heaven's Sake - do not go down in this pathetic manner. It was the worst display of ineptitude I have seen from Real Madrid. And I can only blame Carlo Ancelotti and Florentino Perez.
One does not have to be "professional" football coach to tell you, and tell you correctly, that Real Madrid today is carrying Benzema , Arbeloa and Khedira. Without these three millstones around the Team's neck, I am sure Real Madrid will be a better team.
Forget analyzing the game.
We should discuss what is fundamentally wrong about the Team.
1. How many scoring chances were created in the first half?
2. How many passes were incomplete?
3. How many shots were taken at Atletic's goal?
4. How many times did Arbeloa pass the ball BACK to Pepe or Khedira?
5. How many times did Arbeloa cross the ball to his forwards?
6. How many times did Ronaldo enter Atletic's area?
The problems go on and on.
It was terrifying to see Atletico get the ball and run at the heart of the Madrid defence. The defence was like a house of cards - frail, weak and vulnerable. Everytime an attack was on, we felt the panic and terror in the defence.
Madrid's midfield was non existant today. Di Maria was awful. I was sorely missing Ozil weren't you Mr. Acelotti?
The only saving Grace was Diego Lopez. He was Madrid's savior yet again.
I really don't know where Madrid goes from here.
The Management needs to go back to the drawing board and start from the basics.
My simple advice is. You DO NOT need 11 men on the field. You need 11 professional, confident, skillful footballers who play in specialized positions and play as a team.
Watching the first half one might have thought that Elche are the favourites - the Galacticos and Real Madrid were the minions.
Again Mr. Ancelotti- I have said this time and again, but you continue to turn a deaf ear:-
1. Sergio Ramos should have been sent off - had the Referee not been kind to Real Madrid. I have said this over and over again, Ramos is going to get Real Madrid into serious trouble by being sent off. He plays a very rough and dangerous game. You cannot put your team in danger by being so stupid.
2. Why is Ramos the Captain when he continually attracts yellow cards setting a bad example to the youngsters? If he cannot tackle legally he should be benched. It seems he gets a yellow card every single match.
3. Albeloa - how many times did he cross the ball - ONCE. He takes the ball up to the oppositions area and then passes the ball back. Please see the TV replays. Its awful. Terrible waste of an attacking move if you have to go back when you are in opponents area.
4. Passing the ball back when there is no opponent near you - see how many times the ball was passed back when taking the ball forward would have been the most logical thing to do. See the TV replays.
5. What is Khedira and Albeloa doing in the team? Benzema is atleast trying today - but he should also be benched.
6. The Madrid defence and midfield are weak - letting Elche do whatever they want - attack freely down Madrid's left flank.
7. Had it not been for Diego Lopez, Real Madrid would have been 2-0 down going into the break.
8. You don't have a genuine right winger.
9. The left flank is where all the attacks are coming through - the same every game.
Mr. Ancelotti, you belittled Ozil during the week, but your words will come back to haunt you. There are very few players of Ozil's caliber in Real Madrid.
I hope you throw the book at those highly overrated and overpaid players. They do not do our REAL MADRID BADGE and COLOUR proud.
We are worried how Real Madrid will score, or will they score or can they score?
For us Madridistas, we have to suffer during every match. Our defence is porous. Our midfield lacks creativity and the forwards are not getting the right passes or crosses or through balls. Goals are like gold dust - very few and very precious.
The second half started and within a few minutes Ronaldo was brought down outside the Elche area and he converted from the free kick. The free kick went through the barrier; in fact I think the Madrid players moved away and the ball went through the gap into the near post bouncing just as it went in.
After the goal, Madrid played indifferent football. Nothing happened. It was all Elche - they were trying their best to score a goal. They shots at Diego Lopez's goal - reminding me of the old saying - if you don't shoot or take a shot, you will not score a goal.
Elche's perseverance finally paid off when during extra time they stretched the Madrid's defence and the Ghanian forward headed home a beautiful, nicely constructed goal. A good move - free flowing - nice to watch.
As time was ticking way, Madrid was awarded a corner and from the corner- a penalty. It seemed like Pepe was held and brought down in the area. It was perhaps a fair decision for Madrid but a cruel one for Elche.
Ronaldo converted from the penalty spot.
Madrid came away with the 3 points.
But well done Elche you deserve more. You left your hearts out on the field.
We the Real Madrid fans salute you.
You played well, you played with passion and you gave it your all.
Real Madrid as usual started off very slowly. In fact during the first few minutes of the match, Getafe was on the attack and in one of the first attacks on Madrid's goal, Getafe's Angel Lafita scored a lucky goal. The goal was deflected off a Madrid defender and Diego Lopez had no chance.
Madrid created some good moves with Di Maria, Carvajal, and Isco combining nicely. But unfortunately Benzema was again very disappointing. He missed a point blank chance from a cross from Carvajal. It is incredible how many opportunities the French International has been given to prove himself. In fact his poor display today drew jeers from the Madrid fans. Nacho give a good account of himself and he cut off a sure goal.
Madrid scored twice in the first half. The first was from a free kick and as Ronaldo's tap in was bouncing in front of the Getafe goal. All Pepe had to do was to tap the ball in.
The second goal came again from a free kick. Ronaldo's free kick hit Michel on the hand and a penalty was awarded to Madrid. And Ronaldo stepped up and converted the penalty without any difficulty.
Now Ronaldo has equaled and surpassed Hugo Sanchez's record of 208 goals but Ronaldo has played fewer games. All Madrid fans miss Hugo's celebratory back flips.
The Getafe forwards were dangerous and had a couple of chances.
But that was as far as they got.
The second half was far better for Madrid. They had the lion's share of possession and attacked the Getafe goal at will. But the main problem was Benzema. He could not finish. He could not put away sitters. An Albeloa cross found Benzema with an open goal but he headed it over the bar. Another pass he headed it past the goal post. It was embarrassing to see Benzema play.
Albeloa tried to get the Madrid crowd behind Benzema and applaud his efforts.
The third Madrid goal was brilliantly executed between Ronaldo and that GALACTICO Isco. A quickly taken free kick sent Isco on his way and he curled the ball in beating Moya - Getafe goalkeeper very easily.
The fourth goal came right at the end. A pass from Khedira which arrived a little late for Ronaldo, had Ronaldo twist and back heel the ball into the net. It was a clever and quick piece of thinking by Ronaldo and the goal looked spectacular.
In summary. Ancelotti it is very clear you have to find alternatives for Benzema, Khedira and Albeloa. I have said this numerous times but now you have to take action. Secondly, Madrid is very vulnerable in the first half hour or until Ronaldo settles into a rhythm. The defence has to withstand pressure during this period.
Finally I have a word of advice for Khedira. Why do you tend to pass the ball back to Pepe or Diego? This breaks the flow of play and gives the opposition time to regroup. I know by getting rid of the ball you think you are doing a great job, but in actual fact you are hurting Madrid's chances. I sincerely wish you see the video of your passing and see the damage that is being done.
Forget about the quality of Galatasaray. Its all about confidence in themselves, confidence in their much hyped forward line, confidence to do well, confidence that they are destined to be CHAMPIONS.
The first 35 minutes of the match was dominated by Galatasaray and an injury to Casillas which forced Ancelotti to bring on Diego Lopez. We are not really sure what happened, but they bandaged up Casillas around the midrift pretty good.
Galatasaray had most of the play and had two clear chances of goal. One save which Diego pulled off - diving fully extended to his left was a treat to watch. He used his full height to save what was a sure goal. The Turks could have had atleast two goals but let them slip away.
Real Madrid in a counter attack lobbed the ball from their own half, to that little genius - ISCO, who made no mistake and slipped the ball in at the corner of the goal giving the Turkish goalkeeper absolutely no chance.
Having gone down a goal, the Turks run of bad luck continued and Drogba, their Superstar, went down from what appeared to be a relatively innocent challenge. Anyway he too made his way down the tunnel to dressing room. His contribution for the evening done.
The second half began well for Real Madrid and they were made to look good by the numerous errors made by the Turks. Errors in passing, errors in communication and errors in judgement. The second goal - a defensive error that let Benzema in and then the flood gates opened and Madrid put another 4 goals away. Leaving the Turks reeling, wondering what had happened. The Turks scored a consolation goal at the end.
It was night which saw Ronaldo getting frustrated, shooting and missing opportunities and then ending the evening scoring a hat trick!! How lady luck changed his fortune within 30 minutes. His third goal when he latched on to a through ball from Bale, dribbled past three defenders to beat the keeper was a treat to watch.
The little genius - my GALACTICO - Isco was in my opinion the standout player for Madrid. He defended, played midfield, was up in attack, he created chances and scored a beauty. What more can you ask from a player?
Bale came on with about 30 minutes left in the match. His free kick led to a Ronaldo goal and then he slipped in a nice through pass which Ronaldo put away very neatly.
Now it seems that Ronaldo will have to start feeding Bale some passes to repay the generous service that he has been receiving from Gareth!!!
Di Maria was great as usual but his "bad" right foot caused him to miss out on goal scoring chances.
Now that the first Champions League match is out of the way, can you Mr. Carlo Ancelotti, get back to Madrid as soon as possible and start winning matches in the Liga.
It was a pathetic display of ineptitude.
Real Madrid does not need Bale, they need a whole new team!!
What is the forward line doing? It cannot get together a couple of passes and get inside the Granada defence? If they cannot breakdown the Granada defence, what will they do against the better teams like Barcelona and Athletico Madrid?
Ancelotti you have a lot to think about. Ronaldo is clearly out of form, Benzema should be benched even if he scored the only goal. The only two players who tried today was Di Maria and Ozil. The rest spent the 90 minutes putting us to sleep.
Albeloa does not have the ability to cross the ball into the penalty area. The number of times he back passed the ball to Pepe or another team mate was incredible. The flow of the game is savagely cut and all comes a halt. In this day and age, if a left back cannot cross the ball and feed the forwards, he has no right to be in the team. Look at Marcelo, he crosses are beautiful - if the forwards mess it up - it is not his fault.
I am really frustrated seeing this poor poor quality of football.
Are the stories of the imminent arrival of Gareth Bale so disturbing to the Madrid players?
What is the reason?
They were up against Granada for God's Sake not Bayern Munich or Dortmund.
God help us.
If today's news is to believed , it is great news.
What I have been saying for so long is finally going to come true.
Benzema is being sold to Arsenal.
Thank God.
And we are finally going to get Gareth Bale.
Maybe we have paid too much - but atleast we have a good striker.
Hope the Ronaldo and Bale combo works effectively.
Dear Mr. Carlo Ancelotti
This was a pathetic display from Real Madrid. What was Ronaldo doing for the 90mins? Taking silly shots at goal and generally being ineffective. His free kicks were bad. I don't think I have a single positive word on his play tonight.
Please keep Khedira and Bezema on the bench. In my humble opinion they just make up the 11. You don't have to play with 9. You can bring in some of the talented youngsters you have sitting around.
The number of OFFSIDES Bezema was caught in was ridiculous.
How many opportunities were lost in this manner? Becareful of Ramos - his aggressive and very physical tackles will prove very costly for Madrid during the season.
Again I hate to tell you, but the defence is very weak. You have to strengthen the defence and tell the mid fielders that they have to fall back and defend when necessary.
The only player who was worth mentioning was ISCO - a GALACTICO in the making.
Please Mr. Ancelotti, if you want the fans to come and see Madrid - please do something dynamic.
You don't have to the same players from the Mourinho era. CHANGE. CHANGE NOW.
Remember you played Real Betis and scrapped through. What will happen when you play the better teams?
ISCO was the Man of the Match.
The two super sublime passes which opened up the LA Galaxy defence and put the ball in the feet of Ronaldo and Bezema were fantastic.
At last we got a play maker. A person who has a vision.
We have another David Beckam.
The problem lies in our defence. They do not close down plays and allows acres of space to the opposing forwards.
The other "small" problem seems to be the accuracy of the passing. Speed is good but the passing should be better. More ball control and possession.
Overall the youngsters played reasonably. They and the team need to mature.
Finally ISCO should be nurtured and treasured.
