LA LIGA & REAL MADRID

[raul julia]

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A record 50th goal in the European Cup from captain Raul and a late strike from substitute Roberto Soldado earned Real Madrid a 2-1 victory over Olympiakos Piraeus in a Group F match at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Real, thrashed 3-0 by Olympique Lyon in their opening game, appeared on course for an easy win after Raul scored his record-breaking goal by heading home a beautifully flighted cross from David Beckham in the ninth minute.
But Olympiakos grabbed a shock equaliser against the run of play through midfielder Pantelis Kafes's scorching 25-metre drive three minutes after the break.
Real remained on top throughout with Beckham turning in a memorable performance, constantly menacing the Olympiakos defence with his teasing crosses and pin-point passes.
It was not until Soldado arrived late in the second half that Real converted their domination into another goal, the former youth team player heading home another great cross from Beckham at the second attempt.
Real centre-back Sergio Ramos was sent off in injury time for retaliating against a foul by Ioannis Okkas, the second time in three games the 19-year-old has received his marching orders.
Real are equal on points with Rosenborg Trondheim who were beaten 1-0 by Lyon on Wednesday.

[fingolfin]

ehem. 3 - 0 win over atletico madrid. i hope ronaldo will be fit for this coming champions league game. the great man is back to his old form, but now he is much smarter.

[raul julia]

too bad he will be out for a month with the injury he picked up in the Madrid derby.....hope Robinho can fill up the slack........or maybe Soldado.I saw this guy play and he looks promising.......

[fingolfin]

...damn. 4-1 win over Rosenborg. yummy. Replay will be on october 22, 6:30 am at Star Sports. Real is improving with every game. This year's line-up has depth and class. And most importantly, most of the new players havent won any major trophy in either spain or europe, they are hungry for silverware and still have a lot to prove. Which is good for the team.

[raul julia]

indeed mr dear fingolfin.........this year's team is a good combo of seasoned champions and hungry newbies.......

[raul julia]

i was watching the UEFA highlight game between Rapid Wien(Austria) and Club Brugge(Belgium), and i cant help but notice Jaiver Portillo, the former Real Madrid striker, now playing for Club Brugge.......

[fingolfin]

ssheeesh, 2- 1 loss to valencia. it was a very bad game for both of the teams. few chances. Zidane missing a PK. then Ramos sort of hand-balled. crap. and beckham and graveson was sent off. perfect day. hehehehehe. Good news is, they are still 2 points ahead of Barcelona, who are struggling to get some good form.

[Von!-x]

Still not good enough form from the many time european champions! I wish they dominate the spanish league. A no.2 spot is a failure for such a heavy weight galacticos!

[raul julia]

im sure they have a good chance of capturing the treble compared to last year's line-up.......im hopeful they can bounce from this temporary adversity........

[raul julia]

MADRID, Oct 25 (Reuters) - David Beckham's red card near the end of Real Madrid's 2-1 defeat by Valencia on Sunday was overturned by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Tuesday.
The decision means the England captain will be able to play in Real's league match at Deportivo Coruna on Wednesday.
Beckham was sent off three minutes from the end of Sunday's 2-1 defeat at the Bernabeu by referee Arturo Dauden Ibanez after receiving a booking for dissent and then a straight red card for applauding the decision "in a sarcastic manner".
But Real appealed against the red card saying that video evidence and photographs showed that Beckham's clapping was "neither scornful nor sarcastic."
The Competitions Committee decided that Beckham's clapping formed part of his initial protest and therefore the player should only have been punished with the initial booking and not an additional red card.
"The clapping took place when the player's back was turned to the referee and when he was returning to his position on the pitch," said the Committee.
"Although the action is worthy of reproach it was not done in direct confrontation and is seen as part of his original protest.
"Neither the incidents themselves nor the referee's report suggest that there was an intention to insult or slight the referee."


, Oct 25 (Reuters) - French midfielder Zinedine Zidane has been left out of the Real Madrid squad to play Deportivo Coruna on Wednesday because of groin pain that has affected him in recent matches.
"He's in pain and can't move properly," said Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo. "He has felt the pain when he has been playing and I don't think he will be ready to play in Seville (against Real Betis) on Saturday either."
Luxemburgo, however, is confident that the three-times World Player of the Year will regain peak form if he is given time to recover.
"He's still a great player," he said. "People in football are always quick to criticise. The same thing happened with Pele, Zico, (Johann) Cruyff, Maradona, all of them went through bad patches but they managed to pull through.
"It's a difficult time for him, but with training his quality will return and all those that say he is finished and should retire will have to eat their words. Zidane will always have my confidence.