LA LIGA & REAL MADRID

[raul julia]

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MADRID, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Spain striker Raul was named in the Real Madrid squad for Saturday's league match against Alaves, three months after suffering a serious knee injury.
Their captain's return is a major boost for Real ahead of next week's Champions League knockout tie against Arsenal and means he is on course to lead Spain at the World Cup in Germany.
"He's been put in some phenomenal work, he's feeling positive and now it is just a question of gaining rhythm," Real coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro told a news conference on Friday.
"He has made an extraordinary effort to get back and his behaviour has been an example to everyone. Raul carries a lot of weight at this club and in this side, but like everyone he has to be at the top level before playing in the team."
Raul suffered a partial tear of the cruciate ligament and damaged the cartilage in his left knee when he miscued a shot during Real Madrid's 3-0 defeat by Barcelona on November 19.
Club doctors opted to follow a "conservative" programme of treatment to deal with the injury rather than surgery in the hope that the player would make a more rapid recovery.

[raul julia]

MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid legend Raul returned to action for the first time in three months and the team responded in style as they won for the sixth successive league match beating Alaves 3-0.
Real - who rested Zinedine Zidane and Roberto Carlos ahead of Tuesday's Champions League match with Arsenal - cut Barcelona's lead to four points through goals by Guti, Robinho and Cicinho.
However, the Catalan side regained their seven point advantage later and ended a two match losing run in the league as an inspirational display by their world footballer of the year Ronaldinho - returning after a two match suspension - saw them trounce a rather unfortunate Real Betis 5-1.
Madrid virtually won the match in the first 15 minutes as they scored twice, displaying all the confidence of a side unbeaten in the league since December 21.
Inspirational captain Guti rifled the ball home from outside the box in the sixth minute after Robinho had passed back to him and then the skipper turned provider five minutes later.
He delivered a delightful chip over the Alaves defence to find the muscular Julio Baptista who headed the ball up and then with amazing agility for such a big man proceeded to connect with an overhead kick.
The 'keeper was soundly beaten but the ball came back off the post only for it to fall to Robinho and he made no mistake.
Australian international striker John Aloisi was the only Alaves player to test Iker Casillas in the first-half but his header fell safely into the hands of the 'keeper.
The largest roar of the night, though, in Madrid - where Oscar winning actor Adrien Brody was a spectator - was reserved for Raul as he entered the fray in the 66th minute to replace Baptista.
The Real icon was to play a part in the third goal as he passed to Antonio Cassano and the Italian's slide rule pass found Cicinho, whose shot took a deflection on the way into the net for his second goal for the club since joining them in late December.
Raul did manage to net the ball on the stroke of full-time but his return was not to be capped by a goal as the referee ruled it out for offside.
Casillas was to ensure that Real kept a clean sheet by saving with his legs from Aloisi in injury-time and temporarily turn up the pressure a little bit more on Barcelona.

[fingolfin]

...dont forget to mark your clocks.... STAR SPORTS. February 22, 2006 3:30 a.m. Arsenal vs. Real. I'll just watch its replay, hehe

[K|D]

Thierry Henry delivers again for his team!!!!

[fingolfin]

..yep. 46th minute goal 1-0. tsk tsk tsk. Another set back from madrid. anyway, its just one goal. Hope they can recover it in a fortnight's time.

[Jekong]

makakahabol pa ba sila?

[fingolfin]

..of course they can. just look at the 2nd leg of the kings cup semis against zaragoza. they needed 5 goals and they scored 4. they can.

[Jekong]

d man gud daw pareho dnuwaan ni idane dati. maayo unta mabalik iya mga moves

[fingolfin]

..coz he is old. his age is showing but he still has the brilliance. Madrid has Robinho now. So far, he has been consistent in league performance. And that Cicinho kid. number 11 defender. hehe.

[K|D]

It's a shame this match isn't the finals hehe I don't want any of these two to be out this early....