LA LIGA & REAL MADRID

[gun-ob]

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daghanon nalang sa Real Madrid ug goals ron against Dynamo sa Champions league aron makabawi sa points ...

[fingolfin]

.. you mean, GOAL DIFFERENCE... yeah, Ronaldo is back on the team sheet, i hope he won't play, this is a crucial match. No time for experimenting. The Raul, Cassano, Ruud combo is very effective in attack. Robinho should start alongside Reyes in midfield

[raul julia]

Five star Real thrash Kiev

MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid bounced back from their 2-0 mauling by Lyon in the Champions League two weeks ago to inflict a 5-1 thrashing on Dynamo Kiev.
Two goals apiece from Ruud van Nistelrooy and captain Raul Gonzalez, and one from Jose Antonio Reyes, produced the nine-time kings of Europe's best win in continental competition since their 6-0 win over Genk in 2002.
The victory will reassure Real coach Fabio Capello and Real's ever-critical fans that they can still qualify from Group E with ease and mount a serious challenge to become European champions for a record 10th time.
Van Nistelrooy, who had become a father for the first time less than 24 hours earlier, opened the scoring after 20 minutes by hammering home a loose ball after Kiev keeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy had failed to grab hold of a Roberto Carlos cross.
Raul then crowned his return to the starting lineup, after being left among the substitutes for Real's 1-0 win at Real Betis on Saturday, with a stunning header six minutes later.
A long pass from Jose Antonio Reyes from the right side of the midfield found Raul roaming forward and the Bernabeu icon showed the skill that has made him the highest scorer in Champions League history by nodding the ball past Shovkovskiy.
Reyes then got on the score sheet himself two minutes into injury time at the end of the first half with a wonderful half-volley from just inside the area, the former Arsenal winger connecting with a Mahamadou Diarra pass.
Real must have been feeling happy with their advantage but they were quickly shaken out of their complacency by Artem Milevskiy finding the net less that two minutes into the second half following some slack defending.
The goal had the effect of getting them focussed again and Raul added Real's fourth just on the hour, his 53rd Champions League goal in Europe's top club competition.
Shortly afterwards, van Nistelrooy then got Real's fifth goal from the penalty spot after he had been dragged down by Shovkovskiy while bearing down on goal.
To make matters even worse for the Ukrainians, the luckless Shovkovskiy was shown a red card for his deliberate foul. Van Nistelrooy was almost immediately substituted after his second goal.
The Dutchman was replaced by Ronaldo as massive cheers rang out around the Santiago Bernabeu stadium for both men, with the Brazilian star wandering onto the pitch to play his first minutes for Real this season.
Capello's midfield and forwards were on song despite the absence of their effervescent Italian striker Antonio Cassano.
What will concern Capello more, especially with his reputation for fashioning teams with rock solid rearguards, is that his defence was clearly out of tune.
Kiev had several chances to score in the first half before Milevskiy broke through and then they went close another two more times late in the game despite the match having long been lost.
For the third game running, David Beckham was left on the bench and the form of Jose Antonio Reyes makes it questionable whether the former England captain will get a recall for Sunday's local derby against Atletico Madrid.
Beckham did come on for Reyes after half time, Capello clearly wanting to keep his hardworking winger from blowing his batteries with several important games coming up in the next few weeks.
However, in the 45 minutes he was given, Beckham did little to convince anyone that he will be able to replace Reyes as the first choice for Capello down the right flank in the foreseeable future.

[raul julia]

MADRID, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello said there was still plenty of room for improvement despite his side's crushing 5-1 win over Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.
"This team can and must improve in many areas," the Italian told a news conference. "We let them have too many chances and not all our opponents will be so generous to us.
"I think we made some defensive errors. They have a lot of quality and pace on the break and there were a few things I didn't like at the back."
Capello paid special tribute to Raul whose two goals were his first in the Real shirt since October last year and took his tally to 53 in the Champions League.
"Raul is a talisman for Real Madrid and a very important player for this team. I think you have to value a player for everything he does and not just the number of goals he scores," said the coach.
The Italian also had words of praise for his other two-goal striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, whose participation in the match was in doubt after spending the night at the side of his wife who gave birth in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
"He didn't sleep last night and had only a short siesta this afternoon but he was certainly wide awake for this game," said Capello.

[K|D]

great win! as i said, for me Madrid doesn't need Ronaldo anymore...

[fingolfin]

... Ronaldo is still potent. Capello wants the squad to be quick, few touches of the ball, it's like...1 2 3 shoot. And Ronaldo's game suits that style. But what about Robinho?? Why isnt he playing??

.. and Cicinho is out for eight months. toink. Raul Bravo can't replace him. Bad timing for Madrid.

[raul julia]

Ramos off as Real draw with Atletico

MADRID, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Real Madrid hung on for a 1-1 draw at home to neighbours Atletico Madrid in a tense city derby in the Primera Liga on Sunday.
Atletico have not won in the Bernabeu since 1999 but went ahead through striker Mista in the sixth minute as they took the game to Real.
Raul, who was dropped from the Spain squad on Friday, levelled the scores in the 37th minute, but despite Real losing Sergio Ramos to a red card midway through the second half, Atletico were unable to find a winner.
"After playing half an hour with a man less I am pleased with a point," Real coach Fabio Capello said.
"But Fernando Torres fooled the referee for the sending off. People who cheat like this should be punished."
Atletico got off to a great start in the Bernabeu when former Valencia striker Mista put them in front early on with his first goal for the club.
Fernando Torres picked out Maxi Rodriguez with a diagonal cross, and the Argentine's knock down left Mista with a simple tap in from close range.
The tackles flew in thick and fast from a fired up Atletico, disrupting Real's rhythm, and they had chances to extend their lead through Bulgaria's Martin Petrov and Portugal's Maniche.
But Real hauled themselves back into the game when Guti's deep cross found Raul arriving unmarked at the back post, from where he sidefooted the equaliser.
Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas and his counterpart Leo Franco both pulled off impressive saves to deny Maniche and Ruud van Nistelrooy before the break, as the game ebbed and flowed.
In the 62nd minute the game swung Atletico's way again when Ramos collected his second yellow card after Torres went down easily clutching his face in a challenge.
Soon after Casillas made a fingertip save from substitute Sergio Aguero at his near post.
Atletico's young Argentine striker had the game in his grasp in the dying moments when Torres played him through one-on-one with Casillas but Aguero's extravagant attempt at a lob flew wastefully over the bar.

[fingolfin]

.. Ramos should be disciplined. Two games in a row he made mistakes, that elbow on Kiev's goalkeeper was worthy of a red card, he got lucky the ref gave him only a yellow. Madrid's defense is still frail. Capello should bring in the more experienced Helguera.

[ReconGunny]

chalk more wins....

[laagan]

Madrid lost 0-1 to Getafe with NO shots on goal for 90 minutes!