Liveblog: Real Madrid v Racing Santander

By: Steve | February 7th, 2009

Hala Madrid! Well, it’s your friendly neighbourhood liveblogger, hopefully back in action tonight! I have another birthday party to go to tonight, but Real are playing the early match, so there’s about an 80% chance I’ll do the liveblog before I go out. As usual, Corey’s got a great preview of the match so check that out.

Tonight’s match will be broadcast on Sky Sports Xtra here in the UK at 19h00 GMT and, as Corey mentioned, at 14h00 EST on GolTV. Check back here in 6 hours for the start of the match and remember to share your comments during the match!

PREGAME: Juande Ramos is getting accolades from his Santander counterpart as the best coach in Spain. Geez… let him win a title first, eh?
1min: Starting lineup is Casillas, Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze, Lass, vdV, Robben, Higuain, Raul and I think Sneijder.
2min: Santander field a pretty attacking lineup according to the Sky commentators.
4min: Casillas is now tied for most appearances by a Real Madrid keeper, with Sanchis.
5min: Zigic is MASSIVE.
6min: Ugh, brutal corner given away by Sergio Ramos. Madrid aren’t great at defending set pieces, and with Zigic in the box, i’m a little scared…
6min: No damage, as the ball is cleared by Lass.
7min: The Sky commentators are definitely right on that last comment… Real rely on Robben like Barca do with Messi. Most definitely.
8min: OMG, brutal tackle attempt by Heinze. Lucky he didn’t actually make contact.
11min: Nice free kick by vdV from 40+ yards out, deflected just wide by Ramos. That was a pretty decent chance considering how far that came from.
12min: Great interception by Lass! That’s exactly what we need from him.
12min: Oh! A quick corner leads to Raul being freed up in the box, but his shot is blocked… that was a glorious missed opportunity.
14min: The wideangle view gives us a glimpse at Madrid’s formation. Looks like Ramos and Heinze are pushing up a bit further forward as wingbacks, in line with Lass and one of Sneijder or vdV, who are alternating between staying back and going forward…
15min: Ugh, the long ball. Surely we should have enough talent to not need to use the long ball except as an emergency outlet.
16min: Wow. No call on the Racing defender who totally takes out Pepe’s legs. Tchite, i think. Surely that’s worth a free kick…
17min: A little miscommunication between Ramos and Pepe gives Racing a throw-in. Come on guys, tighten that up!
19min: Look how deep Sneijder is playing! He’s even deeper than Lass!
20min: Terrible ball in by Ramos. That’s why we need a proper right winger.
21min: Wow, did the linesman just pull down an offside flag? Sure looked like it to me.
21min: Great free kick by Sneijder, right into the 6 yard box, but it couldn’t find a white shirt.
22min: Is it just me or is Real playing a very EPL-like pursuit defense? The midfielders are especially active tonight.
23min: Nice steal by Robben and almost a nice and quick 1-2 with Sneijder… Lass picks up the pieces as usual.
24min: Who was that delivery to?!? Damn it, Sergio Ramos needs to work on his crossing. I figure he was aiming for Raul, but that was ambitious considering he was the only white shirt vs 3 defenders in the box.
26min: AHH! It’s like Higuain had too much time. His shot gets blocked after a sweet run by Robben up the left, dragging 3 defenders with him.
27min: Ugh, how ugly was that? Sneijder carries the ball in the middle, and all 4 Madrid attackers are within 5 metres of each other. Brutal. Give yourselves some space.
28min: OOH! Great shot by Robben and a great save by the Racing keeper. The Dutchman cuts in from the left and unleashes a wicked shot from his unfavoured right foot.
29min: Ooh, decent buildup for Real. Robben elects to send a ball into the 6 yard box instead of dragging back for Sneijder, and it’s deflected out of harm’s way. Sigh.
30min: Oh, another chance, this time vdV tries to chip over Tono but the keeper gets his hands on the ball.
30min: Come on! Second consecutive opportunity for vdV whose toe poke on Higuain’s square pass goes feebly right at the keeper.
31min: Well, at least the movement and passing is working. Much sharper than the start of the match.
33min: Oh no. Racing’s counterattack leads to some spotty defending by Real, right in the middle of the pitch. Free kick given…
34min: …and driven straight into the wall.
35min: Lass is pretty damn good on the ball, no? He gives me a confidence that Mahamadou doesn’t.
38min: Good header away by Pepe, as Zigic was lurking behind him.
39min: Brutal free kick given by Ramos, though Serrano really is milking it for all it’s worth. Has Ramos played a really good match lately? I can’t remember the last one.
40min: Santander have really come on strong in the last 5-10 minutes. Much better at keeping possession and starting first and second attacks. Real need to tighten up at the back.
40min: Great save by Casillas, tipping Pereira’s shot over the bar.
41min: Ooh, nice break by Real, started by Casillas’ throw to Higuain and then the Argentinian’s cross-field pass to Robben.
43min: Yellow card on Lass who literally tackles Pereira after losing the ball to him.
43min: Sneijder’s on the ground, getting treatment… i missed that, dunno what happened there.
44min: Casillas’ throw is a bit too ambitious and gives it away to Racing, but the cross is too high for Zigic or Pereira.
45min: vdV to take a corner from the right…
45min: Ooh! Raul almost squeezes past 2 defenders to get his head on the ball. Good corner from vdV actually.
45+3min: Wow, Racing’s defenders are just getting in the way of everything. First Higuain’s shot, then deflections on a couple squaring attempts.
HALFTIME: We’re done the first half now, ending with a bit of a scuffle after Pereira makes a nuisance of himself going to ground then covering himself over the ball while trying to claim a foul.
HALFTIME: Well, it wasn’t terrible… Racing really only had one chance, i thought, on Pereira’s shot from distance. Real still have to be vigilant on any free kicks and corners in their half, just because of the threat that the massive Zigic poses.
HALFTIME: But Real have had some opportunities, some real chances, but they haven’t troubled Tono too much. vdV’s chip and then toe poke were about the only times they really had that required the keeper’s presence.
HALFTIME: vdV looks more alive in this match than he has in his last 5 appearances. I guess that bodes well for him.
HALFTIME: Do you think Faubert will get on the pitch today? I’m not sure.
HALFTIME: Oh yeah, Robben had a good shot on goal too.
HALFTIME: I dunno. I don’t see enough problems at the moment to warrant a halftime switch. If there’s no more offense though, I can see maybe Huntelaar and Faubert coming on, and Real playing more aerial balls.
46min: No changes for either team after halftime.
46min: Nice work, Higuain making a good run from the right, forcing a corner.
46min: Good ball by vdV again, but it’s cleared… Robben gets a second chance on the left, but his attempt to cross is mis-hit.
47min: Another corner for Real, but from the left this time. Taken short, Robben gets it from Sneijder and does a spinorama pirouette to create space. Looks pretty, didn’t really do much.
49min: GOAL!!! Higuain collects Raul’s headed pass, stops to lose a sliding defender and slots it home with the ~~left~~ right foot. Real Madrid 1-0 Racing Santander.
51min: Racing counterattack but the cross from Serrano is pitiful. Easily caught by Casillas.
52min: Robben just loves running at defenders, this time weaving in and out of 3 defenders and probably would’ve beaten them all if he hadn’t stepped on the ball and stopped it completely.
53min: Real are really pressing hard for the second goal now, great movement and passing now.
55min: Oh! What a chance! Robben sends through Higuain but his first touch is too heavy and he has to turn around at the touchline and sends it back through the box, behind Raul. Robben gets it but his layoff for vdV is too far forward and it’s cleared.
56min: OH!!! Massive save by Tono on Higuain again. Real attacking with much better spacing now. Loads of chances.
57min: Yellow card for Oriol.
58min: Yellow card on Robben for a dangerous tackle.
58min: Lass really uses his body well to shield the ball from defenders.
59min: First sub… Tchite off for Toni Moral.
61min: Look how far forward Ramos is playing. You can’t even see him in the backline.
61min: Ooh, a really pacy attack by Real, maybe too fast, as Higuain puts it out the back for a goal kick.
62min: Faubert comes on for Robben.
62min: ugh, first touch for Faubert as a Madrid player… bad pass, intercepted.
63min: Lacen off for Luccin.
64min: See that, when Higuain got the ball out on the left wing? Tried to pass it back in the middle. Aren’t we used to seeing Robben get the ball there and then just attack his man? hahaha…
65min: Santander get a couple cracks at the Madrid goal. The first free kick is cleared by Heinze (perhaps unnecessarily), and then the corner is cleared.
66min: Ooh, Pereira blows a glorious chance on goal with a horribly wayward shot.
67min: Well, you know Real couldn’t keep up that barnstorming pace for the entire second half, but they need to do a bit better keeping possession in their own half. Don’t give away any unnecessary opportunities!
68min: Man, that was a horrible offside call. Raul was definitely level with the last defender… and why did the linesman wait so long?
69min: Ouch, Sneijder catches a defender with his studs, right in the calf muscle and earns a yellow card for it.
70min: Hey, Javi Garcia is warming up. Hmmm…
71min: Awesome tackle and clearance by Cannavaro. He’s so on form right now.
72min: It’s Sneijder coming off for Javi Garcia. Ostensibly for defensive purposes, but that frees up vdV to play further forward.
73min: Doesn’t Juande want to see what Faubert can do? We haven’t seen any attacks up the right side yet.
74min: Holy crap, that was just awful. vdV gets a yellow for a horrible tackle, but the ref plays the advantage, and Pereira turns around Pepe. Casillas comes racing out to clear, but hits Pepe with it and it bounds back towards the goal and Cannavaro and Pepe beat Pereira to the ball, with the Italian clearing it just at the line.
76min: Ooh, Faubert almost gets released from Raul, but the Racing defender just gets a toe on the ball to knock it out.
78min: Marcelo comes on for vdV. I’m confused, even if the Sky commentators say it makes sense. Now there’s no central attacking midfielder, and 2 leftbacks. What?
80min: Wow, that was some tenacious defense by Pepe, chasing down the ball after Racing put the ball in the box for a 2-on-2.
81min: I just got it. Faubert = Vin Diesel, right?
82min: Even shots on goal, 8 apiece, but really, Racing haven’t had that many good ones, right?
83min: This is finishing up pretty sloppy, IMHO. But what do you expect, with Juande subbing all his creative players for defensive ones?
84min: Ooh, Zigic gets a head on the ball, ahead of Cannavaro, but it goes wide of the far post.
85min: Marcelo almost gets past Valera on the left side of Racing’s penalty area, but he gets pulled back and earns Real a free kick. Valera earns a yellow card.
85min: Ooh… Higuain takes the free kick with the 2 Dutch midfielders off the pitch, and he almost serves it up for Sergio Ramos. Just a bit too far.
86min: Oh! Great chance for Racing! Valera sends in a nice cross from the right, and Zigic just puts it over the bar. Cannavaro just can’t match up with the Serbian giant.
88min: Marcelo isn’t doing half-bad as the left winger. He’s cutting in like Robben does and he’s creating some opportunities with some decent movement. Alas, he usually makes too many mental mistakes when defending to really earn more time on the pitch.
89min: Oh, brutal challenge by Luccin, getting a yellow card. He bodychecks Higuain as the Real forward tries to sidestep around him.
90+1min: 3 minutes of extra time.
90+1min: Great play by Higuain, chasing the ball down around the Racing backline and forcing it out.
90+2min: Raul gets a free kick deep on the left, trying to get around Oriol.
90+3min: Ooh! Higuain just misses the far post with a curling shot.
90+3min: Wow, Zigic chases the ball into Casillas’ hands, and you can just see how big the guy is. He is HUGE.
90+3min: And we’re done.
POSTGAME: Well, a win is a win, and we keep the pressure on Barca.
POSTGAME: That means we stay in second place, and the gap closes to 9 points, though Barca still have to play tomorrow.
POSTGAME: If anything, Real’s form in the Liga will force Barca to keep playing strong lineups, and Messi in particular, which will weaken them in their other competitions.
POSTGAME: Let’s see… first half starts slow, then Real really heat up for about 10-15 minutes, then Santander settle down and make it more even for the rest of the half. Second half, Real come out like gangbusters and get the goal, but it’s inevitable that we can’t maintain the pace and the game slows down and Racing get some chances in there.
POSTGAME: It feels like a really weak win, but to be fair, a clean sheet is a clean sheet, and you have to say that Cannavaro and Pepe did a decent job on Zigic, since he never really did get a good head on the ball.
POSTGAME: I’d love to do a scorecard for the Real players like they do on the Barca blog, but I’ve got a birthday to go to now, so I’ll leave it to you, the readers, to make your own comments!
POSTGAME: It’s been fun! Catch y’all later.