Liveblog: Real Murcia v Real Madrid
By: Steve | November 24th, 2007Sorry I’m starting this late, was a bit late getting home from watching The Darjeeling Limited, and then the laptop needed a few minutes to load up… but let’s get right into it.
10min: GOAL! Robinho heads the ball that the Murcia keeper can’t keep out of the goal. Robinho may have been offside, but the assistant referee doesn’t indicate it, so the goal stands. Real Murcia 0-1 Real Madrid.
13min: Ok, i missed the first 6 minutes, but Real looks pretty strong so far, keeping possession pretty well in the early going…
15min: Looks like Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro and Marcelo in defense, Gago, Guti, Diarra and Robinho in midfield, and Raul and Ruud in attack.
17min: Madrid look like they’re handling newly-promoted Murcia pretty well, but Sergio Ramos has given the ball away a couple times already…
19min: Great start by Guti so far, showing his cultured left foot and some seeing-eye passes. He’s even tracked back to provide defensive cover…
20min: Pepe is down after a heavy foul… Murcia is playing a pretty physical game, which is probably their only option since they won’t be matching Madrid on skill… Looks like Guti is on the free kick…
21min: …and Real can’t capitalize on the keeper’s bumbling of the ball. Robinho boots it away…
23min: Both Ramos and Marcelo are attacking and getting forward quite a bit, but Murcia hasn’t shown much initiative on the attack yet…
24min: …and right when I say that, they lash a shot that Casillas parries.
26min: Murcia is keeping possession a bit better, but they haven’t been able to give Casillas much to think about yet…
27min: Sergio Ramos is having an uncharacteristically poor game thus far… giving the ball away twice so far, getting a poor shot on a Guti cross in the first few minutes, and then he just sent a midfield crossing pass way out of bounds…
30min: De Lucas has earned himself a yellow card, I think for an offball foul on Guti, but they haven’t shown a replay yet…
31min: Madrid’s passing has been quite dreadful, but they’re getting away with it… Passes behind people, stopping momentum… ugly.
32min: Gago just picked up a yellow card for an elbow on a Murcia player.
34min: Balano gets a yellow card for a retaliatory foul… he felt Madrid got away with a foul on Murcia’s latest attack, but the ref clearly said to play on… it’s getting chippy out there.
36min: Murcia is doing a better job now of keeping possession and attacking, but they have yet to get into the penalty area on the go…
37min: Gago just booted away the ball… just a horrible attempt at a pass to the right wing. It wasn’t even close.
40min: Robinho clearly has license to work off both wings, alternating sides depending on the run of play…
43min: Madrid look like the home side actually, playing aggressively, pressuring the defense… they’re holding about 60% possession right now…
45min: Ugh, Gago’s just given away a free kick just outside the penalty area…
45min: And that’s it for the first half, after the free kick sails untouched to the left of Casillas’ goal…
HALFTIME: Well, Madrid don’t look like they’ll be troubled much by Murcia’s anemic attack… There’s been very little to worry Schuster, and Madrid has been surprisingly good in covering the passing lanes and backing up one another.
HALFTIME: Barca has already won today, so Madrid need to maintain their lead, but save a monumental collapse, I don’t think Madrid will have a problem holding on.
HALFTIME: I wouldn’t expect much change after the half… Everyone seems to be doing good enough so far, but this is Murcia we’re talking about… Gago, despite what I’ve written so far, has been alright, getting much more involved in play, while Diarra has been rather absent. Raul too has been pretty quiet.
46min: No changes after halftime…
48min: Cannavaro looks like he’s injured after challenging a Murcia shot…
48min: Metzelder is warming up, but it’s not clear if Cannavaro will be taken off for sure…
49min: GOAL! Murcia’s corner kick sails into a clear area, and Guti stops marking De Lucas who gets a solid head on the ball. Real Murcia 1-1 Real Madrid.
51min: The Sky Sports commentators say they weren’t surprised that Murcia’s goal came from a set piece… It’s not like their passing would be able to get a good chance in the run of play, but Real’s never been good at defending set pieces anyways.
52min: Pepe gets a yellow card for hauling down a Murcia player who beat him on the dribble… The resulting free kick leads to a good shot that Casillas parries over the bar.
55min: Madrid need to get back into the game, get their concentration back… they haven’t been able to keep possession much in the second half so far.
56min: Murcia gets a free kick as Cannavaro gets caught pulling down a Murcia player…
58min: Real finally showing some attacking intent, only 12 minutes after the restart of the match…
59min: …and some ineffective attacking leads to a good Murcia counter, which amounts to nothing, as the Murcia header misses the net.
61min: Ugh… Madrid really aren’t showing the same type of control and patience as they did in the first half.
64min: Madrid’s play is really choppy… they’re winning possession, but the passing and ball control that they so deftly displayed in the first half has deserted them.
69min: Madrid’s defense is getting a bit sloppy too now, losing their shape on Murcia’s counter… Madrid’s lucky that Murcia seem to have no clue how to get the ball on target…
70min: Movilla gets a yellow card for a bad foul on a rushing Sergio Ramos.
71min: This match is getting really ugly, on both sides… errant passes, blocked passes, intercepted passes… no one seems to be able to mount a coherent effort on attack.
73min: Real’s last few crosses into the penalty area, by Ramos, Guti, etc. have been rather poor. They haven’t gotten past the defensive line, allowing the Murcia backs to head the ball away to safety rather easily.
74min: First substitution for Murcia, with Balano coming off for Goitom. No indication of anyone coming on for Real yet…
76min: Schuster needs to make a change soon, because the current XI aren’t getting the job done… looks like Robben and Higuain are coming on…
76min: …for Raul and Robinho.
77min: Madrid really need to start pressing… they can’t afford to lose ground to Barca.
78min: Man, a Real free kick from 40 yards out goes away from everyone…
81min: Another substitution for Murcia… Inigo off for Ivan…
83min: Oh man, Guti gets a straight red card for retaliating on a Murcia foul… Real already got the free kick… that was so stupid.
85min: Well, Real will finish the match with 10 men, though they’ve got a direct free kick from about 30 yards out… and Sergio Ramos airmails it to the stands. Brutal.
86min: Ooh, Abel gets a yellow card, maybe for diving, after he goes down in the penalty area after a Cannavaro challenge…
87min: Ugh, Gago gives away the ball and Murcia counters with a good attack leading up to a shot that Casillas pushes over the bar… the resulting corner doesn’t manage to get on target.
89min: Oh, Madrid are lucky not to give up a goal after Goitom misses a great chance to put the game away after Pepe gives away possession…
90min: Another yellow card on a Murcia player after Ruud is brought down to prevent a quick counterattack by Los Merengues…
92min: Murcia are playing with much more attacking intent with Real down to 10 men…
94min: And it’s done… It’s a 1-1 draw that Madrid are lucky to escape with, a result they can’t be proud of, considering Murcia only got into the Primera Division this season.
POSTGAME: Villarreal have a chance to go top of the table if they win their match against Almeria. Madrid really have no one to blame but themselves for this result.
POSTGAME: It was choppy for much of the match, especially the second half. It wasn’t the kind of game you’d recommend to someone to watch, because it was really just ugly football.
POSTGAME: Barca gain ground on the leaders, closing to 2 points, and they stand second at the moment on goal differential. Valencia remain in fourth, with a chance to draw level with Barca if they win against Racing tomorrow.
POSTGAME: Ok, Casillas was his usual self today, bailing out Los Merengues with fingertip saves on a couple long-range shots. He had no chance on Murcia’s goal.
POSTGAME: Pepe was generally decent, making good runs into attack. His passing leaves a lot to be desired though. Cannavaro was solid, didn’t seem to be out of place at all, and did pretty well in the air to defend long passes. Marcelo gambled a bit too much for my liking, but he’s coming along alright. You can’t expect him to be Roberto Carlos right away, especially considering Roberto Carlos wasn’t Roberto Carlos at the same age… Sergio Ramos had a bad game. He attacked well with intent, making good runs down the right, but he gave away possession far too often, and his cross-field passes were horrendously off-target.
POSTGAME: Diarra wasn’t too bad, but he didn’t really stand out. I suppose that’s not a bad thing for a defensive midfielder. Gago was on the ball a lot, which is good, but gave away the ball even more than Sergio Ramos did, which is bad. For someone with a reputation with good passing, he had a bad game. Robinho was excellent in the first half, but rather anonymous in the second half… but then almost everyone’s touch on the ball seemed to stay in the dressing room after halftime. Guti was alternately great and horrible. His passing was the only thing that kept Madrid from losing possession every time they got past the halfway line, but he’s the one who stopped his marking of De Lucas on Murcia’s goal, and then his idiotic retaliation earned him a red card, which nearly cost Madrid the match, and he’ll miss the next game too.
POSTGAME: Raul and Ruud were both ineffective, but I think that’s more a matter of the lack of good service than them playing a poor game. Robben and Higuain got some decent touches on the ball, but nothing that stood out either way.
POSTGAME: Overall, a disappointing result, given that Madrid went ahead so early in the match. Giving up a goal right after halftime was tough, but they really should’ve been able to take the fight to Murcia and they couldn’t impose themselves.
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