Real Madrid 2-0 BATE
By: Corey | September 17th, 2008So I didnt get to watch the match because my usually reliable Chinese streams were errr… not reliable. I couldnt get anything to work so I ended up Gamecasting it while I painfully watched Manchester United get a lesson in how not to play a Spanish team in Vilarreal. Needless to say, I didnt enjoy my first Champions League match of the year. So while I am un-qualified to give you anything close to a game recap, I can atleast give you highlights and a copied recap from a decent enough website, espnsoccernet.com.
Lineups
Real Madrid
Casillas
Sergio Ramos Goal 11′
Cannavaro
Heinze
Marcelo
Van der Vaart
Gago
sub Diarra 35′
Guti
sub Higuaín 70′
Robben
sub Drenthe 63′
Raúl
Van Nistelrooy Goal 59′
BATE Borisov
Veremko
Rzhevskiy
Sosnovski
Yurevich
Khagush
Sivakov
Nekhaychik
Kryvets
Likhtarovich
sub Volodko 61′
Stasevich
sub Zhavnerchik 47′
Mirchev
sub Kazantsev 66′
Here is what Soccernet had to say about the game:
Heavily favoured for a comfortable home win, Madrid wasted little time creating chances, but Van Nistelrooy could not find the target from close range in the third minute.
BATE responded with an ambitious long-range effort from Vladimir Rzhevskiy but showed little sign of breaking down the Madrid defence, and the hosts were soon back on the attack.
Guti missed a great chance in the seventh minute, but they did not have to wait long to get their noses in front as Guti turned provider, finding the run of Sergio Ramos for the attack-minded defender to fire home in the 11th minute.
There was no let up from Madrid, with Raul firing wide moments later.
Iker Casillas was called on to make his first save in the 14th minute, easily holding Khagush’s header from Igor Stasevich’s free-kick.
Back at the other end, Van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben both went close as the shots rained in on Sergey Veremko’s goal.
BATE could still not find a way through the Madrid backline, and Mikhail Sivakov settled for a long-range shot in the 27th minute, but sent his effort wide left.
Summer-signing Rafael van der Vaart was the next to try his luck for Madrid, but his 20-yard effort sailed over the crossbar.
Madrid’s rhythm was upset briefly when Fernando Gago hobbled off to be replaced by Mahamadou Diarra 10 minutes before half-time.
BATE came forward one more time before the break, but Vladislav Mirchev’s ambitious volley from the edge of the area did not trouble Casillas.
The first half ended with Robben missing a great chance for the hosts, heading over from close range after getting up to meet Van der Vaart’s free-kick,
Viktor Goncharenko sought to change things at half-time, bringing on Maksim Zhavnerchik to replace Stasevich, but the substitution did little to stem the flow of Madrid attacks, with Veremko soon forced to parry Sergio Ramos’ shot to safety.
The Madrid pressure was increasing as Veremko was in action again moments later to tip Robben’s shot around the post, but there was nothing he could do in the 57th minute as Van Nistelrooy got free close to goal and fired the ball home.
That was still not enough to satisfy Madrid who attacked again straight away, with Diarra’s shot charged down by Alexey Khaletsky.
Whatever slim chances remained of BATE getting back into the game were effectively ended in the 62nd minute when Khagush picked up a second yellow card for a foul on Diarra.
Maksim Zhavnerchik launched another long-range effort for the visitors but was again off target, and their job for the rest of the night was reduced to damage limitation as they defended in numbers against Madrid.
Substitute Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Ramos both had chances in the 77th and 78th minutes but neither could find the target, and Veremko was on hand to keep out Van der Vaart’s shot as time ran down.
Deep into injury time the Dutchman had one more chance to add to his Madrid account, but Veremko tipped his shot around the post.
Again, I apologize for having to copy and paste a review but I didnt see the match. From what I can gather, it was a good peformance. Guti, as John pointed out, was in top gear today, as evident by his masterful pass to Sergio Ramos for the first goal. It was incredible vision, because I dont think anyone else saw it coming. Ramos did well to put it away too, in a less then comfortable scenario for a right back. Technically he scored from a corner, so prediction one was correct.
Ruud and Raul looked a little more lively too, which was nice to see. If your gonna drop Higuain after he played so well against Numancia, you better get a good performance out of his replacement, which Schuster did. Real’s finishing let them down a bit today, as many lamented that it should have been 5-0 in the first half. Well after the goal fest against Numancia I guess that was to be expected, but the important thing is they kept a clean sheet finally, so there is something to build on. Anyways, comments appreciated to fill me in on the match. HALA MADRID!
Category: Team News
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Comments
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Do any of you know why Madrid were wearing a Spanish flag on their kits last night?
Posted from
Italy
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ursus, Its the new kit !!Real are getting smarter 2 diff kits!!
Posted from
China -
By “getting smarter” do you mean “thinking that their supporters are stupid enough to buy two nearly identical kits”?
Are they trying to remind themselves what country they play home matches in?
Posted from
Italy -
just a little reminder to all those states that want to go rogue.
Posted from
Spain -
That’s what I was afraid of.
Posted from
Italy -
I didn’t think that Real played that badly – they simply didn’t really get out of second gear and to be honest who can blame them.
Agree that Ramos was our best player of the night (not just because he scored, but because of his obvious desire to win and work rate).
I was moaning about Raul to my GF – just as he made a great run and shot to setup the second goal. But I have faith in his determination to get back into form, if not, then I think Schuster will have the balls to play Higuain more – which is a good thing.
Incidentally, I’m quite happy to watch Diarra play – it’s true that Gago is a superior passer of the ball and is more natural with the ball at his feet (Gago’s defensive capabilities have improved no end also). But Diarra has got height and is good in the air which can win you extra goals as well as help defend against them. Also I was watching him closely last night and his trapping and economy of movement on the ball is really good now. Maybe is was because of the opposition, but he was in charge of the midfield and was able to make space for himself with a few well timed touches to take the pressure off – which is more than can be said for Guti who lost the ball on several occasions. Also I believe it was Diarra who played a great pass to put Raul through on goal for the shot that resulted in the Nistelrooy tap in.
Posted from
United States -
I think De La Red will get his chance this season – to me hhe is the natural replacement for Guti rather than Gago. He has said himself he would rather play in an attacking role where he get within 25 metres and shoot on goal – something neither Diarra or Gago can do.
As an side comment: with Robinho gone I think we are lacking wide player options. I don’t buy Drenthe as a suitable sub for Robben yet – he looks immature and is trying too hard with attempted tricks that don’t play to his physical strength and pace advantages. I’m very worried that with Robben out injured we will struggle. Hopefully the return of Sneijder will help, but he’s not a wide running player either.
Any thoughts?
Posted from
United States -
Cesar,
De la Red and Pepe were both suspended for last night’s game – hence why Diarra came on for Gago.
Posted from
Germany -
Cesar- I love ESPN 360, its great. Unfortunately Comcast does not offer it. Which is really annoying. The streams you listed I do usually use, but for some reason the only thing available was a flash player version of the stream as opposed to SOPcast or TVu. Thanks for the heads up though, all Real fans should know about these streams so they can see their team play!
Ursus- the flag is more of a tribute to Spain being European champions then anything, but it is also a little reminder of the national pride that Real plays with. It has nothing to do with regionalism, otherwise they would have the Castillian flag on their jersey. Also, a third kit for Champions League matches is common place for all the big teams, so its hardly a scam to make fans buy more jerseys.
Donovan, Evo- I think the overall attitude towards the game from the fans is that while they won, they didnt really step it up a gear with a easy team. But I understand, this was an easy game even with the old addage “theres no such thing as an easy football match”. A win is all I need, I would rather they beat Juve then put 8 past BATE, and I think thats the sentiment of most of the fans, who have to put games into perspective.
Also, the Diarra-Gago debate will rage on forever, which is fine, because it means we truely have some depth in a position we were lite at for many years. The use of one or the other is based on the opposition really, and Schuster was right to use Gago in this game. That being said, Diarra can dominate a weaker opponent like BATE, but he is best with someone to help him, De la Red (who was suspended for the match everyone!) while Gago does not need anyone to help with ball distribution, but while his defensive abilities have improved tremendously, he still is not Diarra physcially of course. They should both see equal time this year though, which will allow us to come at teams several ways which I like.
Posted from
United States -
Real Madrid are not the first to add the Spanish flag to their European kits – both Atletico and Sevilla have done it before.
Posted from
Germany -
Cesar, I’m not sure I wouldn’t say that Chelski also played a poor match… They also won 2-0, but they squandered many chances and unlike Real, they were on the back foot for much of the second half against Bordeaux. It’s all relative… i think Chelsea were much less comfortable than Real were.
I’m quite happy with Diarra… He’s got an unbroken string of 7 consecutive national championships (5 with Lyon, 2 with Real), so he’s doing something right. He’s started off slow each of the last couple seasons and this one too, but do you remember how he played in the last part of last season? Absolutely gangbusters, he was dominant. Let’s not forget his goal 2 years ago that clinched the title, plus his role in Higuain’s goal that clinched last year’s title. The man can play.
Posted from
United Kingdom -
I don’t mean to bust your chops about the flag; I was genuinely curious. Though I can’t help but note that 9 Champions League’s response indicates that it just might have “something to do with regionalism” for some people.
And just because other clubs have “European” kits doesn’t make it any less of an attempt to extract disposable income from a credible fan base. At least in the other cases, the “European” kit is a different colour. This one is really hard to distinguish from the white kit that Madrid wear in la Liga.
Posted from
Italy -
I dont think anyone dislikes Diarra, I just think that we are all kind of impatient with Gago. He was suppose to be our new Redondo, and while he has shown that in glimpses, he has yet to be a consistent performer for us. Its unfortunate because I like him, and all Real fans want to see our signings progress, but some feel Gago can become better then Diarra, its just that he isnt getting into games because Diarra is here. But to that I say, if Gago will be better, then he will start more then Diarra. This is a make or break season for Gago after his great strides last year.
Posted from
United States -
Did anyone notice Liverpool’s kit on Tuesday night? No sponsor! What happened to Carlsberg?
Posted from
United Kingdom -
I was not getting on your case about the flag, its just something that as Gonzalo pointed out, is done by the more patriotic Spanish teams, although patriotic seems so over bearing. Maybe just the teams that still identify themselves as being Spanish. You will never see Barca wearing a Spanish flag on their shirt….
As for the European kit, no it is not and different barring the flag, but just because Real has a different kit for Champions League games does not mean fans have to buy it. Its optional, id say most fans buy a new kit every two-three years anyways. But it does come as a source of revenue for the club, and that is important in modern football, so I dont think a devious ploy either. I always relate it to beer, you can buy Natural Light (Natty Light to use college folk), Bud Light, Bud Select or Budweiser. Essentially its all the same beer, with a slight difference in hops content and quality vs. water amount. But its all the same brand.
Posted from
United States -
Steve, I did notice that and I saw something on the main page about that, Ill try and find it.
Posted from
United States -
Here is the reason for the lack of sponsorship on the shirts of Liverpool
“For the curious among you, the only reason why Liverpool didn’t display Carlsberg on their kit against Marseille in tonights Champions League game, is solely because of French advertising laws.”
French law prohibits alcohol and tobacco sponsorship, and it may be cracking down on gambling websites also. Just one more reason why the French government is so hate I guess….
Posted from
United States -
ahhh, makes sense… do any other teams in any league have alcohol or tobacco sponsors? I can imagine some rugby teams might need to strike off Guinness from their kits…
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Steve, I was at the stadium, and Chelski played really well, the onle one who had a poor game was Deco, but the rest of the squad had a pretty solid game, and btw, they won 4-0, not 2-0…
Corey, they changed the format on http://www.rojadirecta.com, but I got the link fron them to watch the game on TVU, and it looked great, don’t know what happened with you. Also, I didn’t know De la Red was suspended, but when you said it, I remembered that he was sent off while he was at Getafe, when they played Bayern…
Donovan, from what I read on the match preview, Javi Garcia wasn’t even on the player’s list, he didn’t suit up for the game…
Take care everybody, we have a couple of tough weeks ahead of us
Posted from
United Kingdom -
ah right, haha, they did win 4-0… my bad. still, they let their foot off the gas and only got those second-half goals late…
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Also, it’s not that I dislike Diarra, he’s very important to us, specially when we play more physical teams, but I’d rather see somebody with a better feel with the ball, that’s all…
Sometimes with him and Raul I feel like we’re playing 9 against 11….
Ciao
Posted from
United Kingdom -
Corey, the loi Evin (banning tobacco and alcohol ads in sport) has been part of the French landscape for about a decade, and has repeatedly meant that clubs like Liverpool have had to play there in sponsorless kits.
You may also have noticed that the pitch-side advertising boards that refer to Heineken by name in all of the other Champions League grounds are replaced by “Great Together” in Heineken’s colours and typeface in France.
The gambling thing is different, as the ban (which is in the process of being loosened) was at the instigation of the French state-owned gambling monopolies (Francais des Jeux and PMU), who didn’t want any advertising for the competition in “their” country.
Posted from
Italy -
This is true ursus, and it seems ridiculous to me that alchohol and tobacco are not able to on a shirt of a visiting team! France can have all the rules and regulations they want, but it seems silly that in the era of the EU, a visiting football team must loose their logo for one match! The gambling thing is also interesting considering Monaco’s stance on the whole issue, and their flirtation with a online betting firm for sponsorship. All things the perplex me about France.
Also, Javi Garcia was on the team sheet and was on the bench, but Schuster really sees him as a center back in training. Also, since Metzelder was left out and Pepe suspended, he was our only option at CB on the bench. But given the Gago injury, he may play him in midfield now, which is my hope, because he is a good player, he just needs more consistent playing time.
Posted from
United States -
The first 10 minutes of this game was a dream. So many chances!! It looked like Sporting Lisbon all over again, we would have half our team subbed out by halftime, and be 5-0 up. And when Sergio scored, off that beautiful, slicing pass by Guti across all oceans, you got the sense that there will be many more to come, that he didn’t celebrate as heartily because it was far too easy, and it would be only a warning to the floodgates that would open thereafter.
Well . . we waited . . and we waited . . and the wonderful, beautiful, free-flowing football that began the match began to subside, then dry up altogether, and then we’re suddenly left staring at halftime with still only Sergio’s 11th min goal the only one of the game. Huh???
Even when RVN scored off Raul’s wicked shot at 57’ there was a sense of relief rather than elation, and when BATE went 1 man down at 62’ you thought for sure there would be another, but no – Real slowed down – or rather when Robben went off and Drenthe came on the quality dropped substantially. I have no idea why Drenthe is on the team – any clue? Or why we put on 3 strikers with no creative midfielder to service them . . or why VDV tried to service them from 5 yards out when he should’ve shot on goal??
All this time I kept thinking: where was that dazzling 5-1 embarrassment of Sporting Lisbon when no one bothered televising it . . where was the unity and majesty of the 4-2 victory over Valencia with only 9 men . . where, was the joy of playing in the Champions League? You can take your foot off the pedal, sure – but only when you’ve established the right to do so! Against a team as inferior as BATE was – where was our class?
Sergio was clearly Man of the Match, and it was the perfect game for him. With hardly any defending to do, and when there was he did it so breezily, that he was forever free to attack. And attack he did! Five shots on goal, the most of anybody on the team, and every one of them so powerful that you were never left wondering about his intent. Some of the most wicked balls you’ll see from 35 yards out, all struck with such intensity that I was amazed time and again when the keeper actually managed to save those! THAT’s the style we need!
Posted from
United States -
I was going to buy a home shirt this year (I havent bought a shirt for a couple of seasons).
I might buy the champions league shirt rather than the la liga – I kinda like the flag.Posted from
United States
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