Real Madrid 3-2 Huelva

So in what was a hottly contested match that produced 5 goals and 3 reds, Real came out on top, and coupled with Barca’s mauling at the hands of our mutant retard cousins Atletico, we are once again 5 points clear. I will not thank Atletico, but it was an important result for this see-saw like title race.

Here are some stats of the match to wet your pallet before we get into the nitty gritty of the encounter:

Match Stats
Recreativo Huelva Real Madrid
Shots (on Goal) 12(7) 9(5)
Fouls 15 17
Corner Kicks 8 5
Offsides 1 7
Time of Possession 41% 59%
Yellow Cards 3 2
Red Cards 2 1
Saves 2 5

Sergio Ramos pissed me off, he shouldnt have reacted that way. He had a shitty game and he knew it, but he should have never lashed out at the ref like that. Cannavaro gets so pissed at him, screaming at him to get off the field. Raul too, he screams at him for his conduct. I think Canna and Raul were just as disappointed as I am in him, but we can give him some slack, despite his world class play, he is still 21. As old as me, and at this age, we do not have the control of a 34 year old World Cup winner or club captain.

The referee was terrible, no other way around it. Beto should not have been sent off, a little handbags on a free kick into the box is to be expected, christ I can remember getting my balls yanked on far to often when we had inswingers coming in. Heinze is a aggitator, a dick licker if you will, so Beto’s anger towards him is understood, but a red was unwarranted.

Likewise Sergio Ramos, while Quique Alvarez was very late in his tackle on Robben, and considering how high his boot was on Robben shin, that as a justified sending off. Robben will certainly miss the Roma clash, and for once I completely except that he is injured, the tackle was just nasty and made me cringe.

As for an overall performance, I think Real did well given the circumstances. With Guti and Ruud out, Baptista did a decent job filling in, while Drente and Robben are not the creative genius of Guti and Robinho, but they offered far more then they had in the past few games.

Gago and Diarra played well together, which I was pleased to see. Gago’s passing was far better, and he didnt take any dumb shots. Diarra was solid for once, but he still has away to go to reproduce the kinda form he showed with Lyon. Canna and Heinze had a little trouble with Sinama, but he is a good quick player so I understand. Torres held Varela to a few crosses before switching to the right and making a few timely challenges to break up chances. He is definately better on the right, and that is where we will see him against Roma. Pepe also looked good, which makes me think Heinze will be pushed out to the left to the detriment of Marcelo for the Roma game.

And Robinho, what can you say? He has really become the player we thought he would be this season. He now has 10 Liga goals, and it seems when he is on the field our attack has the pace and cutting edge it desperately needs. An in-form Robinho could very easily lead us to a CL title.

Huelva was plucky and , Carlos Martins and Pongolle impressing me the most. Martins is an intelligent player with good technique and a high work rate. Although he may not be the best player for Real, he is the quality that La Liga posseses that you do not find at a bottom table team in other leagues. Caceres did reasonably well, and even if Garay’s transfer to Barca is still in the air, Caceres may not be a bad alternative to Garay. I still like Cesar Arzo of Murcia (on loan from Villarreal like Caceres) and Raul Albiol is a pipe dream at this point from Valencia, but who knows.

A positive result in the bag, on to Roma at the Bernabeu on Wednesday!

Player Reactions to the Win:

Torres:“We knew it would be a complicated match. We were very practical. We managed to recover the point that we had lost, and now we have to rest because on Wednesday we have a very important match in store.”

“The five-point lead gives us a little breathing room heading into the Roma clash. We have have very deternined people here, and that’s what tilted the match in our favor.”

“The referee didn’t give us anything and Recreativo proved they are a good team.”

“We came to beat Huelva, but the score in the Calderón also serves us well. Winning today was all that mattered because we wanted to prove we’re still going strong.”

Diarra:
“The first half was tricky, but we managed to turn the game around and win after Robinho came on.”

“The three points combined with a loss by Barcelona were extremely important. We knew it would be complicated, but we did it and we’re now five points ahead again.”

Baptista:
“This is an important victory. It gives us peace of mind, especially knowing that our rival slipped up. But what matters to us most is winning, tallying three points, and remaining atop the table.”

“Now that the season is coming down the home stretch, the teams at the bottom of the table aren’t going to give us anything. We’ll have to fight hard if we want to win.”

“We ran a lot and put a lot of effort into it. We felt better after the two red cards. There was more space to work with and we managed to touch the ball more often.”

“We’re calm. We know that the lead means nothing if we can’t maintain it. It dropped to two points in just three games. We have to take each match at a time and continue tallying points because our goal is to finish as champions.”

“We now have to think about turning around the [Champions League] tie because a 1-0 will suffice. Our whole season is on the line.”

Casillas:
“The team had to win. It doesn’t matter how it was done, whether it was by playing well or poorly. We’re happy with the result and with what took place in the Calderón. We’re back on the winning track and we’ve recovered some self-esteem heading into the Roma and Espanyol matches.”

“We had to win any which way we could today. It’s great that we’ve got a five point lead again.”

“Suffering is normal. We knew this match would be like this. The team was a little down due to recent results, so today we had to win, and that’s just what we did.”

“We have to begin thinking about Roma. It’s going to be a very difficult game. One goal is all we need, so we’ll be fine as long as we don’t concede any.”

“We have to be cautious. The league has yet to be decided. All that counts is that we won again and got some confidence back. The league isn’t won yet. It’s won in May.”

Pepe:
“Winning is always important. Recre fought hard, but we’re going home with the win. I hope we can do the same against Espanyol and Roma, and I hope I can play.”
“It’s an important result. It’s exactly what we hoped for. It feels great. I want to train on a more consistent basis and I hope to play more matches.”

Robinho:
“We’re not worried about Barça, just Madrid. We want to keep playing well and hope to win the Champions League and Liga.”

“We’re happy to have won and that we’re still leaders. We’re pleased with our performance and for having won again. Today’s three points are very important.”

Schuster:

He was not happy at all, and I dont blame him, the ref was terrible tonight. But if he was to say something he would be fined. So when asked about the ref, Mr. Iturralde González, he had no comment and didnt want to share any more information. But the press persisted, and he left. Now this may seen rash and a little rude, but I understand, its best he backs away from the situation in order to save himself from saying something stupid. Schuster has showed alot of composure recently which I like to see, lets hope his Stoic approach is rubbing off on the squad who should forget about shitty refs and get on with winning.

Up next is Roma, I do not think a preview is needed, I have an extensive one here http://real.theoffside.com/game-preview/roma-means-rome.html. I cant wait to here everyone’s opinion on the match!

Match Photos:

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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