A Clasico is always a Clasico, no matter which way you look at it. The difference in points between either team is indifferent, the same as the shape the players are in and how many injuries each squad sustains. The only important thing is the match itself and the crowd. Real Madrid and Barcelona clashed with the former already being league champions and the latter currently third on the table.
The party kickstarted in the first minute
A completely packed Santiago Bernabéu Stadium gave the Whites the incredible welcome everybody expected. Less than a minute into the game, Robben had a shot with his left foot from the border of the area, putting Valdés’ reflexes to the test. The champions were inspired, willing to dedicate a brilliant triumph to their fans. A few minutes later, Guti served a free-kick finished off by Sneijder, but the ball hit Barcelona’s defensive wall. It landed at Raúl’s feet, who shot with his left foot and scored the opener of the evening (12’).
Real Madrid were the best this season, and they proved so against Barça. They insisted on scoring more strikes time and again with set pieces or carefully rehearsed tactics. On the 20-minute mark, Guti served a corner kick from the right corner and Robben headed the ball into the back of the net. Two down, but there were many minutes left and the champions wanted much more. Every single player wanted to join the party. On another set piece, Sneijder passed the ball to Guti, who gave it to Raúl seeing that the captain had taken advantage of Barcelona’s defensive mistakes, but the ball didn’t go into the goal (33′). Raúl also had the last chance in the first half, but missed his shot by inches after overtaking Zambrotta (43’).
Cheers at the Bernabéu
Schuster’s midfield paid off. Diarra and Gago as defensive midfielders, and Guti and Sneijder as playmakers, thwarted Barcelona’s few attacks. The second half was similar to the first. Every player wanted to do his bit, including Diarra, who took a powerful shot from outside the box in the 55th minute and later assisted Higuaín -who had come on for Robben- to score the evening’s third goal (62′).
The crowd exploded with joy and was incontrolable. They asked the team to score even more goals. Raúl came off for Van Nistelrooy, who returned after sustaining an injury for over a month and scored from a penalty that was awarded just a minute later (78′). Real Madrid continued to dominate, although Henry managed to score a goal on the 86-minute mark in a beautiful one-on-one with Casillas.
The champions did what they had to do: win. The fans expected magic, intensity and a good show, and they got just that. It was a great party for all Madridismo.
MATCH REPORT
4 - REAL MADRID: Casillas; Heinze, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Sneijder, Diarra, Gago, Raúl (Van Nistelrooy, 75′), Guti (Robinho, 70′) & Robben (Higuaín, 51′).
1 - BARCELONA: Valdés, Puyol, Márquez, Zambrotta, Abidal, Touré Yaya, Xavi, Bojan, Gudjonshen, Messi & Henry.
GOALS:
1-0, 12′: Raúl.
2-0, 20′: Guti.
3-0, 52′: Higuaín.
4-0, 78′: Van Nistelrooy.
4-1, 86′: Henry.
Jucer je Real pregazio Katalonsku Barcelonu sa velikih 4:1! Svi su ocekivali da ce biti dobra utakmica ali nisu da ce biti puno golova. “El Classico” je poceo solidno ali ubrzo nakon slabih odbrana Valdesa kraljevski klub je zabio gol: Raul Blanco od stativu 12 minuta 1:0 za Real! Nakon ovoga gola Real Madrid je jos uvijek napadao, napdao i to im se isplatilo jer je drugi gol zabio Arjen Robben koji je zabio gol glavom za 2:0 protiv Barce. Kraljevski klub je opet napadao i na srecu Barcelone Real je propustio nekoliko velikih prilika i tako se poluvrijeme zavrsilo 2:0 za Real Madrid. Drugo poluvrijeme je bilo isto, Schusterov tim je opet napadao i kada je usao joker sa klupe Reala (Higuain) odmah je zabio gol kao u nekoliko proslih utakmica. Povisio je vodstvo Reala na 3:0, to je bilo u 52 minuti. Real je htio jos vise a i dobili su, oporavljeni Ruud Van Nistelrooy je usao u igru i zabio gol iz penala u 78 minuti, tada je bilo 4:o za Schusterov tim. Opet se dogadjalo isto Real je napdao ali ipak nije uspio da zabije gol. Onda je usljedila kontra Barcelone i Henry je postigao gol za konacni rezultat 4:1 u 86 minuti. Zuti kartoni: Yaya Toure, Marquez, Wesley Sneijder, Henry, Valdes, Edmilson, Xavi Hernandez, Heinze, Pepe i Xavi Hernandez. Crveni kartoni: Xavi Hernandez.
Only three days have past since the epic comeback in Pamplona Now the champion returns home where 80,000 fans await to host Barcelona.
March 7, 2008 has been circled on the calendar since July 12, 2007 when the Spanish FA held their season fixture draw. The day is here and Barcelona visit the Santiago Bernabéu. There had been weeks of speculation on how these two teams would reach the Clasico, and many predicted the Whites would either claim the league title against or be welcomed onto the pitch by their arch nemesis. All questions were answered last Sunday when Higuaín socred the goal of the season.
Guti and Heinze availbale; Cannavaro out
Bernd Schuster can rely on the services of both Guti and Heinze for the big match. The midfielder wasn’t able to dress against Osasuna due to a sprained left knee, but the injury is long forgotten and number ‘14′ is ready to roll. Heinze was also the subject of good news on Friday when the Spanish FA’s Appeal’s Committee rescinded what would have been his fifth yellow card. On the other hand, Fabio Cannavaro will have to sit the Clasico out after being sent of against Los Rojillos.
In all likelihood, Heinze and Ramos will team up in the centre of the back line and will be joined with Marcelo along the left flank and Torres the right. All signs point to Higuaín getting the nod in attack as a just reward for his goal in Pamplona and for a well-deserved ovation from the Bernabéu. Top Zamora candidate Iker Casillas (0.88 goals per match) will get the green light in goal, while trophy rival Victor Valdés (0.91 goals per match) will be standing 100 metres away.
In search of second
Barcelona’s primary objective is to reclaim second place on Wednesday night. Having gone two straight seasons without a title, the Catalan outfit needs three points and a lot of help if its to derail Villarreal. With rumors swirling about Frank Rijkaard’s departure in place of Pep Guardiola, problems continue amounting for Barça as they prepare their visit to the Bernabéu.
Neither Eto’o nor Deco will be on hand for the Clasico as both are serving one-match suspensions. Milito and Iniesta are also out, the latter with an inflammed meniscus. The news isn’t so good for the Argentine, who was diagnosed with a torn ACL and will be out of action for six months. The bright light at the end of the tunnel is the return of Touré.
It’s been 20 years since Barcelona last welcomed Real Madrid onto the pitch as newly crowned champions. Many in the stands tonight wouldn’t remember. Others still do. This crazy season still has a lot in store, and tonight won’t be any different. There’s a championship to celebrate and a fanbase to dedicate it to
Madridski Real večeras ima priliku osramotiti Barcelonu nakon sto je osvojio po 31. put Primera ligu.
Realovi navijači su kasno u nedjelju navečer izašli na ulice grada i proslavili naslov prvaka nakon što je Real slavio protiv Osasune na gostovanju, ali prava fešta slijedi tek večeras, a sigurno bi je upotpunila pobjeda nad Barcelonom.
Dok Realu rezultat ne znači puno što se tiče poretka na tabeli, Barceloni su bodovi prijeko potrebni u borbi za drugo mjesto sa Villarealom, kako bi izbjegli kvalifikacije za Ligu prvaka.
“Bit će to velika zabava protiv Barcelone, siguran sam. Zaslužili smo ovaj naslov i sada možemo uživati u njemu.” rekao je trener Reala Bernd Schuster.
Predsjednik Reala Ramon Calderon je otkrio kako je predsjednik Barcelone Joan Laporta bio jedan od prvih koji mu je čestitao na naslovu: “On je bio prvi čiji sam telefonski poziv primio, u 1:20 iza ponoći, tek što smo sletjeli na aerodrom. Joan Laporta mi je čestitao i mislim da je to bila doista sjajna gesta.”
Pozvani sastav:
- Golmani: Casillas & Dudek
- Odbrana: Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Heinze & Torres
- Sredina: Diarrá, Gago, Guti, Drenthe, Baptista & Sneijder
- Napad: Raúl, Robinho, Robben, Van Nistelrooy & Higuaín
06
May
From Europe to America, everyone praises Real Madrid
Posted by: mirsinho // Category: Vijesti
La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy)
“Real Madrid incredibly turned the score around and earned a victory that reminded us of Capello’s Real Madrid side (…) After Cannavaro’s red card and the conceded penalty, the Whites looked dead, but they found the courage, strength and drive to win a title.”
Corriere dello Sport (Italy)
“Real Madrid’s great reaction allowed them to win a well-deserved title in a very difficult situation.”
Il Messaggero di Roma (Italy)
“It wasn’t easy for the Whites.”
La Dernière Heure (Belgium)
“It took Real Madrid only a few minutes to change the situation to their favour. The Whites had by far their best season in recent years, despite being eliminated from the European competition.”
Bild (Germany)
“Schuster: first title with Real Madrid. He’s made it.”
Kicker (Germany)
“Coaches never have an easy time at Real Madrid and Bernd Schuster experienced that in his flesh. Nevertheless, the German coach overcame all his problems.”
Record (Portugal)
“Olé Madrid. Thirty-one league titles!.
A Bola (Portugal)
“Finally, Real Madrid are champions.”
Sina.com (China)
“The last five minutes of the encounter were like a great theatrical play. Once again, Higuaín was Real Madrid’s great saviour.”
El Universal (Mexico)
“A worthy monarch. It all seemed to indicate we would have to wait for the Clasico in order to see if Real Madrid would win the league, but they managed to turn the game around in the frantic final minutes thanks to goals by Robben and HIguaín, winning their 31st league title with three games to go to the end of the championship. Cibeles was the stage for a great Madridista party once more.”
El Sol de México (Mexico)
“Real Madrid needed a triumph after Villarreal’s victory. They eventually won after coming back from a 1-0 defeat, therefore taking their second consecutive league title. Their two goals were scored in the final three minutes of the game, making their victory even more dramatic.” (realmadrid.com)
Kraljevski klub- Real Madrid je krenuo vrlo dobro sezonu kako se i ocekivalo jer su doveli mnogo dobrih pojacanja. Sezona je pocela najbolje za Sneijdera koji je da 5 golova i zaimpresirao upravu Reala. Najveci protivnik Reala Barcelona je lose krenula sezonu i time je zaostala nekoliko bodova za kraljevskim klubom. Nakon svih dobrih rezultata ovoga kluba pocelo je sve naopako. Barca je usla u formu a Real je sve vise i vise gubio, cak im se katalonski klub priblizio na 2 boda. Uprava Reala je morala nesto poduzeti. Bernd Schuster je dao svojim igracima nade i to im je dobro doslo. Real Madrid je opet poceo da gazi sve sto mu se naslo na putu. Proslo je nekoliko kola i susreli su se FC. Barcelona vs Real Madrid CF. Utakmica je zavrsena dobrim rezultatom za Real kojim je pobijedio katalonski klub sa 1:0, a gol za Real je postigao silovitim sutom Julio Baptista. Nakon ove utakmice Barca je skroz oslabila a to je iskoristavala zuta podmornica Vilarreal koji su se tada premjestili na drugo mjesto ali opet malo kasnije na 3. Sada da malo udjemo u sadasnjost. Real Madrid je na prvom mjestu i sa 78. bodova je osigurao osvajanje Spanske lige dok je na drugom mjestu Vilarreal sa 68. bodova, a na trecem mjestu je Katalonski klub Barcelona sa 64. boda. Sutra se ocekuje veliki derby izmedju Real Madrida i Barcelone (”El Classico”). Real Madrid je osvojio 31 uzastopno prvenstvo.