Deportivo 2:1 Real
The curse could not be broken. Real Madrid were unable to earn their first victory at Riazor Stadium in 17 years. Deportivo proved to be in great form and won thanks to set piece goals from Mista and Lopo.
Real Madrid’s main objective tonight was to put an end to the lack of victories at Riazor in 17 years. Wesley Sneijder and Míchel Salgado weren’t able to travel to A Coruña to help the team due to injuries, and new signing Rafael van der Vaart missed his first Spanish league clash because he was sent off in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup. On the other hand, Deportivo were extra motivated because they recently qualified to play in the UEFA Cup.
The match was very tight right from the start. Deportivo had the first chance on goal when Mista received a cross from Pablo Álvarez and sent the ball to the crossbar (1′). Real Madrid had their’s immediately after when a low shot by Higuaín missed the goal inches away from the right post (6′). Coach Miguel Ángel Lotina’s plan was to thwart every pass Guti could make and the Real Madrid playmaker greatly suffered from this, having up to three men putting pressure on him at times.
As Deportivo increasingly put more pressure in midfield, the Whites tried to open up the game down the wings through Higuaín and Robben, but their next chance on goal came from a pass by Guti; the ball landed inside the box and Ramos shot on target, but keeper Aranzubía managed to save the day (21′). Deportivo’s counterattacks were more dangerous than anything the Whites were doing and the locals soon scored from one. Mista netted a header with a bounce from a set piece by Guardado; Casillas was unable to do anything to stop the ball from going in (26′). Real Madrid upped the pace of their game. They had another chance when Guti assisted Robben with a long pass, but the Dutchman failed to score when facing the keeper alone (34′). Marcelo had the last chance of the first half with a shot from outside the box that bounced on Deportivo’s Sergio and hit the top right corner of the goal (45′).
The second half couldn’t have started better for Real Madrid. Raúl tried to lob the ball into the goal, but it hit a defender and landed inside the box with no one near it. It was then that Ruud van Nistelrooy pulled rank, reached it and scored (47′). Real Madrid tried hard to net another strike, but Deportivo gave no quarter and scored again when Lopo headed the ball into the back of the net from a corner kick by Guardado (51′). The Whites kept trying to score an equalizer and Diarra came close, but his shot was saved by Aranzubía (54′).
Deportivo proved to be in excellent form and never stopped being a menace to Casillas’ goal. They had several chances to score again, but Real Madrid’s defence always managed to either recover possession or to clear the ball. The locals simply felt more comfortable on the pitch throughout the clash. The only downside to the match was that former Madridista Riki was injured on the 73-minute mark and had to be taken off the pitch. The final minutes of the game saw both sides having several chances on goal. Guti and Raúl were replaced by De la Red and Drenthe, who tried to score or make assists in the final minutes to no avail. The team’s final chance came in the 90th minute from a set piece taken by Higuaín, but his shot hit the barrier.
Real Madrid didn’t have a good start to the competition. They will have two weeks to learn from the mistakes made at Riazor prior to their second league clash -there is a stoppage in the championship due to international games. (ORMS)
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