The leaders defeat the Galicians at the Bernabéu
Real Madrid 3-1 Deportivo
October 28, 2007 - The match was entertaining and tight; Schuster's men had trouble dominating the game because Deportivo proved their quality from the opening minutes, scoring a goal soon after kick-off. Van Nistelrooy drew with a penalty and, when the same players that defeated Olympiacos on Wednesday were on the pitch, Raúl and Robinho scored two more goals that gave Real Madrid the victory.
After sealing their supremacy in Group C of the Champions League on Wednesday, Real Madrid faced Deportivo tonight in a match that was anticipated by all to be complicated because the Galician side would surely want to surprise everyone with a good performance, especially due to their desperate need of points.
Deportivo took the pitch with drive, willing to play at Real Madrid's level. So much so, that they scored in the 2nd minute; Xisco stole the ball from the Whites, assisting Juan Rodríguez down the right wing, who in turn crossed the ball close to the end line for Xisco to score thanks to a mistake by Metzelder.
Real Madrid were very quiet until Ruud Van Nistelrroy was given the chance to score minutes later from a penalty, awarded when he was tackled inside the box by Andrés Guardado.
Nevertheless, Deportivo still dominated thanks to a veteran defensive line and an attacking front comprised of young players, such as Juan Rodríguez (25 years old), Andrés Guardado (21), Xisco (21) and Verdú (24). The latter had a good shot on goal on the 15-minute mark and made Casillas uneasy on more than one occassion.
Real Madrid were practically having no chances on goal; their attack only looked dangerous when it stemmed from Guti. The number '14' created one of the clearest chances by crossing the ball to the far post from a free-kick for Sergio Ramos to head in, but the defender missed. Guti also passed the ball to Robinho when he was all alone. The Brazilian then passed it to Van Nistelrooy once he was inside the box, but the Dutchman hit the ball with the outside of his boot and missed the shot.
Van Nistelrroy had a great chance at the start of the second half, shooting after turning 180º, but keeper Dudu Aouate made a spectacular save. Deportivo reacted with a fast counterattack that ended with a shot by Juan Rodríguez in the 53rd minute that was saved by Marcelo under the posts.
Sneijder replaced Higuaín and, a bit later, Raúl came on for Saviola. This way, buy the 65th minute, the Whites had the same players on the pitch that defeated Olympiacos 4-2 on Wednesday. Real Madrid's attack became more solid and they had more chances on goal. On the 70-minute mark, Robinho took a powerful shot from outside the box that hit the crossbar.
Real Madrid reacted brilliantly and scored the victory goal in the 78th minute. Robinho started a promising play with a pass to Guti, who gave the ball to Raúl, cutting through Deportivo's defence. The captain failed to control the ball, but it luckily ended up at Van Nistelrooy's feet. He passed it back to Raúl, who was just outside the goal-line and scored. This was the captain's fourth goal against Deportivo in his 13-year career in the First Division.
Deportivo seemed crushed. Guti handled the ball and created attacks as he pleased, and Robinho eventually sealed the victory with a brilliant goal after overtaking the keeper.
MATCH REPORT:
3 - REAL MADRID: Casillas; Salgado, Metzelder, Ramos, Marcelo; Gago, Guti, Robinho (Balboa, 89'), Higuaín (Sneijder, 45'); Saviola & Van Nistelrooy.
1 - DEPORTIVO: Aouate; Manuel Pablo, Piscu, Coloccini, Filipe; Juan Rodríguez (Bodipo, 73'), Sergio, De Guzmán (Taborda, 86'), Guardado; Verdú & Xisco (Riki, 61')).
GOALS:
0-1, min 2 Xisco.
1-1, min 6 Van Nistelrooy, from a penalty.
2-1, min 78 Raúl.
3-1, min 83 Robinho.
Referee: Carlos Clos Gómez. Booked Juan Rodríguez (22'), Salgado (47'), Riki (75'), Gago (76') and Sneijder (83'). Sent Sergio off with a double booking (72' & 80').
NOTES: Matchday 9 of the Spanish League. Venue: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Attendance: 85,000.
Match report by Cristina Monge
Photos by David R. Anchuelo
Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell
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