The Whites fail to defeat a Betis side in need of a victory
Betis 2-1 Real Madrid
February 16, 2008 -Real Madrid scored the opener, but the need for a victory to leave the relegation zone behind allowed Betis to come back with two strikes. The Whites' attack improved in the second half when Ruud van Nistelrooy took the pitch.
Real Madrid faced Betis with the same men who started in the 7-0 victory over Valladolid last week save for Robinho, who was replaced by Drenthe because of an injury. A victory was necessary to consolidate themselves in the lead, but Betis' situation on the table, only one point away from the relegation zone, made them desperate for a victory.
Good performances from Drenthe and Robben
Bernd Schuster's side attacked more in the opening minutes and had a good chance with a free-kick taken by Baptista. Drenthe and Robben were particularly anxious to prove themselves and posed a dangerous threat down the wings, crossing the ball, making assists, counterattacking and also defending. Six minutes into the game, Drenthe scored the opening strike.
Fernando Gago once again proved to be in excellent form. The Argentine gave a long pass for Robben to reach inside the box. The Dutch forward then passed it to Baptista inside the small box, but the Brazilian failed to reach it in time. Nevertheless, Drenthe reached the ball at the far post and scored with his left foot.
Betis comeback
Real Madrid started to look comfortable on the pitch, but the locals were forced to react by the adverse result. Mark González and Edu took the reins of the team and orchestrated an incredible comeback just two minutes after the Whites' goal. The equaliser came a few minutes later, when Pavone crossed the ball into the box for Edu to head into the back of the net past Real Madrid's defence (33').
Two minutes later, Betis scored again in exactly the same way, but this time it was Edu who crossed the ball for Mark González to head in.
Elusive victory
Ruud van Nistelrooy was brought on the pitch soon after the start of the second half, while Betis kept making things hard for Real Madrid, particularly with a point-blank shot from Pavone that was saved by Iker Casillas' incredible reflexes.
Sergio Ramos encouraged his teammates to keep trying and even joined the attack to assist Van Nistelrooy, who came close to scoring from a shot that ended up hitting the near post (66'). Guti asked the team to remain calm, Raúl encouraged them not to give up... All in all, the Madridistas tried hard to turn the score around by taking advantage of Betis physical exhaustion, but it was to no avail. There is no time to feel sorry about the defeat now; the team has to focus on its Tuesday Champions League match with Roma.
MATCH REPORT:
2 - Betis: Ricardo; Damiá, Juanito, Melli, Fernando Vega; Arzu, Rivera, Capi (Sobis, 59'), Mark González; Edu (Caffa, 88') & Pavone (Juande, 73').
1 - Real Madrid: Casillas; Salgado, Ramos, Cannavaro, Marcelo; Gago, Guti, Drenthe (Van Nistelrooy, 57'), Robben; Baptista (Higuaín, 68') & Raúl (Balboa, 77').
REFEREE: Undiano Mallenco. Booked Gago (37'), Marcelo (39'), Arzu (53'), Baptista (62'), Robben (65'), Ramos (73'), Melli (90') & Rivera (90').
GOALS:
0-1, min.9: Robben.
1-1, min.30: Pavone.
2-1, min.32: Edu.
NOTES: Matchday 24 of La Liga. Venue: Manuel Ruíz de Lopera Stadium. Attendance: 50,000.
Match report by Cristina Monge
Photography by David R. Anchuelo
Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell
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