The Whites earn an important victory; Raúl scores his 200th goal in the League
Real Madrid 2-1 Espanyol
March 08, 2008 -Recovering from the Champions League defeat against Roma was a must for Real Madrid tonight. The team needed to react and stand its ground more than ever, especially after Espanyol scored the opening goal. Higuaín and Raúl pulled rank and netted two strikes for the Whites, the latter scoring his 200th goal in La Liga. It was Casillas' 300th match in the League.
Real Madrid had to react after their elimination from the Champions League in order to maintain their five-point cushion in the League.
Espanyol's intention from the very start was to dominate the encounter. They were the first to attack through a shot by Jonathan that was saved by Iker Casillas -who today played his 300th clash in La Liga-.
The game gradually became more balanced thanks to Real Madrid's efforts in attack, keeping possession more often, but Espanyol were slightly more confident and scored the opening goal from a set piece: Luís García received the ball from a short pass, crossed it into the box, and Valdo scored from the far post with ease because of a defensive mistake (29').
Real Madrid were forced to react. Julio Baptista nearly scored from a free-kick, but his shot was spectacularly cleared by Kameni on the top left corner of the goal (37'). The Whites persisted and were eventually rewarded with a goal before half-time.
Marcelo dribbled past Valdo down the left wing and crossed it to the far post, where Higuaín hit it with his knee. Kameni saved it, but the Argentine hit it again and scored (43').
The captain's 200th goal in the League
Drenthe came on for Robinho after half-time because the Brazilian had felt some pain throughout the first part. The Dutchman took the left wing, while Higuaín and Raúl remained as strikers, leaving the right wing free for any of them to cover. Espanyol's game became somewhat stagnant, although they still had some good moments, like Lola's powerful and dangerous shot from a far distance (53'). Ten minutes later, it was Guti who put Kameni to the test with a low shot (63').
Wesley Sneijder came on and helped his team's game flow better. Soon, Raúl received the ball from Guti just outside the box, fighting to keep possession with Jarque, who tackled him once he went over the line. A penalty was awarded from which the captain scored his 200th strike in La Liga.
Raúl Tamudo took the pitch, but even he was unable to improve Espanyol's game. Real Madrid dominated the final minutes of the encounter with chances from Sneijder, Guti and Soldado. The team once again proved to be able to react when faced with adversity, and that it believes in its game and its men. Real Madrid will continue being leaders for another week with a five-point cushion at the least, depending on what Barcelona do tomorrow.
MATCH REPORT:
2 - Real Madrid: Casillas; Torres, Pepe, Heinze, Marcelo; Diarra, Baptista (Sneijder, 63'), Guti, Higuaín (Soldado, 75'), Robinho (Drenthe, 45'); Raúl.
1 - Espanyol: Kameni; Zabaleta, Jarque, Torrejón, David García; Moisés, Lola, Valdo (Coro, 67'), Luis García, Riera (Ewerthon, 83'); Jonathan (Tamudo, 65').
REFEREE: Muñiz Fernández. Booked Zabaleta (13'), Moisés (18'), Drenthe (46'), Jarque (70'), David García (70'), Lola (89'). Raúl Tamudo was booked twice (92' and on his way to the dressing room after the final whistle).
GOALS:
0-1, 29': Luís García.
1-1, 43': Higuaín.
2-1, 75': Raúl, from a penalty.
NOTES: Matchday 27 of La Liga. Venue: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Attendance: 75,000. One minute's silence was held prior to kick-off in memory of former councillor Isaías Carrasco, who was murdered recently.
Match report by Cristina Monge
Photography by David R. Anchuelo & Fernando Comeche
Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell
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