Despite the fact that there are no matches ahead, it is precisely the meetings with Barca that become the “test on the roads”, the results of which invariably affect the long tournament distance. Will Real Madrid, meticulously built by Fabio Capello, score points in a match with the Champions League winner?
The fate of their champion ambitions, Madrid began to decide rapidly. Hardly anyone expected such a sharp debut. Already in the 3rd minute Sergio Ramos passed on the right flank and hung filigree on the captain’s head of Raul . He jumped high and struck Valdes. Capello remained calmly sitting on the bench. Whereas an acute dilemma loomed before Frank Rikard: change the plan for the game or pretend that there was no goal, and bend the previous line?
This “Barcelona” frankly did not work. Not to say that the team rained down, but uncertainty glanced over the blue-garnet actions. By the 15th minute the strike ratio was 3: 0 in favor of Real Madrid: after a similar cross Sergio Ramos hit Robinho, then Raul hit the crossbar. Ronaldinho's long-range strike against this background looked like an attempt to correct the statistics. And this character of the game persisted until the 20th, when Robinho powerfully struck the “nine,” Valdes saved the guests.
However, in the middle of the inning, Barcelona ran. At first, Ronaldinho dangerously spun the ball from the penalty area, then struck Messi and hit Casillas, who had been bored before.
The game went on a collision course. The teams played open football so dear to the fans. Here is Van Nistelrooy, who gave out one of the best matches for the new club, goes one on one, and only Valdes takes the ball in his legs. The Dutchman falls, the stadium inclines the referee to the penalty spot, but he smiles and shows: to play. In response, Messi takes Gudjohnsen to the shock position, but he misses the target. In the 28th minute, Iniesta runs the center and leaves the ball under the blow of Messi, who spins the ball above the “nine”. Van Nistelrooy hits the near corner - Valdez is in place.
On the whole, the second half of the first half went under the obvious dictation of Barcelona. Despite the episodic attacks of Real Madrid, more events were on the outskirts of the penalty hosts. The figure of Capello, standing still at the edge, only confirmed: “Real” lost the thread of the game.
It is obvious that Capello really had a break. Real Madrid doubled the score already in the 6th minute of the second half - in an exemplary counterattack. Guti from the center of the field gave Robinho a pass on the move, the Brazilian from the right flank hung to the penalty area, where Van Nistelrooy was the fastest, ahead of Valdes who did not calculate the exit. 2-0 - in such a game the difference is obviously victorious. Moreover, the game of "Barcelona" finally stuck. Either from the champions ’fatigue marked“ Chelsea ”, then due to the extremely reliable actions of the supporting trio of Madrid Diarra - Emerson - Guti. One way or another, Barca almost never created any new scoring chances. In the middle of the inning, Silvinho appeared miraculously at the outside from the outside. And a dozen minutes before the end, Ronaldinho finally sent the ball off target from the free kick - Casillas helped out.
The final 2: 0 is the answer to the question of whether Real Madrid's Fabio Capello cuts can seriously apply for gold medals, which prior to the start of the season a priori hung on the necks of Barca footballers. The answer is not final, but today is very convincing.
Fedor Sollogub
REAL M - BARCELONA - 2: 0 (1: 0)
Goals: Raul, 3 (1: 0), Van Nistelrooy, 51 (2: 0)
Real Madrid: Casillas, Fabio Cannavaro, Roberto Carlos, Elgera, Sergio Ramos, Mamadou Diarra, Emerson, Guti (Beckham, 83), Robinho, Raul, van Nistelrooy (Reyes, 80)
“Barcelona”: Valdez, Puyol, Silvigno, Thuram, Zambrotta, Deco (Julie, 56), Iniesta, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Guyonsen (Saviola, 66), Messi
Warnings: Emerson, 21, Zambrotta, 54, Van Nistelrooy, 56, Guti, 70, Ronaldinho, 82, Beckham, 86
22 of October. Santiago Bernabeu 23:00.
Judge: Perez Burrul.
Raul, 3 (1: 0)
van Nistelrooy, 51 (2: 0)