TOUR EVENT
For the leaders, examples of the 35th round did not seem to be, despite such difficult and dramatic matches. Everyone achieved victories , which means they remained with their own. True, in addition to glasses, there is an emotional side to the matter. “Valencia” snatched the victory in the 90th minute when, at the cost of an injury, Joaquin struck the goal. With his perseverance, the Kike Flores team shows that thoughts about the championship are still circling in the mind. Perhaps this consciousness is inflamed, but in the current championship, it seems, everything is possible. "Seville" has denied the speculation of ill-wishers who did not believe that after the European Cup festivities the team will remain combat-ready. The class of the current “Seville” turned out to be so strong that the victory over the “Depor” was also strong-willed. Southerners lost in the long run, and Kanute scored the decisive goal in the very end. Well, “Real” the second round in a row shows the temper of its character. This character, like a very complicated product, was forged for a long time and even painfully. The scandals with Beckham, parting with Ronaldo, the noise around Capello - all this shook the “Real”, it seems, yesterday. And today, having snatched the victory from Recreativo in stoppage time, the royal club is at the head of the table.
HERO TOUR
Coming out on a guest match with “Atletico”, “Barcelona” knew about the strong-willed victories of competitors. It rained in Madrid. The gloomy Frank Rikard sat under the visor of the bench. The whole severity of the situation was read in his gaze: the frightening courage of Real Madrid, the drive of Seville, the patience of Valencia. Barcelona did not have the right to misfire. A heavy field from rain prevented the game at speeds and simplified the defensive task of Atletico. For 38 long minutes the water whetted the stone - and perseverance was rewarded. Goal Leo Messi broke Madrid so that the guests went to the break with a comfortable superiority of three goals. Frank Rykard even forced a smile. In the second half, “Barca” did not stop, each of its attacks showing competitors that the real champion in this country is she, “Barcelona”!
A major victory in Madrid - sounds proudly. In addition, the Catalans corrected the difference in goals pretty much. True, with the equality of points, personal meetings will matter. And in a full-time dispute, Real surpassed Barca. And if equality persists until the very end, the spectacular heroism of the Catalans in Madrid will turn zilch. But in any case, everything was very beautiful.
TOUR FAILURE
On the back of the goalkeeper of the Madrid “Atletico” team of Ivan Cuellar flaunts not a surname, but the nickname Pichu. The meaning of this word is clear only to experts on the Japanese animated series about Pokemon. It would be better on Sunday evening, May 20, the young goalkeeper of Atletico stayed home to watch his favorite cartoons ... Unprecedented humiliation awaited Pichu on the field of his native Calderon. Until the 38th minute of the attack, “Barcelona” just did not reach the goalkeeper, but as soon as they got there, Pichu became grossly mistaken. He looked like an absurd cartoon character, doing everything out of place. At the same time, the broadcast directors ignored the main loser of the meeting, after each goal showing the disappointed face of Fernando Torres. But it was not the striker who took out six goals from the net at all, but the unfortunate Pichu. Today, no Spanish footballer needs the support of his comrades more than Ivan Cuellar.
TOUR SENSATION
Atletico is fighting for a place in the UEFA Cup. Atletico traditionally plays strongly against Barca. In “Atletico” healed injuries Petrov and Rodriguez. Thus, Atlético seemed the last serious rival on the Barcelona calendar. And so ... Atletico suffers the most humiliating defeat this season , and perhaps in its entire history. In a match in which Real Madrid’s fierce enemy was rooting for Atlético ...
TREND
The triumph of the royal spirit . Even in his worst nightmare, Fabio Capello could not imagine that his team would win victories in such a sophisticated way. The theory of the Italian coach is widely known: a score of 1: 0 is better than 2: 0. Because with a minimal advantage, the team plays assembled, and with a double superiority, involuntarily relaxes and starts to make mistakes. Juventus led by Capello strictly followed this ideology. “Real” at first also tried to play such a football, but nature is too strong a thing - it took its toll. The cold calculation of Capello is defeated by the genetics of the royal club. Higuain and Roberto Carlos goals in the last rounds - the result of an unprecedented team spirit. The score, the luck of the opponent, their own mistakes do not confuse today's “Real”, but only temper the team spirit. It seems Capello himself does not understand how it happened. A strong wind blows in strong, beautiful sails. The nose of the ship confidently cuts the surface of the water. Towards great discoveries. Land!..
SEE ALSO
A flurry of goals in the match “Zaragoza” - “Athletic” Bilbao, which is not the most interesting from the point of view of tournament intrigue.
TOUR FIGURES
Real Madrid scored 3.2 goals per game in the last five rounds. In them, the team won 5 victories with a goal difference of 16: 9 .
Timur CRANES