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Real Madrid 3-0 Fc Zenit Petersburgh
Raul, the all time leading scorer in Champions League Football
Raul and Robben scored three times to bring the group stage of the Champions League to a close with a win against Zenit St. Petersburg.
Fantastic night for Real Madrid. At last, we won a match with some margin though it was not against the greatest side in the world. Fc Zenit looked jaded and lost. They didn’t know what to do during the game, may be the magnitude of the occassion got to their players, I don’t know. All I know is that Real Madrid won and that is all what counts, in the end.
It has to be said that the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story. Real Madrid’s defence was again poor, it was just that Zenit’s attack wasn’t poor, it was horribly poor. They came to the Bernabeu and tried to play the “You play and we play” strategy and when teams do that, there are not many that can stay with Real Madrid.
Real Madrid are awesome going forward, it’s just that they are poor and disorganised while defending. Fc Zenit did not put men behind the ball and tried to counter Real Madrid’s attack with little strategy.
On the other hand, Juande Ramos’s side, looked very comfortable and smooth on the ball. Real Madrid looked great going forward. Robben was the man of the match. He took on all comers on many occassion and many of the defenders just did not have an answer for his trickery.
To be fair. Fc Zenit had plenty of chances to atleast get as draw out of this game but so did Real Madrid, to even score 3 more goals. Higuain messed up a gloroius opportunity when he and Robben ( I think) were two on one against the goal keeper. How did Higuain scuffed that chance, I don’t know.
First Half
Real Madrid were in a dire need or a morale boosting victory to head into next weekend’s clash against Barcelona (after we lost 3-4 to Sevilla at home). Juande Ramos had very little time to settle into Real Madrid and he should thank his lucky stars for having such a weak opponent in his debut game as in charge of Real Madrid (also that there was virtually nothing riding on this match as Real Madrid couldn’t possibly have topped the group).
Real Madrid played a very attacking game right from the start. Higuain and Marcelo had several chances in the first ten minutes and Fc Zenit’s goalkeeper made some important saves. Juande Ramos clearly did not impose any of his ideas on Real Madrid players (for this match atleast) rather Real Madrid was playing the way it always has. Poor in defence and strong in attack.
While Schuster was in charge, I had the impression that the players were forced to work a bit too hard, with no just reward, for whatever reason, that is another debate.
Anyway, Real Madrid increased the velocity of their attacks. Robben, now a completely fit Robben, showcased his talents with the ball at his feet. That’s the Robben that Mourinho wanted in his side because when Robben is fit (let alone on song) he is a quite a player to watch.
On the 25 minute mark Raul scored from a Van Der Vaart cross (which ended up into the hands of the keeper and but he spilled it right into the path of on rushing Raul, who netted in a messy goal).
I was relieved to see Real Madrid taking the lead (for once). In most of the previous matches, Real Madrid conceded too early in the game which really hurt everyone.
Real Madrid kept on creating chances and over whelmed Zenit with their style and pace. Real Madrid went into the break, leading by a single goal.
Second Half
Juande Ramos brough Metzelder on for Van Der Vaart and put him at right back. May be he was experimenting for the El Clasico game. He also put Salgado as left back and Marcelo in the middle of the park. Man!! that is alot of experimentation, for a single match atleast.
52 minutes Robben was served a brilliant long ball and flicked it over the Russian keeper and into the back of the net. Seven minutes later, the Dutchman magically connected with the captain, who calmly chipped in over Malafeev’s head (59′).
Robben with a neat and cheeky finish
Second goal, was absolute class from Arjen Robben, he got a superb through ball from Raul (I think) and took two brilliant touches which bought him plenty of time to measure up the goal and finally, chipped it over the keeper.
Messi once scored a similar goal while playing for Argentina in the latest addition of Copa America (2007) against Paraguay I think. He got alot of praise from the media but Robben’s goal didn’t get the same praise even from live commentary.
This is Raul actually chipping the ball over the keeper. On first look, it looks like he is just standing with the ball
The 3rd (and final ) goal from Raul was some sort of a response to Robben. Robben passed quite cleverly(it was a n look pass actually) to Raul, who instead of finishing it in traditional style. Stopped the ball with his left foot and chipped it over the keeper and then went straight to Robben for the celebration. I wonder why?
Higuain wasted a glorious opportunity to put Real Madrid 4-0 up
That was it. After that Higuain and Marcelo had chances but did not convert. Real Madrid won the game easily. Juventus drew their game. Real Madrid and Juventus finished on eqal points and though Real Madrid had the superior goal difference, they were placed second and Juventus were placed first because of the results between the two respective sides (Juventus and Real Madrid). The Champions League format to decide the leader is a bit different from English Premier League.
Here are Juande Ramos’s post match comments taken from www.realmadrid.com
“It is very positive to earn a victory in a match in which the points at stake aren’t important. We had already qualified to play in the next round, so we had to win. I am very pleased with my men’s performance. This victory will help boost the team’s morale. Every player did his best to make a new impression.”
“Every player showcased great spirit; they wanted to play well and to thrill the fans. Every game is different to the rest and we prepared for this one by trying to do things we talked about beforehand. We are happy with what we did tonight; we shouldn’t compare this match with previous clashes. Today’s result is all that matters.”
“Heinze’s injury and Marcelo’s suspension will be a problem in defence this weekend and we must find a solution. I experimented by making Metzelder play in the right back position to see if it could work out.”
“It’s important for us not to have conceded any goals because Zenit had several chances. We will have to work harder to avoid other teams to have so many chances on our goal as my men grow more confident.”
“I don’t pay much attention to what’s going on around me when I’m coaching through a match. I concentrate on the game and on finding ways of helping my players. A professional sees a game differently than a fan. We are focused on our work.”
“Every player has different qualities. We have to find the system which best suits our players.”
“Iker is Spain’s goalkeeper. He is magnificent and his quality is unquestionable. He is one of the best keepers in the world, if not the best. Dudek is also magnificent and tonight was a perfect game for him to play in. He did very well and I am very happy with him. The goalkeeping position is one that requires confidence and it gives me peace of mind to have two great keepers on the squad.”
“Every substitution, save the first, were designed to give Raúl and Guti some rest. Thirty minutes on the bench will do them a lot of good. Marcelo played as a winger because Metzelder needed some room to play as a right back. I could have either replaced Marcelo or positioned him further forward and I opted for the latter solution.”
“I noticed my men were anxious to completely change the situation they are in. They worked hard and showed me they want to change as fast possible. They will do whatever it takes.”
Now we have to prepare well for Barcelona in a few days time. What are your thoughts? Did you notice any difference (still too early though) in Juande Ramos’s style from Schuster’s.
