Real Sociedad hosted Real Madrid this Sunday afternoon in Basque territory and the final result has been an always exciting 3-3 draw.Cristiano Ronaldo sit out apparently due to some physical problems and as expected, theMerengues struggled to impose their dominance on the pitch. One more game left in Real Madrid schedule this season and the vacations period simply couldn't come any sooner from aMadridismo perspective...
Real Madrid dropped another 2 points in the Anoeta Stadium last night, after drawing 3-3 against Real Sociedad. Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of this game due to some alleged problems with his back, which in some way meant the home side suddenly turned into being the favorites ahead of this La Liga match. Morever, despite this game not having much importance to Real Madrid, it was actually a key game for Real Sociedad in their quest for that 4th spot in La Liga and a UEFA Champions League entry ticket. With all this in mind, this has been in fact one of the few games throughout this football season where we could rate the Merengues as being the underdogs...
Real Sociedad 3-3 Real Madrid goals and highlights:
Against most bookies' odds, Real Madrid were the ones breaking the deadlock inside the first 10 minutes of the first half, taking advantage of a childish mistake from Real Sociedad center-back, Mikel González. Callejón and Gonzalo Higuaínpressed high when they saw their opponents going deep in their own half and somehow forced their opponent to miss an easy pass to the left-back. Higuaínintercepted it and rushed forward until he was close enough to beat Claudio Bravowith a crossed shot. That has been the Argentinian's 15th goal in the league this season, his 18th in all competitions.
The Merengues held on to the 0-1 result until the halftime break, even though it wasReal Sociedad who had been dominating most of the game until that point. Real Madrid would manage to show some clear improvements after coming off the locker rooms for the second-half and they got rewarded with another goal, this time coming from the feet of Callejón. Kaká worked his way against a defender on the left, found enough space to put in a great cross into the Real Sociedad's area andCallejón appeared from behind to deflect it into the back of the net.
Real Sociedad would finally find a way to respond in the 63rd minute, after seeingSami Khedira blocking a cross with his arm, when being already inside the 18-yard box. No doubts on the referee's mind and the home side would got back in the game after a Xabi Prieto's flawless penalty-kick. Diego López still guessed the side of the shot but there was simply no way to stop such a strong and precise strike from that distance...
Knowing that a combination of a Valencia victory against Granada with a loss againstReal Madrid could put them almost out of the race for the 4th spot in La Liga, the home side gave their all in seeking the equalizer. It took them roughly 15 minutes but they were fortunate enough to beat Diego López for the second time on the night, around the 77th minute of the game. Carlos Martinez was left alone on the right completely unmarked and a low cross to the far post allowed for Griezmann to bury his first and make it 2-2 in the game.
The Merengues responded right away and just 3 minutes after the equalizer they would regain the lead, mostly thanks to their "German duo" great understanding on the pitch. Mesut Ozil was quick to read the game in a play already near Real Sociedad's penalty area, received a short pass from Khedira and immediately returned it to put his teammate in front of the goal, with a great chance to also put his name on the scoresheet. The "German" panzer showed that he does possess some nice finishing skills and lobbed the ball above the goalkeeper's body, puttingReal Madrid again on the lead.
Real Sociedad was in trouble and since a loss would virtually sink their dream of securing that last UEFA Champions League slot, they kept pushing forward in the last minutes of the game. Despite several great saves from Diego López throughout the entire game, Real Madrid couldn't hold on to the lead once again and the Basquesreached the 3-3 already deep inside added time. Xabi Prieto made his second on the night after responding to Agirretxe header assist that went precisely to the far post. From a very close range, Prieto had no trouble in sticking it in the back of the net and rescuing a vital point to Real Sociedad's Champions League aspirations. As for moreReal Madrid news and the chance to see Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch once again, we'll have to wait for next weekend last La Liga fixture, in order to see "Los Blancos" in action for the last time this season.
Real Madrid line-up vs Real Sociedad:
Goalkeeper: Diego López
Defenders: Marcelo, Ricardo Carvalho, Raul Albiol, Arbeloa
Midfielders: Modric, Essien, Khedira
Attackers: Callejón, Kaká and Higuaín
Real Sociedad | vs | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
3 | Goals | 3 |
27 | Shots | 11 |
12 | Shots on goal | 4 |
11 | Corner kicks | 5 |
7 | Fouls commited | 11 |
1 | Yellow cards | 2 |
- | Red cards | - |
53% | Ball possession | 47% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid will be against Atletico Madrid for the Copa del Rey Final, on May 17, 2013. You can watch Real Madrid vs Osasuna,Barcelona vs Malaga, Crystal Palace vs Watford and Kaiserslautern vs Hoffenheim, all matches provided from our live streaming section.
Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Osasuna kick-off time (01-06-2013):
Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 03:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+1: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+0: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 17:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 16:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 13:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 04:00
0 comments:
Post a Comment