El Clasico

I’m back.  After posting at least one entry per day for two months, I took a little bit of break from blogging.  This entry was supposed to come out last April 15 but I got too busy preparing for my Holy Week vacation and by Holy Week, I got too lazy.

sorry, but this post is 10 days late...  Will just update it a bit.  So here goes…

In football, I’ve heard of the term derby, where in the domestic leagues there are two teams that have a strong rivalry with each other (I guess in local school sports, it’s like an Ateneo vs La Salle game).  Being not that interested in domestic leagues, the only teams I knew who had this was AC Milan and Inter Milan.  So I only recently found out that in Spain, they have what they call the el clasico.  The el clasico is any match between Real Madrid and Barcelona.  It’s apparently one of the world's great sporting rivalries.  The last el clasico was last November 2010 where Barca slaughtered Real Madrid with the final score of 5-0 (I wish I saw this match, click here and here for the match recap). 

So to the madridistas who want to see the Los Blancos avenge their 5-0 defeat from Barca, they have four opportunities to do so within 18 days. These are:

April 16: La Liga

April 20: Copa Del Rey Final

April 27: Champions League Semifinals 1^st Leg

May 3: Champions League Semifinals 2^nd Leg

If you were like me who hoped to see the two Spanish giants face off in the Champions League, now you have an overdose of Barca vs Real Madrid matches.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have been worried for Barca in the upcoming matches against Real Madrid.  Being strong offensively may be enough against some teams but facing a strong opponent like Real Madrid, they need to fix their defense.  With the absence of Carles Puyol’s solid presence at the back and Eric Abidal still recovering from his surgery, Pep Guardiola has to figure out a way to make his back line impenetrable.  Gerard Pique is there but, I dunno, I feel like he sometimes gets distracted and needs Puyol at his side to keep him focused.  I hope Puyol will be fit in time for these matches, I originally thought his knee injury was a minor thing, but he’s been out for like two months already.

So here are the updates so far..

La Liga (April 16)

1-1

Barcelona vs Real Madrid

If you’re not familiar with the La Liga or the Spanish domestic league, they have, like, 20 teams that play against each other twice (home and away) and the team with the most points wins (3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss).  The 1^st match between the two was last November 2010 in Camp Nou and as I’ve mentioned Barca beat Real Madrid with a stunning 5-0 defeat.  So this was their 2^nd face off in this season's La Liga in Real’s home turf, Santiago Bernabeu.

With a lot riding on this 1^st of 4 matches (as some are saying that whoever will win this will have some sort of psychological edge over the other team), a draw is better than a loss, I guess.  I'm bummed that I didn’t get to see this match (there’s no coverage here in the Philippines).

The game ended in a draw with goals from Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.  Interesting as the two have some sort of rivalry with each other and both goals were from penalty kicks.  Messi’s penalty kick was from Raul Albiols’ tackle on David Villa inside the box and Albiol was sent off with a red card.  Barca actually dominated the game clearly with 76% possession and almost had it in the bag until 10 minutes before the match ended, Real Madrid earned themselves a penalty.  I guess in the end, it doesn’t matter how long you held on to the ball, it’s the number of goals you score that counts.

Messi vs CRonaldo

CRonaldo vs Messi :P

Because I missed the match, I can’t really comment on the offense or defense of either team.  But what I can report is that Carles Puyol was well enough to play.  But, unfortunately, he was stretchered off during the game from a hamstring problem.  I know he’s been missing action for, like, three months now, but maybe he played too soon?  You shouldn't rush injuries coz you could end up with even more serious problems.

On an unrelated note: an interesting trivia on this game, more than 100 million people from around the world watched this match (sadly I was not one of them)

So here are the numbers:

Real Madrid		Barcelona
13(6)	Shots (on Goal)	11(6)
22	Fouls	14
8	Corner Kicks	0
1	Offsides	5
24%	Possession	76%
2	Yellow Cards	5
1	Red Cards	0
5	Saves	5

Goals:

            53^rd minute – Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

            82^nd minute – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Yellow Cards:

Adriano (Barcelona)

Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
Marcelo (Real Madrid)
Arbeloa (Real Madrid)
Dani Alves (Barcelona)
Victor Valdes (Barcelona)
Xavi (Barcelona)

           

Red Cards:

            Raul Albiol (Real Madrid)

More great articles on the match here:

Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona: Jose Mourinho's ten-man troops fight back for a deserved draw

Player ratings: Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona

Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona Keys To The Match 

Ronaldo rescues Real Madrid to shock Barcelona in El Clásico

El Clasico 1-1 draw 

El Clasico seen through Diver & Aguilar’s eyes (great photos of the match)

TEAM NEWS: Carles Puyol starts for Barcelona as Pepe takes midfield berth from Mesut Ozil

Copa del Rey KO for Carles Puyol

Copa Del Rey (April 20)

0-1

Barcelona vs Real Madrid

To those who don’t know, Copa del Rey (or the King’s Cup) is an annual cup competition for Spanish football teams.  Real Madrid has now won it 18 times while Barcelona won it 25 times.

Just like the 1^st el clasico game, I also missed this one (only the Champions League is shown here).  But apparently, Barca had a slow start.  They found theirgroove in the second half but Iker Casillas was there to prevent goals from hitting the back of the net.  They even dominated the game in terms of ball possession but after the 90-minute game time ended, both teams were not able to score a goal so extra time was needed.  

Cristiano Ronaldo’s header finally ended the deadlock when Marcelo sends a through ball to Angel Di Maria who then sent a cross to CRonaldo and converted it to the only goal of the match.

Puyol stretchered off during the 1st el clasico match
photo courtesy of espn.com

Puyol Update: he was included in the line up as an unused substitute.  He should probably rest up, I mean, being stretchered off from a game says a lot about your fitness.

Although for me, one of the highlights of this tournament happened after the match when Sergio Ramos drops the trophy in front of a moving bus.  Watch it all go down in this video below:

Ramos jokes on how the trophy jumped to meet he fans.  But I love the comment on the video that said “even the trophy wanted to go to FC Barcelona”.

Second highlight for me is Shakira consoling Pique after the match.  No question now that they're an item.

photo courtesy of Dirty Tackle.  Read full article here.

So here are the numbers:

Barcelona		Real Madrid
8	Shots On Target	6
6	Shots Off Target	6
0	Counter Attacks	3
11	Corners	3
5	Offsides	6
69%	Ball Possession	31%
17	Throw Ins	21
10	Crosses	10
24	Fouls Commited	26
3	Yellow Cards	4
0	Red Cards	1

Goals:

103^rd minute – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Yellow Cards:

Pepe (Real Madrid)
Pedro (Barcelona)
Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Emmanuel Adebayor (Real Madrid)
Adriano (Barcelona)

Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid) – sent off after 2 yellow cards
 

More great articles on the match here:

FC Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid

Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid (AET): Cristiano Ronaldo's towering header clinches Copa del Rey for Mourinho's men

Madrid upends Barcelona for Copa del Rey 

The Puyol puzzle: How Pep Guardiola’s Copa del Rey decision backfired

Copa Del Rey 2011 – Key Players and Roles 

El Clasico: How Did Real Madrid Effectively Beat Barcelona In The Copa Del Rey Final

Player Ratings: Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid 

Real Madrid's Zinedine Zidane admits Barcelona controlled the Copa del Rey final

SEVILLA COPA DEL REY WINNERS 2010: Cup final to savour!

Sevilla 2 - 0 Atletico Madrid
(1-0) 5' Capel, (2-0) 91' Jesus Navas

All the talk before the final was about who wanted it the most. Who was dreaming more about winning the final. Even now I think it's impossible to say. Diego Capel and Jesus Navas scored the goals that ensured the Copa del Rey would be travelling down to Sevilla. Atletico Madrid were cruelly denied the chance to lift their second trophy in a week but the players and fans can take pride in the part they played in what was a memorable cup final. 50,000 Atleti fans made the trip up to the Camp Nou and their vocal support was nothing short of relentless. Win or lose, they were there to rejoice in a historic week for the red and white half of Madrid. Those who watched will never forget those cries of 'ATLETI' when the final whistle was blown. Who's to know if it was the emptyness of defeat or the display of affection from their adoring supporters that provoked tears from many of the Atleti squad. They certainly had nothing to be ashamed of. Both in victory and defeat, this Atletico team will come back bigger and stronger next season.

However well Atletico played, they came across a Sevilla team on a mission. A mission that started on 28th August 2007; the fateful day unfortunate Antonio Puerta left his team a man down. Ever since, his old teammates have strived to lift a trophy in his honour. If it wasn't to be against AC Milan in the European Supercup just three days after, they were not going to be denied tonight. How apt it should be that the man wearing his old number 16 shirt, Diego Capel, should set them on their way after only 5 minutes on the clock. Andres Palop, the man who singlehandedly kept out a rampant Barcelona in the earlier rounds, was equal to everything Atleti fired his way. Didier Zokora was everywhere. I've never seen a man run so much in 90 minutes. Atletico Madrid had the possession and the chances, but Sevilla had a little helping hand from above. In added time Jesus Navas sped away from Dominguez, rounded De Gea and netted to seal the win, sending the 35,000 Sevillanos into raptures. The celebrations yielded a number of 'sombrero' hats, immortilizing the peculiar dress sense of their hugely unlikeable president Jose Maria Del Nido. Palop raised the oversized trophy and their mission was complete. A cup final to remember.

Copa del Rey Final: Sevilla v Atlético Madrid - 19th May 2010

Just like Sevilla before them, Atlético Madrid booked their ticket to the final of the Copa del Rey with a defeat. In truth the tie was over as a contest after 9 minutes, but Racing Santander had threatened to start a comeback to match all comebacks when they opened the scoring after 3 minutes, as Juan Valera turned the ball into his own net. Yet as soon as Jose Moratón returned the compliment six minutes later, Racing needed five goals to send themselves through. So inevitably heads dropped and the crowd lost all will to urge their team on.

As soon as Jurado knocked in a delightful second following a neat one-two with Sergio Agüero, it really was all over, although Atlético decided to treat us all to some more appauling defending as David De Gea and Tomas Ujfalusi both commited criminal errors during the last two minutes that allowed Xisco and Mohamed Tchite to give ten-man Racing (Christian received a straight red for a forearm in Ibrahims face) the consolation of at least winning the second leg. The long-suffering Atlético fans and players finally have their shot at a piece of silverware ten years after last appearing in a cup final, and after months of nothing but misery in La Liga. The fans will rightly lap up the occasion, but a final against Sevilla will be a tough ask unless they sort out these defensive lapses that seem to be occuring with alarming frequency. The final is scheduled to be held on 19th May in Barcelonas Camp Nou Stadium, for the first time in 40 years.

Copa del Rey: Sevilla reach Cup final with nervy defeat at Getafe

Sevilla reached the final of the Copa del Rey in defeat as they fell 1-0 to a fired up Getafe, but go through courtesy of their 2-0 victory last week. A rampant Getafe were all over Sevilla from start to finish, with Pedro Leon and Manu constant threats down the wings, and Boateng and Casquero dominating Romaric and Zokora in the central areas. Manolo Jimenez charged up an already electric atmosphere inside the Coliseum as he was unceremoniously sent to the stands after 25 minutes, complaining that Boateng deserved a red for an elbow on Diego Perotti. In a scene reminiscent of Arsene Wengers debacle at Old Trafford last year, he sat in the stands only to be approached by aggrieved Getafe fans. He wisely exited the arena.

Back on the pitch, Andrés Palop embarked upon another of his one-man missions to win Sevilla the cup as he thwarted a whole host of Getafe chances, the most notable of which was a prodigious one-handed stop from a Boateng drive with only seconds remaining. Roberto Soldado did manage to get the better of the Sevilla keeper on 51 minutes with another classy finish in what is turning out to be an excellent season for the ex Real Madrid hotshot, but they couldnt add the vital second goal. So Sevilla await the winner of tomorrows semi-final between Racing Santander and Atlético Madrid, although with the Madrileños taking a 4-0 lead up north to Cantabria, Sergio Canales and company will have to pull something pretty special out of the bag for it not to be an all red and white final.

Copa del Rey Semi-Final: Atlético smash four past Racing

Anything can happen in football, but whilst they may still be a glimmer of hope for Getafe in their second leg against Sevilla, Atletico Madrids emphatic 4-0 thrashing of Racing Santander pretty much has their name printed on that ticket to the final. The scoreline is harsh on Racing, but Atletico deserved the win, lead by a spectacular showing from Argentine forward Sergio Agüero. He didn't get on the scoresheet, but he played a huge role in Simaos cracking opener and ran the Racing defence ragged from then on, earning the second penalty of the night which Diego Forlán duely converted. The Uruguayans first penalty was an absolutely shocking decision from the ref, with the foul committed a clear metre outside the box (see below). Jose Antonio Reyes got the other goal, but his night ended prematurely when he was stretchered off with what appears to be knee ligament damage, although initial reports suggest he'll only be out for two weeks. Keeper De Gea and much maligned defender Perea also performed admirably, as the Vicente Calderon finally got something to cheer about.

Copa del Rey Semi-Final: Sevilla put one foot in the final

Sevilla stepped ever closer to the final of the Copa del Rey with a convincing 2-0 defeat of Getafe. Both teams have enjoyed solid runs in the cup in recent years, but only one will make it to the final in this years episode, and after tonights show, Sevilla are very much in the driving seat. It took a particularly unpopular decision from Manolo Jiminez to set Sevilla on the road to victory, as Alvaro Negredo was hauled off after 36 minutes to allow Romaric to steady the ship after a turbulent opening half hour where Getafe threatened to run riot. The substitution worked wonders with Luis Fabiano and and an own goal from Mario giving Sevilla a healthy lead to take to the Coliseum.

Copa del Rey Quarter-final Results: Atletico scrape through

They didnt do it the easy way, but then they never do. Atletico Madrid travelled to Vigo needing to score to go through, and once Diego Forlan had put them infront after a disastrous error from centre-back Noguerol, they had the even tougher task of shutting up shop. Aided by another monumental display from Dominguez and a controversial disallowed goal from Trashorras, they held on and Racing Santander await in what promises to be an electric semi-final, with the first installment next week in the Vicente Calderon.


In the tie that would decide who would face Sevilla in the other semi-final, Mallorca saw their cup run ended by Getafe, even though they managed a 1-0 win on the night. Artiz Aduriz got the goal and it could all have been so different had the striker converted a 30th minute penalty that was repelled by Ustari. The Madrileños suffered during a hard-fought second half but they held on to reach their second semi-final in two years.

Yesterday saw Deportivo La Coruña crash out despite pulling one goal back on aggregate in the Sanchez Pizjuan on the stroke of half-time through Bodipo. Sevilla waltzed through a match that will be mostly remembered for being one of the most boring ever. Pity the fans that paid good money to watch this. Both sides never looked interested, with Lotina using the match as a training session for his youth team. In the nights other tie, that man Sergio Canales inspired his team to another victory with an exquisite free-kick that wrapped up a 0-3 win which sends the Cantabrians into the semis. Everyone expected Osasuna to come racing out of the blocks to try and drag themselves back in the tie after losing in Santander 2-1. Yet it was Racing that took the initiative and within 25 minutes they were already two goals to the good. Miguel Portugal has really turned things around at the Sardinero and a place in the last four of the cup is his reward.

Copa del Rey Quarter-Final Results:

Sevilla 0 - 1 Deportivo La Coruña (Sevilla through 3-1 on aggregate)

Osasuna 0 - 3 Racing Santander (Racing through 5-1 on aggregate)
Celta Vigo 0 - 1 Atlético Madrid (Atlético through 2-1 on aggregate)
Getafe 0 - 1 Mallorca (Getafe through 2-2 on away goals rule)

Copa del Rey Semi-Finals:

Sevilla v Getafe
Atlético Madrid v Racing Santander

Copa del Rey Quarter-Finals: Sevilla thrash Depor in Riazor (Highlights)

Sevilla put their dismal league form behind them to take a giant leap towards the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey with a barnstorming 0-3 defeat of Deportivo La Coruña in the Riazor. Alvaro Negredo, who had a fantastic match, opened the scoring on 29', whilst a two minute onslaught just after the hour, which harvested goals from Renato and Navas, virtually sealed the tie for the Andalucians. Things got even better for Sevilla as Luis Fabiano made his long-awaited return from injury. Depor had no answer to Sevillas pace to burn out wide, but they certainly weren't helped by Lotinas ultra-defensive set-up which actively frowned upon any attempt to attack.

In the ONO Estadi, Mallorca fell to their first home defeat of the season in all competitions, as Getafe left the island with a slender lead to take into the second leg next week. Manu and debutant Miku put Michels team 0-2 up, before dangerman 'Chori' Castro pulled one back for the Mallorquins with virtually the last kick of the game, a goal which keeps them in the tie. Two teams that will see the Spanish Cup as their chance for glory in 2010, so next weeks second-leg should be a cracker.

Copa del Rey Quarter Finals: First Leg

Deportivo 0 - 3 Sevilla
Mallorac 1 - 2 Getafe
Atlético Madrid 1 - 1 Celta Vigo
Racing 2 - 1 Osasuna

Copa del Rey: Atlético Madrid - License to thrill

Atlético Madrid are pure entertainment. The Jekyll and Hyde of Spanish football added another chapter to their colourful past as they achieved what no other team had ever achieved in Copa del Rey history; to come back from a first-leg 3 goal deficit. And in typical Atlético style, they did it hard way. It was looking like that run in the snow had worked wonders when they stormed into a four goal lead, through goals from Aguero (x2), Simao and Ujfalusi. But halfway through the second half, Recreativo pulled a goal back, after the obligatory defensive shocker from Atlético, to lead on away goals. Shortly after, Assuncao received a second yellow for a needless trip from behind and left his team staring at a farcical cup exit. But with a vociferous Vicente Calderon and an animated Quique urging them on, they took the lead in the tie once more as Simao stepped up with seven minutes remaining to curl a sumptuous free kick into the top-right corner to send the 'Mattressmen' flying into the quarters. The last two games have seen them score nine and concede two, and they're my bet to go on and win the cup looking at that draw: Quique deserves a nice manly pat on the back.

 

Copa del Rey Results 14.01.10

Atlético Madrid 5 - 1 Recreativo Huelva (Atlético through 5-4 on aggregate)
Mallorca 3 - 1 Rayo Vallecano (Mallorca through 4-3 on aggregate)

Copa del Rey Quarter-Final Draw:

Deportivo La Coruña v Sevilla

Mallorca v Getafe

Atlético Madrid v Celta

Racing Santander v Osasuna

Copa del Rey: Barcelona KO'd in the Cup

They're human after all. Having swept everything placed infront of them last season, they have fallen at the first hurdle in 2010 after succumbing to an aggregate defeat by Sevilla in the Copa del Rey. The match was an absolute thriller and a firm response to those who proclaimed the cup a dead duck last week when only a total of 90,000 spectators turned up to all the cup ties combined (not enough to fill the Camp Nou). Barca pushed and pushed for the two goals they needed to go through, but a sweet Xavi effort was all they got as they found Spanish number three Andrés Palop in superb form. Ibrahimovic had a shocker, whilst 'Titi' Henry was lucky not to receive a straight red for a disgraceful challenge on Jesus Navas. In fairness, after last season, they was only one way they could go, but so soon?

Elsewhere, Real Madrids tormentors Alcorcón bravely bowed out at Racing Santander (who are struggling for dear life to hold onto their teenage star Sergio Canales); Valencia grabbed two early goals that would have seen them through, only to then concede two as Depor secured qualification; Getafe smashed five past a hopeless Málaga side who seemed content to get tie out of the way to concentrate on league affairs; Celta Vigo, the only non top-flight side left in the cup, scored a 90th minute penalty to send Villarreal crashing out, whilst Osasuna got the goal they needed to qualify at Hercules' expense on away goals.

Copa Del Rey Last 16: Sevilla surprise Cup Holders whilst Atléticos nightmare continues

Recreativo de Huelva and Sevilla provided the cupsets of the round so far as they both finished the first leg ahead of their supposed superior rivals. In yesterdays tie at the Camp Nou, Barcelona and Sevilla both had grounds for complaint regarding the performance of referee Alfonso Burrull as Bojan and Diego Capel had goals incorrectly chalked off, whereas the penalty awarded to Sevilla appeared to occur outside of the box. Burrul is indebted to both coaches as they made no mention of his performance is their post-match interviews, with Guardiola even happy to take the blame for Barcas defeat. The highlight of the match was Ibrahimovics delightfully-taken goal. The big Swede is unplayable at the moment.

Atletico Madrid seem to be taking one step forward and two steps back right now. The win over Sevilla at the weekend was supposed to be a case of corner turned after a disastrous last half of 2009, but they faltered badly in Huelva and left 3-0 down on aggregate and in serious danger of being knocked out of the only competition they could still realistically win this season. Recreativo were dominant from start to finish and were already 1-0 up when Ujfalusi committed a recklessly high tackle which earned him a deserved straight red and left his teammates in the lurch for the remainding 70 minutes. The usually calm Quique Sanchez Flores was livid with his players lack of professionalism and made it clear that he would not persist with players who 'continue to dissapoint'. Other news to come out of the club was that midfielder Maxi Rodriguez  is on the verge of a move to English club Liverpool for a fee of about €1.5m. The second move of a clearout that has already seen Sinama-Pongolle shipped off to Sporting Lisbon.

Copa Del Rey Last 16 First Leg Results

Barcelona 1 - 2 Sevilla

Recreativo Huelva 3 - 0 Atlético Madrid

Celta Vigo 1 - 1 Villarreal

Valencia 1 - 2 Deportivo La Coruña

Alcorcón 2 - 3 Racing Santander

Hercules 2 - 1 Osasuna

Rayo Vallecano 2 - 1 Mallorca

Málaga 2 - 1 Getafe

Bilbao out; Racing, Getafe and Mallorca march on: Copa del Rey Round-up

Last years losing finalists, Athletic Bilbao, fell at the first hurdle in this years Copa del Rey, as Rayo Vallecano secured a 2-2 draw at the San Mames which took them through the next round. Bilbao's bigman Fernando Llorente had several opportunities to open the scoring, but when he did find the target, he found Rayo keeper Dani in fine form. Llorente did eventually open the scoring, with a firm header from a Susaeta cross, and the comeback looked on. Yet goals for Rayo in the 71st and 77th minute, which sandwiched a goal for Javi Martinez, completed a fantastic result for the second division team, who must now harbour serious hopes of challenging for promotion to La Liga this season.

Racing Santander managed to overcome their little cup dilemma, and shook off the sacking of manager Mandiá on monday to stick four past Salamanca. The second division side opened the scoring in the 21st minute, before Santander's Burundi striker Tchité got them back in the tie with two goals before half time. He later forced an own goal before teammate Xisco clinched their passage to the next round with the final goal in the 74th minute.

Copa del Rey Results (Round of 32) 10.11.09: (Aggregate score)

Athletic Bilbao 2-2 Rayo (2-4) Rayo Vallecano through

Mallorca 1-0 Valladolid (2-2) Mallorca through on away goals rule

Racing Santander 4-1 Salamanca (4-2) Racing Santander through

Espanyol 1-1 Getafe (1-3) Getafe through

Almería - Hercules (Thursday, 9pm)

Copa del Rey Preview: 11.11.09

Wednesday sees the second wave of this weeks cup ties, with four of the remainding five ties to be decided tonight. Both Athletic Bilbao and Racing Santander will be looking to avoid the fate befallen by fellow 'Primera' teams Sporting and Tenerife yesterday, by overcoming first leg defecits to lower league opposition. Bilbao certainly have the tougher task, at home to a strong Rayo Vallecano side from the second division who take a two-goal cushion into the second leg.

Eyes will also be fixed on Espanyol's new Cornellá Stadium, as Raúl Tamudo is expected to make his long-awaited comeback following injury and his infamous spat with the club. 'Los Pericos' will be hoping he can steer the team into the next round of a competition they won in 2000 and 2006.


Copa Del Rey Fixtures: Wed 11.11.09 Second Leg (First Leg Score)

(0-2) Espanyol - Getafe 8pm
(1-2) Mallorca - Valladolid  9pm
(0-2) Athletic Bilbao - Rayo  9pm
(0-1) Racing Santander - Salamanca 9pm

Alcorconazo!! Copa del Rey Round-Up: 10.11.09

Real Madrid huffed and puffed, but they just couldnt blow the Alcorcón defence down. The team in yellow frustrated a desparately poor Madrid, who only managed a Van Nistelrooy shot against the crossbar before Van der Vaart's goal in the 82nd minute spared 'Los Blancos' the ignomany of failing to score against their supposedly far inferior opposition over two matches. Five goals was what the engineer ordered, but they never looked like getting them.

The Bernabeu crowd let their team know in no uncertain terms how they felt about the whole matter with a monumental wall of whistles and boos as they left the pitch. There will be renewed calls for Pelligrini's head from those who believe it will provide a quick fix, but Madrid would be foolish to break up Florentino's masterplan before it's even got off the ground. Pre-season predictions of a triple where fanciful to say the least, and they have only served to add extra pressure to the whole 'project'. But there is no escaping the humilliation of this 'Alcorconazo', and Pelligrini will do well to engineer a low profile over the next few days.

There were a couple more cupsets on the night, although not quite on the same scale, with both Tenerife and Sporting de Gijón dropping out of the competition to rivals from the second division, Recreativo and Celta Vigo. Atlético Ciudad, another team from 'Segunda B', got to within a goal of Sevilla on aggregate, but that was as close as it got, with Navas, Kanoute, Luis Fabiano and young Jose Carlos (2) netting in quick succession to secure an emphatic passage to the next round.

In the final cup tie of the evening, Barcelona took a while to kill off the men from León, with the usual tiki-taka ('Street-spanish' for quick, first time passing) football, but no end product infront of goal. The second half saw an end to that with Bojan (2), Pedro, Messi and Xavi all netting within 20 minutes to send Barca flying into the next round.


Copa del Rey Results (Round of 32) 10.11.09:  Tonights score (Aggregate score)


Real Madrid 1-0 Alcorcon (1-4) Alcorcón through

Valencia 2-2 Alcoyano (3-2) Valencia through

Villarreal 2-1 Puertollano (2-1) Villarreal through

Atlético 6-0 Marbella (8-0) Atletico through

Osasuna 1-0 Xerez (3-1) Osasuna through

Málaga 0-0 Zaragoza (1-1) Malaga through on away goals rule

Deportivo 1-0 Murcia (1-0) Deportivo through

Sporting 1-1 Recreativo Huelva (2-2 aet, 2-4 pens) Recreativo through

Tenerife 0-1 Celta Vigo (1-3) Celta Vigo through

Sevilla 5-1 Atlético Ciudad (9-3) Sevilla through

Barcelona 5-0 Cultural de Leon (7-0) Barcelona through

Alcorcón, stanley?? Who are they?!

Well Stanley, let me take it from here. This is the question on many peoples lips as the mighty Real Madrid welcome the modest lower-league football club to the Santiago Bernabeu tonight for the second leg of their 'Copa Del Rey' matchup. Yet many more know exactly who they are, after they inflicted upon Madrid one of their most humbling defeats in their long, illustrious history two weeks ago in the Santo Domingo Municipal Stadium. 4-0 was the scoreline, and to be fair to Alcorcón, that score didn't do them justice on the night. They tore Madrid apart at the seams.

So, who are they? Alcorcón are a small club from the suburbs of Madrid who are currently battling their way through the 'Segunda B Group II' league which, although being third tier, is probably more akin to the conference in England. The club was founded in 1971, and the current team is made up of a mixture of journeymen and local youth.... exactly as you would expect. This aspect of the team is personified beautifully by the two Borja Perezs. One, a young defender, was a signing from the Real Madrid youth team a year ago, whereas the other (who in the first leg, scored two of the six goals to his name against Madrid in the cup throughout his career) is the veteran star striker recently snapped up from Alicante CF.

Pelligrini and his men will be looking to exorcise some ghosts tonight, hoping to overturn the four goal defecit to salvage some pride. They did it in the cup during the 74/75 season, and went on to win it. Alcorcón, on the other hand, can soak up the atmosphere, safe in the knowledge they have nothing to lose, and several euros to gain. Let's hope they milk it for all it's worth.

Copa Del Rey Fixtures: Tue 10.11.09 Second Leg (First Leg Score)

Atlético (2) - Marbella (0) 7pm
Valencia (1) - Alcoyano (0) 7pm
Real Madrid (0) - Alcorcón (4) 7pm
Osasuna (2) - Xerez (1) 8pm
Malaga (1) - Zaragoza (1) 8pm
Deportivo (1) - Murcia (0) 8pm
Sporting (1) - Recreativo (1) 8pm
Tenerife (1) - Celta (2)  8pm
Sevilla (4) - Atlético Ciudad (2) 8pm
Villarreal (1) - Puertollano (1) 9pm
Barcelona (2) - Cultural (0) 10pm

Livin La Liga Live Link: Watch Real Madrid v Alcorcón HERE

Livin La Liga Live Link: Watch Barcelona v Cultural HERE

Epic cupset in Alcorcón

It wouldnt be an understatement to say tonight was the most humiliating night of Real Madrid´s 107 history. After poor showings against AC Milan and Valladolid, this trip to lowly Alcorcón in the cup was supposed to get the Bernabeu bandwagon back on track. A strong lineup including Raul, Benzema, Guti, Van der Vaart and Albiol was sent out by Pelligrini, with the aim of getting Madrid back into the winning habit. What happened next will haunt ´Madridistas´ for years to come.

Madrid never got into their stride and were hounded by a rampant Alcorcón side, who could easily have scored six or seven, but had to settle for four. Alcorcón are currently 17th in the Segunda B league (Third tier), with this match-up being the spanish equivalent of Man Utd v Leyton Orient. Upsets in cup competitions are an occupational hazard for top teams, but the manner of this defeat, as well as the scoreline (4-0), will hit hard into the very core of Real Madrid Football Club. Fans are predictably calling for Pelligrini´s head, and the clubs directors were seen lurking around the changing rooms both a half-time and the final whistle, which is never a good sign.

One has to feel for poor Manuel Pelligrini. He is a humble and likeable guy and, as his exploits with Villarreal would testify, an excellent manager. But the nature of Real Madrid, and the extent of Florentino´s summer spending, demands instant success. When will they learn that it´s continuity that breeds success and not a blank chequebook?

(The chap celebrating in the photo is Borja López of Alcorcón, who notched two goals in tonights rout. He now boasts six goals against Real Madrid in his career, all in cup competition)