Real Madrid has gained three
important points against a tough Malaga, in a match which serves to
raise the morale of the Whites in light of the last nine days in the
League. With a goal from Roberto Carlos in the sixtieth minute, the
mission has been accomplished in the run-up to the game against Albacete.
The league is still at the same distance.
Real Madrid came out onto the pitch aware of what they were playing for.
Partly to not fall further behind Barcelona, and partly to make up with
the fans after the recent patch of bad results. For this, Luxemburgo
came out with everything on the pitch. All week they had been playing
with Guti in the midfield due to the absence of the sanctioned Gravesen,
and with Salgado on the left wing. Practice was over. In the first
minutes the whites decided to impose control of the match with Guti and
Zidane with the job of moving the team, and Figo with freedom of
movement coming into the centre and on both wings. With the ball at the
feet of the locals, the first chances came from outside the area. Figo
in the 2nd minute, and Roberto Carlos in the 5th, testing out the
goalkeeper Arnau, who stopped them without difficulties on both
occasions.
From then on, Malaga did away with the timid initial drive of locals and
increasingly stretched themselves until the minute 19, when Baiano sent
a shot from outside the area that touched the left post of Casillas goal.
Apart from some corners and entries by the wings, Malaga didn´t threaten
more during the first stretch, more focused on the defence than on the
control of the ball.
So, Madrid kept on with their game, completely controlling possession of
the ball though without danger or depth. Only at the minute 26, Raúl and
Ronaldo tried it on with a move between the wall of two forwards, that
ended with a shot from outside the area by the Brazilian player without
any danger for Arnau.
With the public of Bernabéu quite impatient with their team, Madrid
tried in the last ten minutes of the first half with another shot, this
time from Zidane and some shots from the far side of Arnau´s net almost
always rejected by Malaga´s defenders. A possible penalty on Helguera in
the 41st minute while taking a free kick put a full stop on the first
half territorially controlled by the Whites but without clear chances
for goals.
At the resumption of play, Figo was once more the first one to threaten
Málaga´s net, with a diagonal shot from inside the area that Arnau
barely rejected. Two minutes later, Ronaldo run one of his typical
courses after receiving a deep ball from Raúl, but Arnau cleared it out
with his right foot. Madrid were trying again but Malaga were removing
danger from rather menacing plays such as a corner which Fernando Sanz
barley kept out. Madrid were bringing danger on the wings with Figo and
Roberto Carlos, but the goal came from the center. At the 15th minute of
the second half, Roberto took the pass from Ronaldo and beat Arnau with
a flat shot from thirty meters brushing past the cross bar.
With 1-0 on the scoreboard, Real Madrid gained confidence and caused
more problems and brought more danger to the goal of Arnau. Ronaldo on
two occasions, Beckham and above all Celades, with a shot to the post
bringing ever closer the possibility of a 2-0. But the second did not
come and the goal from Roberto Carlos was enough to continue in the
League with hopes. |
