Neither of La Liga's two historic rivals grabbed an advantage at the Bernabeu in the first leg of the Copa del Rey. Madrid started as they normally do, fast and applying plenty of pressure early on. The club is currently in 3rd place in La Liga, separated from rivals Barcelona by a 15-point gap. Mourinho's side allowed Barcelona to dominate their side of the pitch for awhile, letting Messi pass the ball along the right flank while Fabregas graced the side netting. Cristiano Ronaldo did not see much of the ball, except for a very early chance from a free kick that was saved by Barcelona's keeper. Madrid's goalkeeper Diego Lopez, a recent addition to the squad and former teammate of Iker Casillas, did a great job in goal as well. The former Sevilla keeper may pose serious competition to Madrid's number 1, considering Casillas's recent injury as well as his rocky relationship with manager Jose Mourinho.

Barcelona played on counters throughout the first 45, getting flashes of possession in Madrid's 18-yard box. Mourinho's side made things harder for themselves by collecting fouls, slowing down the game before they could make it near the visitors' side of the pitch. The game itself was rather even, however, as both sides picked up a few dangerous chances. Ozil ran past a trio of defenders, after which Benzema got the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo, who couldn't get his timing right to reach the ball. A Barca free kick near the edge of the box got Xavi a shot that hit the crossbar. Madrid may have led in fouls, but Barcelona had a few problems of their own, delivering theatrics that would have put the corniest Broadway musical to shame.

It didn't take long for the visitors to come back from a scoreless half and net in a goal. It was a gift-wrapped present from Callejon, whose terrible clearance became a costly error for his team. Messi quickly stole the ball, feeding it to Fabregas, who netted it in the far post. Ronaldo came close to an equalizer with an instinctive header at the near post, but missed the mark just two meters away from the target. He got another shot again soon, but this time Gerard Pique slid in. Replays of the challenge show that it could have earned Madrid a penalty. The official's obliviousness wasn't surprising, however, as he fell for Barcelona's theatrics earlier, giving away set pieces. Pedro Rodriguez nearly made it 2-0 after a solo run; Arbeloa was the only player catching up, yet Rodriguez's shot still missed the far post from 6 meters out. As the match drew to a close, Barcelona tried the tactic of falling like flies once more, but to no avail. Though Dani Alves was at times guilty of theatrics, his defending was solid and consistent.

The visitors' performance in no way reflected their gap with Madrid - it was as equal a Clasico as it could be. Madrid found a late equalizer when Ozil's cross gave Varane a beautiful far post header off the pitch. The last chance for the La Liga front-runners to beat their 3rd place rivals was Jordi Alba's far post attempt, saved by the ever-dependable Diego Lopez.

The first Clasico of the year was perhaps a truer reflection of both teams than the league's standings. Madrid's thirst for the Cup is a mirror image of Barcelona's. Whichever team makes the final will undoubtedly get through on a chance goal or penalties. Winning the Copa del Rey is vital for Madrid, who fell from last season's top spot, spurring talk of Mourinho's leave. Barcelona has a shot at doubling the silverware this season. More trophies wouldn't hurt either team, though more is at stake for Madrid after Mourinho voiced a surrender on winning this season's championship.

The Spanish Clasico is always worth the wait, and today was no different. Jose Mourinho's side was thirsty for goals, and as usual, put on lots of pressure. Madrid not only had the first opportunities of the match, but seized dominance after the first twenty minutes. The guests are dangerous on set pieces, so it was surprising that Sergio Ramos's header missed the target from 6 yards out. Ronaldo made up for lost opportunities by picking up the ball from Benzema and scoring in the near post. At that point, the guests made Vilanova's players look like a terrible MLS defense, leaving Ronaldo wide open and free to do as he pleases. Madrid missed two solid attempts again after Benzema's shot hit the post, while Di Maria shot the ball wide after the rebound. In true Clasico fashion, Lionel Messi scored the equalizer after playing through the defense in a style that only he can deliver. Several defenders were right on the ball, but that didn't stop Leo from running past them to net it in. There was some commentary as to whether Pedro was offside before Messi got the ball, but with the speed of the game, it was difficult to tell. Nevertheless, it was an unlikely turn of events after Madrid's dominance. The commentators remarked that after the goal, Ronaldo and company "found themselves in a different game". They couldn't be more right - both teams soon exchanged the first yellow cards, and it was Barcelona who had the final say before the halftime whistle.

The changing course of the game went in the home team's favor as Madrid's players wore down. As if the game wasn't exciting enough, a controversial decision by the referee left Vilanova's team without a penalty. Pepe's challenge on Iniesta looked like a clear call. Replays clearly showed that there was contact with Iniesta's foot, but as per FIFA's usual ignorance, instant footage was unavailable to the ref, who chose to carry on the game. Another odd moment arrived when Leo Messi was brought down by Xabi Alonso, who was already on a yellow card from the first half. The referee awarded Barcelona the free kick, but did not book the Madrid midfielder for the challenge. The joke was on the official, however, as Messi scored his 8th goal of the season directly from the set piece. Casillas was late on the dive, powerless against the Argentine striker, who has scored over 150 league goals for Barcelona. Messi is just three goals short of legendary Madrid player Alfredo Di Stefano's record of 18 competitive goals in the Clasico. But the Argentine has a much closer rival in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo. Ozil's through-ball gave Ronaldo his own double in today's match. The Portuguese forward even attempted a hat-trick, which would have given him a record of 3 consecutive hat-tricks this season (he scored the last two in a 5-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga and a 4-1 win over Ajax in the Champions League, respectively). Messi fired back, but couldn't get his own hat-trick in the last twenty minutes. There were no more goals from set pieces today, but Barcelona's passing looked fierce and was a stressful presence in the 18-yard box.

Madrid may be the set piece masters and may see the pitch very well, but it was Lionel Messi's free kick that gave his team the lead. Barcelona managed to take back possession right after the equalizer, making it difficult for their age-old rivals to get enough of the ball. "Barcelona's a bit like a toss of a coin," said commentator and former manager Terry Venables during halftime. But with a coin toss, there's not a clear-cut fifty-fifty spread unless the process is repeated a good number of times. The match was quite uneven, leaning heavily towards Madrid in the beginning and more towards Barcelona in the second half.

Has today's Clasico lived up to the Messi vs. Ronaldo stereotype? Maybe so - after all, Ronaldo did open the score, only to be faced with Messi's equalizer less than ten minutes later. Both players scored doubles and were moments away from hat-tricks. Arguably the best two players in the world, they defined today's Clasico more than ever as a rivalry of styles between two potentially equal forces. In a weekend teeming with lesser-known Clasicos and well-known derbies, La Liga's matchup still stands out as the most technically brilliant show on Earth.


La Liga: Week 7
Sunday, October 7, 2012, 2:00PM EST

El Clasico
FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid - 2:2 (1:1)
Arena: Camp Nou (Barcelona, Spain)
Referee: Carlos Delgado Ferreiro
Goals:
0:1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Asst. Karim Benzema) (23')
1:1 Lionel Messi (31')
2:1 Lionel Messi (61')
2:2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Asst. Mesut Ozil) (66')


Published on Get Real Premier.

El Clasico is arguably the most highly-anticipated match of any season in football. Fans around the world get to see two of the greatest teams and oldest rivals go head to head. Though more often than not the Clasico brings about more drama off the pitch (including the age-old Messi vs. Ronaldo comparison), the game has not lost a bit of its flavor. If anything, today's match showed that neither Barcelona nor Madrid are showing any signs of slowing down. Since taking over Barcelona's managerial post, former assistant Tito Vilanova has followed in the footsteps of famed Barca coach Pep Guardiola, who announced his resignation at the end of last season. After 4 years of working at the club, Guardiola helped Barcelona earn 14 trophies, an unheard-of record.

Though the game seemed pretty equal at first glance, it was the home team that had the advantage at Camp Nou. Barcelona was ahead in possession, keeping the ball over 70% of the time throughout the entire first half. Pique had a long-range effort early on. Madrid's counter was cut short; it was the beginning of the end for the rivals from Bernabeu. Lionel Messi worked the ball from the center of the box, shooting on the left side, and missing the far post by a small margin. A ball by Alexis was saved by Casillas and went out for a corner. Victor Valdes wasn't tested too often, but managed to punch out the ball after a Madrid corner on the 36th minute. Madrid seemed a bit panicked, yet despite Barcelona's initiative and the fast-paced tempo of the entire game, both sides were lacking in accuracy. Barcelona had more attempts than Madrid, albeit some sloppy ones. Madrid was great on the defense, but hadn't really done much in terms of attacking. Set pieces were delivered and cleared, three players were booked, yet no goals were scored. 

Scoreless at Camp Nou: Ronaldo and Busquets vie for the ball. Source: el-comepan

In keeping with the traditional dramatic flavor of El Clasico, the second half more than made up for the first. On many occasions, the team that tries hardest but can't score is the one that ends up conceding first. Today was no different; Real brought on the pressure, and a corner delivered by Ozil got Ronaldo his header on the 55th minute. In no time at all, the home team had equalized. Pedro's right-footed shot to the far post fired past Casillas. It was easy to speculate that a goal-scoring fest was about to erupt after all. Xavi, Alexis, and Pique all took turns trying to get the ball past Casillas. Iniesta made a brilliant run on the 69th minute, only to be brought down by none other than Sergio Ramos. Messi went up to take the penalty. He fooled Casillas, netting the ball into the opposite side of the net. A hardcore fan of the Barcelona star invaded the pitch in an attempt to join in Messi's goal celebration, but was apprehended by stadium security faster than the home team had scored the equalizer. Ozil could have had a one-on-one rendezvous with the keeper, but a defender kicked the ball out from under his feet, making it a corner for Madrid. A beautiful counter on the 78th minute provided Barcelona with their 3rd goal of the match. Xavi picked up the ball in the box after a combination play with Messi, calmly netting it past Iker Casillas. There were less than 7 minutes left of regulation time, and plenty more opportunities for both teams to score. Messi took a shot just a meter away from the target, and Casillas came through for his team with a great save. Angel Di Maria took advantage of Valdes's uncertainty while trying to clear the ball and outplayed the keeper, tightening the score. The three minutes of added time saw no more action from either side, and the first leg of the Supercopa ended in a victory for Messi and company.

Ronaldo celebrates his goal. Source: scoppiachelavittoriaenostra.

Barcelona was able to come off of conceding to winning on their own pitch. Can Madrid outrun the Catalan side at the Bernabeu on August 29th? Perhaps the results of the next Clasico will only confirm that the La Liga championship will be an even greater stand-off than ever. 

Di Maria nets in the second goal for Madrid.

Supercopa de Espana - 1st leg
Thursday, August 23, 2012, 4:30pm EST

FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid - 3:2 (0:0)
Arena: Camp Nou (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain)
Referee: Carlos Clos Gomez (Zaragoza, Spain)
Goals:
0:1 Cristiano Ronaldo ('55)
1:1 Pedro Rodriguez ('56)
2:1 Lionel Messi (PK) ('70) 
3:1 Xavi Hernandez ('78)
3:2 Angel di Maria ('85) 

Yankee Stadium © Aleks V 2012

Thoughts on Going to My First Football Match 

On Wednesday, August 8, 2012, La Liga champions Real Madrid took on AC Milan at Yankee Stadium. Fans across the New York area, including myself, were given the opportunity to see two European teams close up. This was the first time I'd been to a football game, and, seeing as how I'm not an avid baseball fan, the first time I'd been to Yankee stadium. Getting to the legendary arena that was once home to the New York Cosmos was part of the fun of itself. The closer the train got to the stadium, the more fans clad in Real Madrid and AC Milan jerseys filled up the wagon. Tens of thousands of spectators poured out onto the streets. The train station was right in front of the stadium, and there were barriers to direct the flow of human traffic toward the entrance gates. After making it to the main lobby, I took the elevator to the upper level, where the Grandstand offered a spectacular panoramic view of the entire pitch. 
AC Milan Keys to the Game:
When the game finally began, the crowd had quieted down. Perhaps that sounds like a strange thing to say with regards to a football match, but until either team made a run with the ball, the arena was only mildly talkative. Milan had a few moments here and there, but mostly played a defensive game, especially after conceding their second goal to Madrid. Aside from the one defensive mishap that led to Milan's only goal, Real Madrid fulfilled and, at times, exceeded expectations. Cristiano Ronaldo was there to make the runs with the ball. His impressive dribbling skills were visible even from afar. Mesut Ozil skillfully took the corners for Madrid, Di Maria was brilliant as a goal-scorer, and even Ricardo Kaka, who came on the pitch as a late substitution for Di Maria, made his mark by assisting three of the night's goals. It is rumored that Kaka may be heading back to AC Milan, where he spent most of his career and played behind retired Ukrainian legend Andriy Shevchenko.

Madrid takes a corner. © Aleks V 2012

AC Milan players try to get the ball past Madrid's defense. © Aleks V 2012

© Aleks V 2012

© Aleks V 2012

Man of the Match: Cristiano Ronaldo 

Ronaldo's bicycle kick.

A record crowd of 30,317 fans at Home Depot Center witnessed one of the best teams in the world take on the likes of David Beckham and Landon Donovan. Madrid sped off like a Formula-1 race-car. Gonzalo Higuain was a star on the pitch; he played a phenomenal game, scoring Madrid's first goal on the 3rd minute. Di Maria dribbled the ball skillfully and got a through ball to Higuain, who netted the ball right in the middle. The Spaniards outran L.A. in every combination imaginable. Higuain was quick, but often hasty, and his speed got the better of him on the 9th minute. He had a run on the right flank, but his shot went wide of the upper left corner of the far post. Higuain's flops were made up for by none other than his teammate and the guru of assists Di Maria, who easily found a hole in the Galaxy defense and shot in number two from the right side. His next attempt was cleared by the defense. David Beckham helped with the set pieces, but the former Madrid star's teammates just couldn't keep up with Higuain and Co. The Galaxy had a bit of possession. Robbie Keane got a great pass from Landon Donovan, but the ball ricocheted away from reach. The Galaxy scored their only goal of the match after Beckham's free kick delivery was picked up by Omar Gonzalez. The talented defender headed the ball toward Lopes, who netted it in with his upper body. The Galaxy's time to shine was over, as Callejon scored the third goal for Madrid from a cross by none other than Higuain. A sloppy attack by the latter was cut short by keeper Saunders and the LA defense. A Madrid corner bore no result, and the match was 1:3 at halftime.

The second half started out in much the same way as the first. The Galaxy defense stood petrified as Alvaro Morata made a run and played past the subbed in LA keeper Brian Perk. Despite Bruce Arena's subbing in an all-new roster, Mike Magee was one of the few players visible on the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo came in for the second half and met the expectations of Madrid fans by being at the center at nearly every attack from then on. Both teams soon grew silent, yet Madrid was still getting more of the ball than LA's fresh legs. The Galaxy had some success in putting pressure on the Spaniards. A free kick near the box resulted in an attempt for Magee, but his shot went too high. LA saved themselves in the nick of time; Perk kept calm and blocked Ronaldo's shot on goal on the 78th minute, and prevented Morata's double on the 78th. The MLS team's luck grew thin, and a one-two touch combination featuring Karim Benzema led to what Taylor Twellman called "a good, simple finish" by Rodriguez. Benzema set up a nice attack again, and Cristiano Ronaldo had an equally beautiful bicycle kick that, unfortunately for him, was taken by Perk. The score could have well been 1:6 on the 86th minute. Benzema's run set up a third chance, but Ronaldo couldn't get a hold of the ball. Mesut Ozil had a go but missed the open net. Benzema himself dived in the penalty box on the last minute, but the referee remained alert, no penalty was given, and the whistle blew to signal the end to another terrific friendly. During a halftime interview, Bruce Arena was asked whether the match would impact the mood of his team going into their next game of the MLS. Arena wisely replied that the Galaxy probably won't be playing Madrid too often. All in all, the game provided a great opportunity for the Galaxy to learn from some of the best players out there. Madrid did not disappoint.


Herbalife World Football Challenge
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Madrid - 1:5 (1:3)
Goals:
                                    0:1 Higuain ('3)
                                    0:2 Di Maria ('11)
1:2 Lopes ('23)
                                    1:3 Callejon ('36)
                                    1:4 Morata ('49)
                                    1:5 Rodriguez ('84)

R&R: An In-Depth Analysis