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24.03.2012 » Real Madrid 5-1 Real Sociedad. Ronaldo helps restoring normality
Real Madrid is back on tracks, after crushing Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabéu, by 5-1. With goals from Higuaín, Cristiano Ronaldo (2) and Karim Benzema (2), the Merengues collected another 3 points and will remain being 6 points above Barcelona in La Liga standings. After another brace last night, Ronaldo reached his 35th goal in La Liga this season and tied Lionel Messi in the Pichichi standings. The Portuguese and the Argentinian players keep fighting "toe-to-toe" for top goal scorer award in the Spanish League and we'll certainly witness last season's 40-goal record being broken in just a matter of weeks.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad
Real Madrid 5-1 Real Sociedad goals and highlights:
Real Madrid preferred to respond the critics and all the controversy on the pitch and they did it in style. The Merengues found a way to breach into Real Sociedad's defense early in the game as Gonzalo Higuaín got the opener from a low strike that caught the opponent's goalkeeper, Bravo, on surprise. The Argentinian scored his 17th goal in La Liga on this 2011-12 campaign and he keeps trying to prove that he deserves a spot in this squad next year.
With roughly half an hour played, Real Madrid extended the lead to 2-0, precisely what they've failed to accomplish in their last 2 games and which proved to be fatal at the end. Kaká made a great through pass to Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese exploited a lot space granted by Real Sociedad's backline, just before beating Bravo and put Real Madrid with a 2 goals cushion.
The Merengues weren't planning to hit the brakes just yet and close to the 40th minute, Kaká added another assist to his stats (his 8th in La Liga this season) as he found Benzema in a good spot to score the third for Madrid. The Frenchman showed all his class and didn't fail the opportunity to put his name on the scoresheet for the 1st time on the night.
Real Sociedad was struggling to hold all that firepower from Real Madrid's attack and even though they were not being able to test Casillas in previous occasions, they still found a way to score before the break. Real Sociedad's midfielder, Xabi Prieto, saw his strike being deflected on Sergio Ramos head and the ball simply went to the top corner. Casillas couldn't have done anything to deny it, so he limited to stare at the ball getting past him. Score at 3-1 and time for half-time...
With José Mourinho suspended for 1 game after being sent off in the game against Villarreal, it was Aitor Karanka the man responsible for the half-time speech at Real Madrid's locker room. The former player Real Madrid player proved to be up to the task and the team returned extremely focused after the break, with Real Madrid reaching their 4th goal near the 50th minute. Sami Khedira spotted Benzema free with plenty of space and with a first-touch assist he allowed the Frenchman to score from another great finish, making it 4-1.
But it didn't take much time for Real Madrid to score their 95th goal in La Liga this season and setting the score into 5-1. Close to the 56th minute, Varane made a long pass to the back of Real Sociedad's back line, which Gonzalo Higuaín controlled and quickly crossed to the heart of the penalty area. The low pass met Cristiano Ronaldo arriving from a fast run and the Portuguese didn't miss this great chance to score his second of the night and tie with Messi in La Liga's Pichichi standings, both with 35 goals and still 9 games left to be played in the competition.
Real Madrid line-up vs Real Sociedad:
Goalkeeper: Casillas
Defenders:
Marcelo, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa
Midfielders:
Xabi Alonso, Khedira
Attackers: Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Higuaín
| Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
|
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|---|---|---|
Real Madrid
|
vs
|
Real Sociedad
|
5 |
Goals |
1 |
5 |
Assists |
0 |
19 |
Shots |
11 |
10 |
Shots on goal |
4 |
9 |
Corner kicks |
3 |
14 |
Fouls commited |
8 |
1 |
Yellow cards |
4 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
60% |
Ball possession |
40% |
Real Madrid next game is for the UEFA Champions League against APOEL, this next Tuesday (27-03-2012). In the meanwhile you can watch APOEL vs Real Madrid, Juventus vs Inter Milan, West Bromwich vs Newcastle, all from our soccer live streams section. Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to be a starter when Real Madrid visits APOEL, this next Tuesday.
APOEL vs Real Madrid kick-off time (27-03-2012):
Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 02:45
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+1: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+0: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-2: 17:45
New York (United States) | GMT-5: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-8: 11:45
Beijing (China) | GMT-8: 11:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com
