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24.11.2012 » Betis 1-0 Real Madrid. Title hopes in real danger of vanishing
With Barcelona only playing this Sunday night, Real Madrid had a great opportunity to close distances to the league leaders in their visit to Valencia, when they locked horns with Betis. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out to go as José Mourinho had certainly planned and the Merengues got beaten by 1-0, dropping another 3 valuable points in a title race that may very early be virtually lost, just too early in the season. Betis midfielder, Beñat, scored the lonely and winning goal for the home side, from which Real Madrid never managed to get back from, despite the many attempts of switching the game's fate. Barcelona will visit Levante this Sunday night and if they do manage to win their match, the 11 points difference that would be established might be enough to make many stop believing in a Merengues comeback, at any later stage from this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Betis vs Real Madrid
Betis 1-0 Real Madrid goals and highlights:
It was no secret to anyone that Real Madrid had no room left for mistakes in the Spanish League. The risk of seeing Barcelona getting away in the standings even further is now greater than ever, and a Blaugrana win tomorrow can virtually seal the deal in terms of Real Madrid's aspirations for La Liga title this season. With the prospect of falling 11 points behind Barça, José Mourinho is surely the first to know that any miraculous comeback will depend from now on hugely on Barça eventual slips, precisely a scenario that doesn't seem feasible at this stage, especially if we have in mind Barcelona's usual regularity in the domestic league.
The goal that ended up deciding the game took place near the 17th minute of the first half and it started from a wild clearance by Angel di María. The Argentinian was kick to react to an opponent's throw-in, but kicked a bouncing ball in front of him towards a very dangerous area, where Betis midfielder Beñat, ended up picking it. The Spanish player escaped Sami Khedira's approach and quickly looked to get some free space to strike the ball from a promising position. The shot was strong and accurate, leaving almost no chances for Iker Casillas to even make contact with the ball and allowed the home side to get a one goal lead.
Real Madrid tried to react still during the course of the first half, but the Merengues' attacking game was a bit out of pace this Saturday night and nothing good came out in the following minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo didn't hide from the game, but just like the rest of his teammates, he didn't succeed in getting past Betis last defensive wall, despite his several attempts to beat Adrián. The Betis Spanish goalkeeper would actually end up being one of the most valuable players (MVPs) of the night, denying the equalizer in numerous occasions throughout the game. As the second-half unfolded, Real Madrid's frustration and despair were clearly piling up as the multiple offsides, poor finishes and good defensive organization from Betis seemed to be enough of a combined factor to keep the result as it was, until the final whistle. There would be no more goals in the Benito Villamarín and Real Madrid players left the stadium with their heads down, knowing they should have done a lot better if they wanted to keep their league title chances alive.
Ronaldo completed a 6-game streak where he has only scored in one occasion (against Levante) and once again, Real Madrid struggled to beat their opponent in a match where the Portuguese star didn't find the back of the net. Next week we'll have the Madrid derby between Real and Atletico, and if Simeone's men win their fixture this weekend, the two teams will step up to the Santiago Bernabéu with an 8-point difference. As for Barcelona, a win against Levante tomorrow night will put them 11-point above Real Madrid.
Real Madrid line-up vs Betis:
Goalkeeper: Casillas
Defenders: Fábio Coentrão, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Khedira, Ozil
Attackers: Di María, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema
| Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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Betis
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Real Madrid
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Goals |
0 |
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Shots |
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Shots on goal |
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Corner kicks |
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Fouls commited |
- |
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Yellow cards |
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Red cards |
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Ball possession |
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Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid will be against Alcoyano, for the Spanish Copa del Rey, next Tuesday (27-11-2012). You can watch Juventus live stream, Real Madrid vs Alcoyano, Levante vs Barcelona, Chelsea vs Manchester City, and Swansea vs Liverpool as well as Tottenham vs West Ham, all matches provided from our soccer live section.
Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Alcoyano kick-off time (27-11-2012):
Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+8: 03:30
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 21:30
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 20:30
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-1: 18:30
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 15:30
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 12:30
Beijing (China) | GMT-7: 12:30
Sources: ronaldo7.net / guardian.co.uk / realmadrid.com / fourfourtwo.com
