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20.01.2013 » Valencia 0-5 Real Madrid. A top-class first half demolishes 'Los Che'
Valencia had high expectations for this Sunday's game, but what they surely weren't counting with was to run into a "last-season Real Madrid version" in the Mestalla, who humiliated the home side with a 0-5 win. José Mourinho's men pulled off a simply brilliant performance in the first half, led by an emblematic Cristiano Ronaldo who added two more goals to his personal tally, as well as another assist. Real Madrid naturally used and abused of their counter-attacks raids and Valencia basically couldn't provide an answer to the fast pace and speed brought to the field by the Merengues attacking players. Angel Di María (2) and Gonzalo Higuaín added their name next to Ronaldo's into the game score sheet and helped cutting the gap to Barcelona into a 15-point deficit.
Cristiano Ronaldo photos in Valencia vs Real Madrid
Valencia 0-5 Real Madrid goals and highlights:
When we look at last night's game, we can immediatly think that it has been as if someone has awoken the sleeping giant... Real Madrid produced what consensually seems to have been their best 45 minutes of the season, wrecking apart Valencia at their own home ground and reaching half-time with an impressive 5 goal lead. The performance and the result itself naturally leads us to remember what this team has been capable of doing last season, when the Merengues broke La Liga's all time record of 100 points, with a total of 121 goals scored in 38 games. Real Madrid will have a new chance to prove their superiority against Valencia next Wednesday, in a clash where they are once again seen as the clear favorites to pick the win. However, how can a team change so drastically from one game to another? Did Mourinho find the magic switch to put this team performing at their finest level, or should we get ready for a series of inconsistent displays over the next Real Madrid fixtures?
It took no more than 9 minutes for the Merengues to start the show at the Mestalla. Mesut Ozil found Angel di María escaping into the back of Valencia's defence and the Argentinian exploited all the space he was given so he could advance a few meters and assist Gonzalo Higuaín, who was coming up from behind. The 25-years old forward easily finished the play with a left-foot strike, making it look as mere routine and scoring his 8th goal of the season in La Liga.
Valencia didn't actually start the game playing bad, but once they found themselves trailing in the scoreline, everything just got messy. Real Madrid then seized all the opportunities that came up in the following minutes, starting with another attacking play on the left, steamed by Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar showed off his pace and skills in front of Valencia's Ricardo Costa, tearing him apart just before finding Angel di María completely unmarked on the far post, for an easy tap-in finish.
No response in sight from Valencia and as soon as Real Madrid players started smelling the blood at the home side's defence, they just didn't stop and kept coming for more... It was now time for Ronaldo to make his presence felt at the Mestalla and as usual, he did it in style. The former Manchester United winger picked a pass a few meters ahead of the midfield line, ran with the ball into Valencia's penalty area, got past Víctor Ruíz with a lightning speed step over and buried his team's third goal of the night, after a strong low shot taken with his left foot.
Five minutes later (41'), Ronaldo made the Mestalla tremble again. The Portuguese forward netted his second goal of the night, after a good combination of passes between Angel di María, Mesut Ozil and Ronaldo himself. The Argentinian made a strong and high cross into the far post that was precisely aimed at his German teammate. Ozil was quick to react and with a one-touch pass he delivered the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo, who then blasted it past Diego Alves, to put Real Madrid four goals in front at the Mestalla.
At that point, Valencia were surely wishing for the first half to come to an end as soon as possible, but there would still be time for another blow at their pride, this time inflicted by an extra-dynamic Angel Di María. The Argentinian picked up a pass made by Mesut Ozil, which allowed him to go into a 1-on-1 situation with Valencia's goalkeeper and easily pick a spot to hit the back of the net. This goal would complete Real Madrid's mission in the first half and basically for the rest of the game as well. No further significant incidents took place from that point onwards, as the Merengues controlled the result until the end, securing another 3 points in La Liga that will put them 15 points behind the league leaders Barcelona.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he seems to continue on fire in 2013, with 7 goals scored over his first 4 apperances in the year. The new Mercurial Vapor IX pink boots seem to be suiting well the Portuguese star and he'll look forward to extend his current form at the same stadium, right next Wednesday. Valencia will host Real Madrid again at the Mestalla, for the Copa del Rey 2nd leg, as they will try to come back from a 2 goal loss suffered just a few days ago, at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Madrid line-up vs Valencia:
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
Defenders: Fábio Coentrão, Raúl Albiol, Varane, Arbeloa
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Khedira, Ozil
Attackers: Angel Di María, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín
| Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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Valencia
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Real Madrid
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Goals |
5 |
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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 once again against Valencia, for the Spanish Copa del Rey 2nd leg, on January 23, 2013. You can watch Juventus live stream, Valencia vs Real Madrid online, Malaga vs Barcelona, Swansea vs Chelsea and Arsenal vs West Ham, all matches provided from our soccer live section.
Real Madrid next game:
Valencia vs Real Madrid kick-off time (23-01-2013):
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 / realmadrid.com / sbnation.com / skysports.com
