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07.05.2014 » Valladolid 1-1 Real Madrid. An anticipated goodbye to La Liga...
There was no room for error in tonight's trip to Valladolid, but Real Madrid slipped again after drawing 1-1 against the local team and ended up dropping 2 crucial points in the title chase. The Merengues failed to hold on to a slim lead earned after another goal from Sergio Ramos, and conceded the equalizer when the game was only 5 minutes away from going into stoppage time. As if tonight's result wasn't bad enough news, Cristiano Ronaldo was also substituted with only 9 minutes played in the first half, after complaining of some intense muscular fatigue. There shouldn't be many reasons to be worried about it though, but what seems certain now is that Ronaldo should be rested in the next weekend's game against Celta de Vigo, in order to avoid taking unnecessary risks for the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid, scheduled for May 24.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Valladolid vs Real Madrid
Valladolid 1-1 Real Madrid goals and highlights video:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Valladolid:
With Gareth Bale, Carvajal and Varane sidelined for this match, Ancelotti had to make a few changes to the last line-up he had used against Valencia in the past weekend. Luka Modric was back though and that allowed the Italian manager to form a midfield with the Croatia international, Xabi Alonso and Isco. Upfront and given that Bale wouldn't be available either, Ancelotti relied on Di María, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema. What no one was counting with was that the Portuguese star would get injured with less than 10 minutes played in the first half, forcing the Merengues' coach to send in Alvaro Morata to his place. The replacement didn't seem to have played out as Ancelotti certainly hoped to...
Just like Real Madrid, Valladolid came into this game desperately needing to collect points. The hosts are on a very tight race to avoid relegation from the Spanish League and before tonight's match, they only had Osasuna and Betis below them in the standings. The Merengues in the other hand, needed to wrap the 3 points at all costs, in order to keep the pressure on Atletico Madrid and still hope that the Colchoneros could lose a game in the remaining two league fixtures.
Things didn't go Real Madrid's way though, despite them being the first to get a player with his name on the scoreboard this Wednesday night. With Cristiano Ronaldo already watching the game from the bench and without Bale on the pitch as well, it was up for Sergio Ramos to step up when the visitors earned a dangerous free-kick near Valladolid's box. The Spanish centre defender curled the ball over the wall with strength and precision, and got to deliver the first lead of the game to the Merengues. Following the goal, Ramos immediately ran over to his team's bench and made sure to give a big hug to Cristiano Ronaldo. A nice gesture from the former Sevilla player, who just scored his 5th goal in the last 4 games for Real Madrid! Quite an impressive record for a centre defender...
Until that opening goal from Ramos, the Merengues weren't exactly delivering what we could call a spectacular performance. The truth is that it didn't change much after the deadlock was broken... However, and as long as the defensive duties were carried out, no one from Madrid would certainly complain at the end. Valladolid was creating a few good chances in the second half, but as we were entering the final 10 minutes of the game, it really seemed like Real Madrid had the game in almost complete control. Judging from what happened next though, it turned out they didn't...
Valladolid tried to intensify the pressure as we getting closer to the end of the game and after a few insistences, they ended up earning a corner-kick near the 85th minute of the match. The hosts crossed the ball right into the heart of the box and a very poor marking action from Illarramendi allowed for Osorio to head the ball towards the far post, beating Iker Casillas on his first start in the Spanish League this season. This late goal and the 1-1 draw that followed, basically confirm that Real Madrid seems to have turned off their focus from the league ever since they got out of Munich with that memorable 0-4 win. Two consecutive draws (first against Valencia and now against Valladolid), have made it almost impossible for the Merengues to still aspire winning the league this year, since they now need to rescue 4 points from Atletico Madrid and 1 from Barcelona, with only 2 games left in La Liga.
Real Madrid line-up vs Valladolid:
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
Defenders: Fábio Coentrão, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Nacho
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Modric, Isco
Attackers: Di María, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema.
| Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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|---|---|---|
Valladolid
|
vs
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Real Madrid
|
1 |
Goals |
1 |
6 |
Shots |
20 |
2 |
Shots on goal |
3 |
6 |
Corner kicks |
7 |
17 |
Fouls commited |
8 |
3 |
Yellow cards |
4 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
36% |
Ball possession |
64% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid will be against Celta de Vigo, for the Spanish League 'La Liga', on May 11 of 2014. You can watch Juventus live stream, Celta vs Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid vs Malaga, Manchester City vs West Ham, and Norwich vs Arsenal, all matches provided from our soccer streaming pages.
Real Madrid next game:
Celta vs Real Madrid kick-off time (11-05-2014):
Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 00:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 19:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 18:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 13:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 12:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7 09:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 01:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com / theguardian.com / goal.com
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