Football Update: Real Madrid Wins The Local Derby
Real Madrid continued their dominance under Jose Mourinho, by winning their match against Atletico Madrid. The Spanish giants continued their unbeaten run to 15 matches in all competitions. In La Liga, Madrid has won eight games so far, while they have drawn
only two.
Atletico Madrid is being dominated by their local rivals for a very long time now. It has been over a decade when Atletico won their match against Madrid. Once again, the giants did not look like losing the match, as they overran their weaker rivals in the
early stages of the match. This victory also ensured that Madrid moved to top, with the difference of a single point from their archrivals and current champions Barcelona.
This week proved to be great for Jose Mourinho, the coach of Real Madrid, whose side booked its position in the knockout stages of Champions League, by getting a late draw at San Siro, against AC Milan.
Jose Mourinho picked up his full strength side against this local derby. Despite having a tough outing in the midweek, at AC Milan, Mourinho realized the importance of local derby and did not take any risks. From Iker Casillas, at the back, to Gonzalo Higuain,
at the front, there was not a single player missing from Madrid’s squad. Atletico Madrid also looked like a great side, with the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan and the young Argentinean Sergio Aguero leading the attack. It was a tough outing
for Madrid’s defence, as Atletico’s attack looked like a world beater.
It was Ricardo Carvalho, Mourinho’s favourite signing of the summer from Chelsea, who gave the home side a much deserved lead in the 13th minute. Angel Di Maria gave a through ball which was deflected from Tomas Ujfalusi and fell at the feet of
Portuguese centre-back, who was roaming in the position of a striker. Carvalho made no mistake as he put the ball behind the net, beating David de Gea in an easy fashion.
De Gea had a couple of saves as well, as he kept Pepe and Higuain out on a couple of occasions. However, the second goal came early and this time another new signing, Mesut Ozil, was on target. Ozil took a rare free-kick for Madrid, from the right side of
the pitch. The player curled a low cross inside the far post, without getting any real touch from anyone.
At this point, Atletico seemed to have lost the match, but they started working harder. Diego Forlan, who is having a terrible season with Atletico, came close but his shot was deflected out for a corner. On the corner, Madrid had to make a goal-line clearance
to keep the visitors away from scoring a goal. Ujfalusi and Jose Antonio Reyes also came close, but the scoreline did not change for their side.
Madrid had their own chances to extend their lead, as Higuain hit the post once. Apart from him, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema also came close to scoring in the closing minutes of the match. For Atletico Madrid, Diego Forlan hit the post as well, while
Aguero got a good save out of Casillas. In the end, it was a good victory for Madrid, as they moved on to the top position in La Liga table, with Barcelona enjoying the position for almost two hours.
This was a great victory for Madrid, who would want to keep the pressure on Barcelona. Both these sides are scheduled to meet on 28th of November for their first league match of the season. Madrid would have to travel to Camp Nou, so it is very
important that they meet their archrivals with their nose in front. Atletico, on the other hand, are in seventh position in La Liga table. They need to work hard if they want to regain their Champions League spot in this season.
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