UEFA Champions League - Group of Death:
Angel Di Maria and Zlatan Ibrahimovic rescue Real Madrid
and AC Milan
The Group of Death in UEFA Champions League 2010-11 has started to shape up with Real Madrid registering a victory while AC Milan playing a draw. Earlier, Real Madrid were finding it hard to net the ball and their jinx followed them until an angel came to
their rescue.
Angel Di Maria saved the blushes of Galacticos or else they were on their way to play yet another goalless draw, which would have led to heavy criticism on Jose Mourinho. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gozalo Higuain had both scored the bulk of goals for Madrid last
season but this time around the case seems different with both looking lazy. This is harming Real’s prospects of lifting the Champions League trophy.
Mourinho’s first summer signing actually gave him some breathing space and also time to think what had been going wrong with his star strikers: Benzema, Ronaldo and Higuain. Di Maria wasn’t even in the starting lineup but as they say big players raise their
game on big occasion- he made his impact immediately after coming off the bench. There looked more urgency after the introduction as the Argentine took on the opponent’s defenders with his speedy runs and crosses from the flanks.
His attacks paid off as former Benfica player struck the much needed goal to salvage a victory in the end for his team. Jose Mourinho later said that he knew the game would be a tough one so he had prepared his team tactically. If it were a defeat, Real
would have possibly faced elimination as they are in one of the toughest groups of the competition. Real Madrid’s Group ‘G’ in the CL also includes AC Milan, Ajax and Auxerre. In another Group “G” fixture, AC Milan took on Ajax and they were saved by the brilliance
of their new talisman, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
At first, things weren’t looking good for the San Siro side with defeat looming over them but Ibra once again scored for them. Ajax were the club where the big Swede gained prominence and he didn’t remain goal shy for his return to his former club. The draw
left AC Milan two points behind the group leaders, Real Madrid, who currently have six points. Ajax earned their first point with the draw while the French side, Auxerre are yet to open their account.
Although, there are still four more matches to be played in Group ‘D’- Group of Death - but chances are that the two European powerhouses- Real Madrid and AC Milan- would ultimately qualify for the knockout phase. Also, Ajax will only be able to play in
the Europa League if they finish third on the table. But still, it would be too early to count of the big guns as minnows have often come from behind to march at the expense of the big clubs.
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