Valencia 3-6 Real Madrid: Higuain, Kaka and Benzema star in the win – La Liga recap
Real Madrid continued to chase down Barcelona in Spanish La Liga with a commanding 6-3 win against Valencia. Barcelona also won their game and have a 8 point lead, which should be enough to win the league but Madrid are doing their part by winning their
games.
Jose Mourinho’s team must still be on the high of beating Barcelona and winning the King’s cup in midweek. They carried on the momentum, and it was Gonzalo Higuain, the injury stricken man, who got the hat trick against Valencia. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Cristiano-Ronaldo-c9629, the man
who got the winner in final, was rested and did not start the match.
There was an excellent sporting moment to begin the game, as Valencia gave the Copa del Rey champions a guard of honour. Interestingly, it was the same ground where the final was played few days back. Real Madrid took the game by the scuff of the neck and
raced away with a first half lead of 4-0. Higuain got two and Kaka and Karim Benzema got one each.
Higuain and Kaka netted one goal each in the second half to complete the win. Valencia themselves got three in the net but a comeback from such a deficit was always out of question.
Valencia started the game on the front foot and challenged the Madrid defence. Expecting a tired Real after a tough final in the midweek, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863 created a number of good chances at the start of the game, but after a spell of domination in first 15 minutes,
Madrid finally got into the game.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Karim-Benzema-c20350 went close in 20th minute as his shot hit the crossbar, but he did not have to wait too long to get the opener. He was at the top of a brisk counter attack from Real Madrid and after beating the off-side trap, he was one-on-one with
the keeper and slotted the ball home with ease.
Higuain, who has come back from a terrible back injury, was lucky to get the first goal. There was confusion in the Valencia defence between Jeremy Mathieu and Guaita, and the Argentine was at hand to benefit from it and easily made it 2-0.
Higuain then turned provider as he played in Kaka for yet another counter attack. Kaka obliged by hitting the ball across the goalkeeper to make it 3-0. Minutes later the roles were reserved and Kaka paid back the favour; Higuain was threaded a through ball
and the Argentine made no mistakes with the finish to make it 4-0 at the break.
Real Madrid had sealed the win in first half, but did not let the intensity go down in the second half. It was once again the same pair that got the last two goals. Kaka made his way in centre of the field and waited for Higuain to make his run before playing
the perfect pass. The South American did not waste the opportunity and hit the top corner to complete his much deserved hat trick.
Valencia had never conceded more than five goals at home in the league, but that was to change quickly as Kaka moved in to make it six form a strike just on the edge of the area. Valencia were now playing more for pride than anything and got 3 goals to
make the score-line look respectable.
La Liga title is all but surely out of reach for Real Madrid, but they have beaten the arch-rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. They have a great chance of putting more misery on Barca as both the Spanish giants lock horns in the semi-finals of UEFA
Champions League next week.
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