http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Carles-Puyol-c8331 scored within five minutes of the second half as Barcelona came on parity with Real Madrid. Xavi believes Puyol’s goal tilted the game in their favour.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 finished on top of Real Madrid in yet another heated encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Catalan team repeated their La Liga heroics of last month, as they came back from a goal down to win the first leg of the Copa del Rey
quarterfinal against Madrid.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Cristiano-Ronaldo-c9629 broke his hoodoo against La Blaugrana, as he favoured from Jose Pinto’s goalkeeping error in the 12th minute on a fast Real Madrid counter.
However, the efforts of the Portuguese ace were undone by Carles Puyol at the start of the second half. The defender scored from a Barcelona corner four minutes after the interval to bring his team back into the game.
Puyol’s goal started La Blaugrana’s fight back as they scored the second goal 11 minutes from time, returning to Catalonia with a well taken away goal advantage over their bitter rivals.
Spanish midfielder, Xavi Hernandez, was wowed by his compatriot’s goal and reflected that it gave them the psychological edge during the match.
Xavi added that they had prepared for such a scenario beforehand and managed to pull it off successfully.
"It was a psychological goal,” the veteran midfielder argued. “We had discussed the play [beforehand] and it has come off to perfection. We have enjoyed today.”
Real Madrid changed their tactics for the match which seemed to have worked until the first half.
However, the second half saw changes in fortune with Xavi boasting that they will always find a way to win whatever the opposition’s strategy.
"We play in a way that means we always know what we have to do,” the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 international explained.
“Now they have thrown more men back [behind the ball], they have conceded the ball and that benefits us.”
The midfielder rejected notions that they have secured progress to the semi-finals, and reflected that they have a slim one goal advantage that can easily be undone.
"There is nothing done yet because there are still another ninety minutes,” he warned.
Barcelona will welcome Real Madrid to the Camp Nou in the second leg of the double header in on January 25th.
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