Post by QPR Report on Aug 8, 2009 7:57:17 GMT
Toronto FC 1 Real Madrid 5
Dichio came on as a late sub...Shame no Parejo!
Next: DC United vs Real Madrid, August 9
And World Cup Qualifier, August 12 - Mexico vs USA
USA Squad - www.the90thminute.com/index.php/soccer/2009/08/concacaf-2010-world-cup-qualifying-usa-names-roster-for-august-12-match-against-mexico/
Toronto FC -
Real Madrid shows world-class skill in win over Reds
New additions shine for Spanish side at BMO Field
08/07/2009 11:23 PMBy Mark Polishuk / MLSnet.com
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the game-winning goal in the 19th minute for Real Madrid on Friday. (Paul Giamou/Getty Images)
>TORONTO -- Real Madrid showed the form that has made them one of the world's finest clubs in a 5-1 win against Toronto FC in a high-profile friendly on Friday night in Toronto.
A BMO Field record crowd of 22,089 came out to see Real's superstars in action, and the big names didn't disappoint. Real captain Raul scored a brace, his second goal a spectacular header off of an equally impressive headed pass from Christoph Metzelder. Cristiano Ronaldo also chipped in with a goal that wowed the many supporters in attendance wearing his jersey.
Toronto FC did their best against the Spanish giants, eventually breaking the clean sheet on a 75th-minute goal from Canadian midfielder Gabe Gala.
In a sign of the exhibition's importance, TFC made no changes to its usual starting XI except for the insertion of rookie Emmanuel Gomez at center back. It was a heady assignment for the young Gambian, facing Real's star-studded lineup with just eight minutes of MLS action and one start against Puerto Rico in the CONCACAF Champions League to his name as a professional.
"Los Galacticos" fielded close to their first-choice lineup, including the first-ever appearances of Brazilian superstar Kaka and homegrown defender Alvaro Arbeloa in the Real jersey. Kaka made international headlines when he moved to Real from A.C. Milan two months ago in a multi-million dollar deal. Arbeloa, a product of the Real academy, returned to Madrid on July 29 after three years with Deportivo and Liverpool.
The Spanish side got off to a quick start, pressuring the Reds and holding the ball in the Toronto end. Royston Drenthe drew some admiring 'oohs' from the fans with some fancy ball movement on the left side, and midfielder Lassana Diarra threatened with a sliding kick that showed surprising movement as it went over the bar.
It was TFC, however, who had the first quality scoring chance of the match. On the counterattack, Marvell Wynne recovered from being knocked down on a tackle attempt to thread a pass up the middle to striker Pablo Vitti, who moved in alone against Real 'keeper Iker Casillas. The netminder came out to the edge of his box to challenge Vitti, however, and knocked the ball away before the Argentinean striker could launch a proper shot. Vitti was able to get the rebound, but defender Raul Albiol was there to block.
Real got on the board in the 13th minute. After Ronaldo moved the ball down the left side, his shot attempt glanced off a TFC defender's leg, thus starting a chain reaction of bounces that ended with the ball on the foot of Real captain Raul. The Spanish international legend calmly maneuvered the ball past one challenge and waited for the back line to commit themselves before rifling the ball into the net.
Ronaldo himself created a bit of magic just six minutes later. A header upfield found Karim Benzema on the left side, who held the ball for just a moment and then passed to a streaking Ronaldo moving into the penalty area. The 2008 FIFA World Player Of The Year made no mistake in putting his shot past Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
It was the third goal of the preseason for Ronaldo, who scored twice during Real's run to the semifinals of the Peace Cup friendly tournament.
Los Galacticos continued to pour on the pressure, as Toronto could do little against a club that created scoring chances out of the smallest slivers of room. Real's third goal came from such a chance in the 26th minute.
Following a wide corner kick, Albiol crossed to Metzelder on the far left side. From an awkward angle and while falling out of bounds, Metzelder managed to head the ball over to Raul on the right side, who collected the pass and headed it with inches to spare inside the right post.
Toronto bunkered down and began to play more in the middle of the field to prevent Real from getting so many wide-open runs. As for attack, the Reds could muster little against the hard-defending Spaniards. Seeming whenever a TFC player got the ball, a Real Madrid player quickly closed to strip the ball or break up a pass before a chance could even begin to develop.
With ball movement at a premium, TFC had to make the most of their dead-ball opportunities. Amado Guevara took a direct free kick in the 44th minute that took a nice curve over the wall and towards the top of the net, but the ball sailed high.
Halftime saw several lineup changes for both clubs. Brian Edwards, Nick Garcia, Amadou Sanyang and Chad Barrett all came into the game for Toronto, while Esteban Granero, Miguel Torres, Pepe and Jerzy Dudek joined the match on Real's side. Kaka was one of the Real starters who came out after 45 minutes played.
TFC came out with a bit more spark after the break, getting more decent scoring chances in the first seven minutes than they did in the entire first half. A poor clearance from goalkeeper Dudek almost gave Barrett a lucky shot that the 'keeper had to move quickly to catch again, and a few minutes later, Dudek had to jump to intercept a cross to Gerba in the box.
Another raft of substitutions in the 63rd minute saw Raul and Ronaldo leave the game to a loud ovation from the BMO field crowd. One of the players who came on was Xabi Alonso, yet another big-money transfer for the Galacticos who just joined the club from Liverpool last week.
Alvaro Negrado also came into the match, and the Spanish striker (back with Real after being rebought from Almeria in the offseason) wasted little time making an impact. Negrado drew coverage down into the left side parallel to the goalkeeper's box, and then crossed to Benzema coming down the middle. Benzema immediately put the ball past Edwards to increase Real's lead to 4-0.
It seemed as if Real were regaining their crispness after all the substitutions, as TFC once again found themselves under heavy fire. Granero had a terrific chance in the 71st minute, firing a shot from just outside hte penalty area, but Edwards knocked the ball over the bar with a quality leaping save.
Toronto finally got on the scoreboard in the 75th minute. Substitute O'Brian White (into the match for Gerba) made a strong run down the right side and fired a shot at Dudek. The ball deflected left to another substitute, little-used midfielder Gala, who put the rebound away to give TFC a bit of a boost.
The 20-year-old was an unlikely candidate to notch the Reds' lone goal of the evening. Gala has played just 12 league minutes over the last two seasons, and none in 2009.
The final piece of the scoring puzzle came in the 86th minute off the foot of Arjen Robben. The Dutch international took a pass outside the penalty area and simply muscled past Marco Velez, got an angle on Edwards to the right and found the back of the net to restore Real's four-goal advantage.
Toronto FC return to action on August 15 when they host Eastern Conference rivals D.C. United in a game with major playoff implications. Real Madrid also have a date with United, as they continue their preseason tour with a friendly at Washington's FedEx Field on Sunday.
Real Madrid (1-0-0) vs. Toronto FC (0-1-0)
August 07, 2009 -- BMO Field
Scoring Summary:
RMD -- Raul 1 (unassisted) 13
RMD -- Cristiano Ronaldo 1 (Karim Benzema ) 19
RMD -- Raul 2 (Christoph Metzelder 1, Raul Albiol 1) 26
RMD -- Karim Benzema 1 (Alvaro Negrado ) 65
TOR -- Gabe Gala 1 (unassisted) 75
RMD -- Arjen Robben 1 (Karim Benzema ) 86
Real Madrid -- Iker Casillas (Jerzey Dudek 46), Royston Drenthe (Wesley Sneijder 80), Raul Albiol (Esteban Granero 46), Christoph Metzelder (Ezequiel Garay 80), Alvaro Arbeloa (Pepe 46), Kaka (Miguel Torres 46), Guti (Xabi Alonso 63), Lassana Diarra, Karim Benzema, Raul (Alvaro Negrado 63), Cristiano Ronaldo (Arjen Robben 62).
Substitutes Not Used: Antonio Adan, Gonzalo Higuain
Toronto FC -- Stefan Frei (Brian Edwards 46), Marvell Wynne, Emmanuel Gomez (Marco Velez 80), Adrian Serioux (Nick Garcia 46), Jim Brennan (Fuad Ibrahim 82), Dwayne De Rosario, Amado Guevara (Chad Barrett 46) (Gabe Gala 72), Sam Cronin, Carl Robinson (Amadou Sanyang 46), Ali Gerba (O'Brian White 63), Pablo Vitti (Danny Dichio 74),
www.mlsnet.com//news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20090807&content_id=6307910&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280