Not in the squad for that first game
Real Madrid 1-0 Valencia
The comeback begins
In a game packed with emotion and lots of chances on goal one man stood out above th rest: Arjen Robben. The Dutch midfielder was the architect of a victory that leaves the team in the Champions League qualifying positions of the table. Higuaín put the team in the lead two minutes into the match. More chances came through him, Guti, Raúl and Robben, but none materialised into a second strike.
Two minutes were all Robben needed to showcase his great quality and potential. He received the ball down the right wing, controlled it, looked up and ran past two defenders, serving the ball for Higuaín to score. The Argentine netted the ball through one of the top corners of the goal; a beautiful strike to finish off a brilliant start to a magnificent game. Real Madrid pressurised and set a fast pace to the game from the very start, using five men in midfield -Van der Vaart played as attacking midfielder- in order to thwart the chances of Valencia midfielders Albelda, Baraja and Fernandes.
Robben had his team's second chance on target after receiving the ball from Gago, but Renan managed to save the shot (10'). Guti worked brilliantly with Drenthe, Robben and Higuaín. He served an amazing assist to Higuaín on the 15-minute mark. The Argentine received the ball inside the box, but failed to dribble past a defender. He nevertheless recovered the bal by throwing himself on the ground and kicked it towards Van der Vaart, who hit the post. All Renan could do was watch.
Real Madrid tried hard to score a second strike. Again, Guti served a brilliant assist picked up by Robben, who was tackled by Del Horno when he was about to enter the box. The defender saw a yellow card for the late tackle, something the fans didn't agree with; they screamed asking the referee to send him off. Robben didn't seem to mind what had happened and kept trying. He received the ball again down the wing, dribbled past a player and shot on target, but Renan again cleared the ball.
Great Casillas
Iker Casillas defeated David Villa three times before half-time. Raúl came on in the second half and Valencia tried hard to draw the match, which saw both teams running back and forth from their opponent's goal. Valencia's chances were all thwarted by a defensive line led by Metzelder and an unbeatable keeper. Casillas' incredible reflexes allowed him to spectacularly save a shot taken practically on the goal-line. Real Madrid reacted and soon had a great chance from a corner kick; Metzelder masterfully controlled the ball with his chest and sent it to the crossbar.
Palanca replaced Van der Vaart and reinvigorated the team's enthusiasm. Robben grabbed the reins again and provoked Del Horno's double booking. The pace of the match slightly dropped, but not the intensity of the fans' support. In the end, Real Madrid earned a great victory. The comeback to win their 32nd league title is underway.
LineupsReal Madrid Casillas
Míchel Salgado
Metzelder
Cannavaro
Marcelo
Torres 74'
Robben
Gago
Guti
Drenthe
Raúl 47'
Van der Vaart
Palanca 58'
Higuaín Goal 3'
Valencia Renan
Miguel
Albiol
Del Horno
Maduro 65'
Marchena
Manuel Fernandes
Albelda
Joaquín
Baraja
Silva 64'
Mata
Vicente 77'
Villa
www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1202758131061/noticia/Cronica/The_comeback_begins.htmTraining
Real Madrid trained on pitch 2 at Valdebebas on Thursday in continued preparations for Saturday's home match against Valencia. Miguel Torres and Ramos were back in action with the group, and Wesley Sneijder jogged alone. Raúl is still out with the flu.
Thursday's session began with the customary jog followed by stretching and possession games.
Miguel Torres was back in action with the squad and is recovering nicely from a torn left hamstring. Sergio Ramos was also back on the turf after the flu prevented him from participating on Wednesday.
Wesley Sneijder jogged in solitary and is doing everything in his power to be fit for Saturday's match.
Álvaro López, who plays for Real Madrid's Under-20 A side, was the ninth youth teamer to train under the orders of Juande Ramos. Opare, Palanca and Agus also took part.
Pepe stayed indoors to work out in the gym, where he was joined by Huntelaar and Parejo. Raúl, meanwhile, is still dealing with the flu and stayed home.
www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1202757945286/noticia/Noticia/Torres_and_Ramos_return_to_squad.htm
