Sergio Ramos, Kaka and Higuain scored in one of the most authoritative wins this season for Los Blancos as they beat Espanyol 3-0 at a packed Bernabeu. iSporter Karan Shah provides a match review
Madrid came into this match knowing well that Barcelona had already won by 2 – 1 against Getafe and nothing short of a win would suffice. Manuel Pellegrini started with the same team that beat Deportivo last weekend and it was evident that the combination worked in this game too. Higuain and VDV were left on the bench along with Lass as they returned from their respective injuries. Almost immediately Madrid went 1- 0 up when in the fourth minute Ramos rose above the pack to head home Granero’s cross.
A dream start for Madrid and for once it looked that they did not want to rest on their laurels and were pressing for a quick second. The visitors were having a hard time getting possession of the ball and it was all white in the first half of the match. Raul came agonizingly close to score midway through the first half when his brilliant header was parried away by an outstanding save by Espanyol keeper Kameni. Benzema seemed rusty and it looked liked he’d forgotten his scoring boots at home with two terribly taken shots. On the other hand Raul was at his old best with another two brilliant headers and a strike that minutely grazed the post. Seconds later the second goal came when Kameni diverted Raul’s header onto Kaka’s path and the Brazilian scored on the run with a nice half volley. The first half was dominated by Madrid and Los Periquitos were lucky to go into the break with only two goals behind.
The second half started in a similar fashion for Madrid as they started pressing for another with Marcelo seeing his shot go just wide. Just on the hour mark, Kaka thought he’d scored but his effort bounced back off the post after he was assisted by Benzema. Guti seemed to have a quiet night after a masterclass performance in the last game, however he did keep the audience entertained with a couple of flick n tricks. Espanyol, on the other hand, could only threaten Madrid from set pieces however Ramos and Arbeloa did a fantastic job to keep the visitors at bay.
As the match stayed at 2 – 0, the dominance started wearing off and the ball stayed more in the midfield area of the pitch and realizing this Pellegrini got on Higuain and Vdv to breathe some life into the game. Higuain, it seems, is enjoying a golden period and was immediately rewarded with a goal in the dying minutes of the game. Van der Vaart delivered an inch perfect cross to Higuain in the centre of the attack who took a brilliant first touch to get away from his marker and rounded off the keeper for the third goal of the night.Madrid won 3- 0 that being the final contribution of the match.
Bernabeu looked like a fortress with the fans chanting the team anthem and it seemed that they were absolutely enjoying at the party. Next up is Xerez on the 13th of Feb followed by the Champions League match against Lyon. Madrid, it seems, have found the right balance and the road ahead seems pretty rosy for Los Blancos.
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