13.12.2011» Ponferradina 0-2 Real Madrid. Back on the winning track

After the blow suffered against Barcelona, Real Madrid started their Copa del Rey campaign with a 0-2 away win against Ponferradina. Callejón in the first half and Cristiano Ronaldo in the second period, scored the Merengues goals.

Real Madrid initiated their Copa del Rey title defense with an away win against Ponferradina, by 0-2. José Mourinho knew how important a victory was last night and so he presented a strong line-up, by including the names of Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuaín. The Merengues took the lead still during the 1st half, from a goal scored by Callejón, but Ponferradina motivation levels allowed the team to put on a good fight, in what always resembled a sort of "David vs Golias" match.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Ponferradina vs Real Madrid
Ponferradina 0-2 Real Madrid goals and highlights:

Real Madrid came up for this match as a clear favorite, but the Merengues never managed to put Ponferradina against the ropes. The game was well disputed and both teams found problems to create goalscoring chances during the first half. However, José Mourinho men would naturally find their way to the goal near the 30th minute, in a play finished by Callejón, who once again, showed has has turned into a valuable asset, despite being a 2nd choice in most of the games played so far in this season.

The half-time arrived and Real Madrid went to the locker rooms with a 1 goal advantage lead. The second period wouldn't have any big surprises reserved to the Merengues, but Ponferradina still found theirselves a lot closer to score, from a couple of opportunities. The most flagrant one came from a long cross that ended up by smashing into the crossbar, with Adán already looking powerless to prevent the ball from getting in. Real Madrid survived, but things started to look even more dangerous after Raúl Albiol got shown the second yellow card and consequently being sent off, by the time the clock was still marking the 70th minute.

With still 20 minutes ahead in the game and one man less, Mourinho made a few changes on the team, in order to regain some balance on the back line, by subbing Nuri Sahin and Kaká, and replacing them by Granero and Sergio Ramos. Known for having what some call the "Midas touch", José Mourinho changes would have an immediate effect a few minutes later, as Cristiano Ronaldo took advantage of his own speed to dribble one opponent and strike the ball to the back of the net. The Portuguese player scored his 22th goal of the season for Real Madrid and from that point on, the Merengues just made sure the clock kept ticking without any major incidents. Real Madrid will now have a very tough challenge this weekend, as they will be facing Sevilla in the Sánchez Pizjuán and will have an opportunity to leave Barcelona behind in the "La Liga" standings.

Real Madrid line-up vs Ponferradina:

Goalkeeper: Adán
Defenders: Marcelo, Raúl Albiol, Varane, Altintop
Midfielders: Nuri Sahin, Sami Khedira, Kaká
Attackers: Callejón, Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuaín

Real Madrid next game is against Sevilla, for the Spanish League "La Liga". Cristiano Ronaldo will most likely be on the line-up in the Sánchez Pizjuán. You can watch Juventus live stream, Sevilla vs Real Madrid on Saturday for "La Liga" and QPR vs Manchester United on Sunday, for the English Premier League. Before that, you may follow Al Sadd vs Barcelona for the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final, all available from our football live streams section.

Sevilla vs Real Madrid kick-off time (17-12-2011):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 04:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+1: 22:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+0: 21:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-2: 19:00
New York (United States) | GMT-5: 16:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-8: 13:00
Beijing (China) | GMT-8: 13:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / marca.com

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