10.03.2012 » Betis 2-3 Real Madrid. Ronaldo's killer instinct made the difference
Real Madrid had a tough and well disputed game last night against Betis, after defeating the local side by 2-3 and temporarily extending the lead over Barcelona to 13 points. Inevitably, Cristiano Ronaldo once again left his mark on the game, scoring another brace for the Merengues which puts him with 32 goals in La Liga. With this win, Real Madrid reached their 11th win in a row in the Spanish League and José Mourinho can now now focus exclusively on his team's clash against CSKA Moscow this Wednesday, for the UEFA Champions League last-16 2nd leg game, after having pulled off a 1-1 draw in Moscow.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Betis vs Real Madrid
Betis 2-3 Real Madrid goals and highlights:
After witnessing what happened last night in the "Benito Villamarín" stadium, it seems safe to say that Real Madrid struggled a lot to beat a well organized Betis side. Having the chance to play their game the day before Barcelona, didn't seem to have given an extra motivation boost to Real Madrid players, as Betis clearly started the game being the most dangerous side on the pitch.
With only 10 minutes played, Pepe Mel's team got the lead from a fast counter attack, exploting the lack of speed from Alvaro Arbeloa and the referee's lack of sight to spot a handball given by Rubén Castro, just before he assisted Molina for the first goal of the night. Trailing by one goal, Real Madrid tried to react in the following minutes, but the truth is the game kept being divided and both teams were failing to connect their sectors, as they kept being unable to complete several passes in a row without losing the ball's possession.
Real Madrid would respond in fashion later in the game, when close to the 24th minute, Gonzalo Higuaín took advantage of plenty of space given at Betis last defensive line, to make a big run and score the equalizer. The Argentinian was assisted by Mesut Ozil and after leaving a Betis defender a few meters behind him, he fired a right-foot shot that only stopped at the back of the net. With the 1-1 set at the scoreline, Real Madrid and Betis would go into half-time aware that this game still had a lot to tell.
The 2nd half started with no substitutions being made and with just 6 minutes played, Cristiano Ronaldo got assisted by Marcelo on the left and truly showed his nose for goal as he gave Real Madrid the 2-1 lead. The Portuguese striked the ball without even preparing and receiving it, from a good one-touch finish with his left foot, leaving very few chances to Betis goalkeeper, Fabricio. The "remontada" was completed, but it wouldn't last too long though...
Just 3 minutes later, near the 54th minute, Betis would equalize the game by Jefferson Montero, from a corner-kick on their left attacking side. Arbeloa had a bad call when he decided to block and receive the ball with his chest inside Real Madrid's penalty area, and he basically assisted his opponent for an easy finish, which Iker Casillas had absolutely no chances to save. With the 2-2 score set, there was still plenty of time for the Merengues to react again, but Mourinho certainly wasn't liking to see so many defensive mistakes being made on this game.
It took almost 20 minutes for the next and final goal of the game and once more, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who put his name on the scoresheet. Close to the 73th minute, Kaká took a corner kick on the right which Sergio Ramos headed to the far post and forced Fabricio to make a great save. However, Cristiano Ronaldo was near by and he wouldn't forgive in such a close range opportunity, despite he was forced to strike it without having time to receive it and again with his left foot. With this final blow given at Betis, the Portuguese reached the 32 goals mark in La Liga (40 in all competitions this season) and he also managed to score to the only team in the Spanish League against who he hadn't score before.
Real Madrid line-up vs Betis:
Goalkeeper: Casillas
Defenders:
Marcelo, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa
Midfielders:
Xabi Alonso, Khedira
Attackers: Ozil, Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín
| Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
|
||
|---|---|---|
Betis
|
vs
|
Real Madrid
|
2 |
Goals |
3 |
1 |
Assists |
2 |
14 |
Shots |
20 |
6 |
Shots on goal |
10 |
3 |
Corner kicks |
5 |
13 |
Fouls commited |
15 |
1 |
Yellow cards |
3 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
51% |
Ball possession |
49% |
Real Madrid next game is for the UEFA Champions League, against CSKA Moscow, in this Wednesday (14-03-2012). In the meanwhile you may watch Swansea vs Manchester City, Racing Santander vs Barcelona, Manchester United vs West Bromwich and Schalke 04 vs Hamburger, all from our soccer live streams section. Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to be on the line-up when Real Madrid hosts CSKA Moscow this next Wednesday.
Real Madrid vs CSKA Moscow kick-off time (14-03-2012):
Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 02:45
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+1: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+0: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-2: 17:45
New York (United States) | GMT-5: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-8: 11:45
Beijing (China) | GMT-8: 11:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com
