02.02.2013 » Granada 1-0 Real Madrid. Ronaldo's own-goal betrayed the Merengues

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Cristiano Ronaldo's own goal has handed the victory to Granada this Saturday night, in a game where Real Madrid's motivation levels were noticeably far from what was required. Granada took the 3 points from this 1-0 win and José Mourinho's men now risk falling again 18 points behind Barcelona, in the top of the Spanish Leaguestandings.

Real Madrid disappointed again in La Liga, after dropping another 3 points in their trip to Granada, where they lost 1-0 against the home side. Cristiano Ronaldo had the misfortune of deflecting a Granada's corner kick into his own net, deep in the first half and the Merengues never reacted in the way they should have, leaving behind 3 points that will allow both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona to extend the gap in the top of the Spanish League table. Real Madrid will now face Sevilla next weekend for La Liga, just a few days before the most anticipated Real Madrid vs Manchester United clash, that will take place in the Santiago Bernabéu, on February 13.

Cristiano Ronaldo photos in Granada vs Real Madrid
Granada 1-0 Real Madrid goals and highlights:

After having had a good performance against Barcelona in mid-week, one would expect that Real Madrid would be capable of putting out a good game in their visit to Granada. However, José Mourinho's men never seemed to be with their head in the game itself, as they missed an abnormal amount of passes and have always been far from showing their full offensive force. The main reason for such a discrepancy in how the Merengues players have been performing lately must surely have to do with motivation levels, since the Spanish League is not a tangible objective anymore, while in the other hand, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League are drawing all the attentions at the Chamartín club.

It has been awkward to say the least, to witness how certain players performed so below their own usual standards. Xabi Alonso is probably the example that most stands out from this disappointing night, as he seems to have missed more passes in this game than in the previous 8 games that the Merengues have played so far in 2013. The Spanish midfielder was completely disconnected from the game, alongside with several of his teammates, which not only led to a very poor game from Real Madrid, but will also allow for Barça and Atletico Madrid to increase the huge point gap difference in La Liga, if both sides win their matches this Sunday afternoon.

Granada got their goal still during the first half, in the 24th minute of the game. The former Benfica and Barcelona player, Nolito, took a corner kick on the left and saw Cristiano Ronaldo deflecting it back, into his own net. Diego López wasn't counting with it and couldn't react to the header that gave Granada the precious lead. This was Cristiano Ronaldo's first own goal in his professional career, but truth has to be said that it was the result of a tottally misfortunate action, that can happen to anyone who defends set pieces inside the penalty box. The goal naturally boosted Granada's motivation levels, but didn't seem to have had any positive effect in terms of the Merengues mindset and attitude in this game.

Real Madrid passing game has been extremely sloppy and the team has never looked close to be fit. The Merengues weak offensive game has only allowed them to earn a couple of good chances to get the equaliser, but even in those situations the players never appeared to be sharp enough to seize them. The best opportunity came up already inside the last 5 minutes of the game, with Callejón hitting Granada's goalkeeper body in a 1-on-1 situation and Karim Benzema failing to hit the target on the rebound, with an empty net in front of him... In days like these, it didn't seem to matter much who Mourinho played on the pitch, as no one was even close to be at its best.

Mesut Ozil wasn't called up for this game, which can be explained with several reports that the German midfielder has been receiving treatment and recovering from an injury, after that mid-week "Clasico" against Barça. Similar reports were published about Cristiano Ronaldo, however, the Portuguese star has probably forced his appearance tonight, despite his physical limitations... Nothing that surprises us at all, given the competitive mentality and high professionalism level that shapes Ronaldo's personality...

Real Madrid line-up vs Granada:

Goalkeeper: Diego López
Defenders: Arbeloa, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Fábio Coentrão
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Khedira, Modric
Attackers: Di María, Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuaín

Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid will be against Sevilla, for the Spanish League "La Liga", on February 9, 2013. Before that, Ronaldo will play for Portugal against Ecuador, in an international friendly scheduled for the middle of the week. You can watch Juventus live stream, Portugal vs Ecuador, Valencia vs Barcelona, Manchester City vs Liverpool and WBA vs Tottenham, all matches provided from our soccer live page.

Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Sevilla kick-off time (09-02-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+8: 04:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 22:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 21:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-1: 19:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 16:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 13:00
Beijing (China) | GMT-7: 13:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / foxsports.com / sbnation.com / realmadrid.com / heraldsun.com.au

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