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Ronaldo, Kovacic and Morata on target as Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 3-0.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Mateo Kovacic and Alvaro Morata all were on target as Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The first highlight of the game resulted in a goal with a wonderful through ball from Cristiano set up Mateo Kovacic for his goal in the 33rd minute.
Sociedad made a good move in the 45th minute which included some heel flicks and one-touch passes but the finish which was needed was not produced.
Real scored their second goal in the 50th minute when this time the roles were reversed; with Kovacic became the provider and Ronaldo the scorer. Kovacic fed Ronaldo an amazing ball and Ronaldo finished it sweetly over the keeper to double Madrid's lead.
Ronaldo again could've become the provider with a free-kick in the 72nd minute which was headed in by Morata at the back post but the assistant referee raised the offside flag.
Lucas Vazquez had an opportunity to take advantage of the goalkeeper's mistake when Rulli accidently passed to Vazquez but recovered to make a good sharp save from Vazquez' shot.
Inigo Martinez was sent off after a tackle on Casemiro which earned him his second yellow card of the game and Sociedad had to play the last 17 minutes of the game with 10-men.
Real were on a quick counter-attack and Alvaro Morata got back his offside ruled goal when Vazquez launched a cross from the right flank and Morata headed it home.
Match Facts:
RMA RSO
43% Possession 57%
7(4) Shots(on goal) 9(3)
15 Fouls 12
2 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 1
3 Offsides 2
0 Corners 3
3 Saves 1
Cristiano Ronaldo, Mateo Kovacic and Alvaro Morata all were on target as Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The first highlight of the game resulted in a goal with a wonderful through ball from Cristiano set up Mateo Kovacic for his goal in the 33rd minute.
Sociedad made a good move in the 45th minute which included some heel flicks and one-touch passes but the finish which was needed was not produced.
Real scored their second goal in the 50th minute when this time the roles were reversed; with Kovacic became the provider and Ronaldo the scorer. Kovacic fed Ronaldo an amazing ball and Ronaldo finished it sweetly over the keeper to double Madrid's lead.
Ronaldo again could've become the provider with a free-kick in the 72nd minute which was headed in by Morata at the back post but the assistant referee raised the offside flag.
Lucas Vazquez had an opportunity to take advantage of the goalkeeper's mistake when Rulli accidently passed to Vazquez but recovered to make a good sharp save from Vazquez' shot.
Inigo Martinez was sent off after a tackle on Casemiro which earned him his second yellow card of the game and Sociedad had to play the last 17 minutes of the game with 10-men.
Real were on a quick counter-attack and Alvaro Morata got back his offside ruled goal when Vazquez launched a cross from the right flank and Morata headed it home.
Match Facts:
RMA RSO
43% Possession 57%
7(4) Shots(on goal) 9(3)
15 Fouls 12
2 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 1
3 Offsides 2
0 Corners 3
3 Saves 1
It's a big game for:
Danilo. Having scored two own-goals in his last three matches, the Brazilian would be looking to make amends as he is again, to my surprise, is included in the 19-men squad which will face Sociedad. And if he starts he should play to book his place in the starting line-up and to book his place in our hearts.
Best stat:
14. Real Madrid have won 14 matches out of the 16 matches played between these two sides. Sociedad's last victory over Madrid came on 31st of August 2014, beating Madrid 4-2.
Remember when:
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid thrashed Real Sociedad 5-1 with a hat-trick from C.Ronaldo and Benzema and Khedira scoring 1-1 each. The only goal for Sociedad came from the boots of Antoine Griezmann.
Player to watch:
Cristiano Ronaldo. Having scored an amazing free-kick in the draw against Celta de Vigo, many believe that the Portuguese is again getting better at free-kicks and is finding his goal-scoring feet. It will be interesting to see that what magic can the talisman will produce.
Previous meetings:
Real Madrid 3 (Bale 2, Asensio) - Real Sociedad 0. August 2016.
Real Madrid 1 (Bale) - Real Sociedad 0. April 2016.
Real Madrid 3 (C.Ronaldo 2, Vazquez) - Real Sociedad 1 (Bruma). December 2015.
Form guide:
Real Madrid: DWLLD.
Real Sociedad: LWLWD.
Match odds:
Real Madrid win: 2/7
Real Sociedad win: 17/2
Draw: 5
Hope Real Madrid wins this one and shrugs off its poor form and get back on the winning track.
Danilo. Having scored two own-goals in his last three matches, the Brazilian would be looking to make amends as he is again, to my surprise, is included in the 19-men squad which will face Sociedad. And if he starts he should play to book his place in the starting line-up and to book his place in our hearts.
Best stat:
14. Real Madrid have won 14 matches out of the 16 matches played between these two sides. Sociedad's last victory over Madrid came on 31st of August 2014, beating Madrid 4-2.
Remember when:
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid thrashed Real Sociedad 5-1 with a hat-trick from C.Ronaldo and Benzema and Khedira scoring 1-1 each. The only goal for Sociedad came from the boots of Antoine Griezmann.
Player to watch:
Cristiano Ronaldo. Having scored an amazing free-kick in the draw against Celta de Vigo, many believe that the Portuguese is again getting better at free-kicks and is finding his goal-scoring feet. It will be interesting to see that what magic can the talisman will produce.
Previous meetings:
Real Madrid 3 (Bale 2, Asensio) - Real Sociedad 0. August 2016.
Real Madrid 1 (Bale) - Real Sociedad 0. April 2016.
Real Madrid 3 (C.Ronaldo 2, Vazquez) - Real Sociedad 1 (Bruma). December 2015.
Form guide:
Real Madrid: DWLLD.
Real Sociedad: LWLWD.
Match odds:
Real Madrid win: 2/7
Real Sociedad win: 17/2
Draw: 5
Hope Real Madrid wins this one and shrugs off its poor form and get back on the winning track.
Real Madrid dumped out of the quarter-finals of the Copa Del Rey by Celta Vigo 3-4 (agg.)
European Champions Real Madrid were eliminated by Celta Vigo as the teams played a 2-2 draw at the Balaidos that left the La Liga leaders on the wrong side of the scoresheet, losing 4-3 aggregate.
Ronaldo's faked his touched and left the ball for Isco whose shot at the near post was saved easily by Sergio Alvarez in the 5th minute.
Real could have taken the lead in the 36th minute when a cross in the box from Isco found Ronaldo and he headed the ball into the goal but it was saved by Sergio Alvarez and the ball hit the crossbar, the rebound fell straight into the path of Ronaldo who didn't get the touch and the ball hit the post.
Kiko Casilla who was starting at the goal in place of Keylor Navas made a good, sharp save from John Guidetti in the 40th minute.
And finally the deadlock was broken by Danilo for Celta de Vigo when Kiko again made a fantastic 1v1 save against Guidetti but the ball fell straight to Danilo who couldn't stop and directed the ball into his own net. 1-0. Goal- Danilo(p.p.)
Kroos had a great imagination when he wanted to direct the ball into the net from a free kick when he turned the ball from outside the one-man wall but Alvarez somehow saved the grounded shot.
Ronaldo finally found the net in the 62nd minute when a free kick was given to Real and Cristiano Ronaldo perfectly guided it in the far post. 1-1. Goal- C.Ronaldo(Real Madrid).
Sergio Ramos almost gave Real the lead in the 66th minute when he connected with a free kick of Toni Kroos, but his header went just wide.
Ronaldo got a free kick in the 69th minute which swung in the air and went inches away from the goal.
Daniel Wass gave the lead to Celta again when his shot from 20-yards distance found the bottom corner in the 85th minute. 2-1. Goal- D.Wass(Celta de Vigo).
But Lucas Vazquez had other plans, a corner from Toni Kroos in the 90th minute was headed by Benzema and it looked that the ball will go out for a goal kick but Lucas Vazquez dived and guided the ball in the back of the net. 2-2. Goal- L.Vazquez(Real Madrid).
But the time was not on the side of Real and as the referee blew the final whistle Celta advanced into the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey eliminating Real 4-3 on aggregate.
Match Facts:
CEL RMA
33% Possession 67%
11(5) Shots(on goal) 15(7)
19 Fouls 10
3 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
2 Offsides 1
4 Corners 6
5 Saves 4
It's a big game for:
Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese international is currently off colour and has been criticised by the Bernabeu fans. He would be looking to prove everyone wrong by guiding Real into the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey Cup.
Best stat:
4. Celta de Vigo has won the last 4 league matches, excluding Copa Del Rey, and will be looking to win the 5 in overall competitions as they again hold the home advantage and away goals.
Remember when:
On 19th of January 2017, Celta de Vigo surprisingly, against all the odds, defeated Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium 2-1 in the 1st leg of Copa Del Rey quarter-finals. Real will be looking for a revenge and also book a place in the semi-finals.
Player to watch:
Iago Aspas. Yes, again the Galicia international will be the 'player to watch' because of his long-distance shooting, the layoffs, counter attack threats. All this describes him the best and that's his playing style. So without Marcelo and Carvajal, both wing-backs, Real will have a problem in controlling Aspas.
Previous meetings:
Real Madrid 1 (Marcelo) - Celta de Vigo 2 (Aspas, Castro). January 2017.
Real Madrid 2 (Morata, Kroos) - Celta de Vigo 1 (Orellano). August 2016.
Real Madrid 7 (C.Ronaldo 4, Pepe, Bale, Jese) - Celta de Vigo 1 (Aspas). March 2016.
Form guide:
Real Madrid: WLLDW.
Celta de Vigo: LWWWW.
Match odds:
Real Madrid win: 11/17
Celta de Vigo win: 43/10
Draw: 62/17
Real are still the favourites, for me, but with Marcelo, Carvajal, Bale and Modric all left out of the squad due to injuries Real might have to score on every opportunity. On the other side, Celta who will be playing on their home ground will also have the fan support and all, but let's see who wins.
Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese international is currently off colour and has been criticised by the Bernabeu fans. He would be looking to prove everyone wrong by guiding Real into the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey Cup.
Best stat:
4. Celta de Vigo has won the last 4 league matches, excluding Copa Del Rey, and will be looking to win the 5 in overall competitions as they again hold the home advantage and away goals.
Remember when:
On 19th of January 2017, Celta de Vigo surprisingly, against all the odds, defeated Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium 2-1 in the 1st leg of Copa Del Rey quarter-finals. Real will be looking for a revenge and also book a place in the semi-finals.
Player to watch:
Iago Aspas. Yes, again the Galicia international will be the 'player to watch' because of his long-distance shooting, the layoffs, counter attack threats. All this describes him the best and that's his playing style. So without Marcelo and Carvajal, both wing-backs, Real will have a problem in controlling Aspas.
Previous meetings:
Real Madrid 1 (Marcelo) - Celta de Vigo 2 (Aspas, Castro). January 2017.
Real Madrid 2 (Morata, Kroos) - Celta de Vigo 1 (Orellano). August 2016.
Real Madrid 7 (C.Ronaldo 4, Pepe, Bale, Jese) - Celta de Vigo 1 (Aspas). March 2016.
Form guide:
Real Madrid: WLLDW.
Celta de Vigo: LWWWW.
Match odds:
Real Madrid win: 11/17
Celta de Vigo win: 43/10
Draw: 62/17
Real are still the favourites, for me, but with Marcelo, Carvajal, Bale and Modric all left out of the squad due to injuries Real might have to score on every opportunity. On the other side, Celta who will be playing on their home ground will also have the fan support and all, but let's see who wins.
Wayne Rooney's record-breaking equaliser helps United to come from behind and get a draw.
Wayne Rooney broke Sir Bobby Charlton's record with an amazing free-kick in the 90+3 minute to help United to get a draw against Stoke City.
Stoke got the lead in the 19th minute when Arnautovic's lay-off finding Erik Pieters to hit a cross that deflected off Mata and past David De Gea.
Paul Pogba played a lovely chipped ball to Zlatan Ibrahimovic who crossed to Mata but he scooped it over the crossbar.
Lee Grant's efforts frustrated Jose Mourinho's side comfortably dealing with Fellaini's header and then tipping over his volley.
Xherdan Shaqiri forced De Gea into a save in the 65th minute as the home side was getting frustrated.
Pogba had a shot blocked and Rashford bent a chance just wide, with the former then shooting just wide.
Substitute Jesse Lingard rattled the crossbar just before the closing moments as it looked that the visiting fans would go back home disappointed.
Rooney then curled a right-footed free-kick home and gave United the equaliser they were looking for and with that goal, he became the first Manchester United player to score 250 goals for the club.
Match Facts:
STK MAN
35% Possession 65%
6(1) Shots(on goal) 25(8)
13 Fouls 12
4 Yellow Cards 0
0 Red Cards 0
0 Offsides 6
1 Corners 7
7 Saves 1
Wayne Rooney broke Sir Bobby Charlton's record with an amazing free-kick in the 90+3 minute to help United to get a draw against Stoke City.
Stoke got the lead in the 19th minute when Arnautovic's lay-off finding Erik Pieters to hit a cross that deflected off Mata and past David De Gea.
Paul Pogba played a lovely chipped ball to Zlatan Ibrahimovic who crossed to Mata but he scooped it over the crossbar.
Lee Grant's efforts frustrated Jose Mourinho's side comfortably dealing with Fellaini's header and then tipping over his volley.
Xherdan Shaqiri forced De Gea into a save in the 65th minute as the home side was getting frustrated.
Pogba had a shot blocked and Rashford bent a chance just wide, with the former then shooting just wide.
Substitute Jesse Lingard rattled the crossbar just before the closing moments as it looked that the visiting fans would go back home disappointed.
Rooney then curled a right-footed free-kick home and gave United the equaliser they were looking for and with that goal, he became the first Manchester United player to score 250 goals for the club.
Match Facts:
STK MAN
35% Possession 65%
6(1) Shots(on goal) 25(8)
13 Fouls 12
4 Yellow Cards 0
0 Red Cards 0
0 Offsides 6
1 Corners 7
7 Saves 1
Sergio Ramos hits a double as Real beat Malaga 2-1.
Cristiano's another shot was blocked by wonder-keeper Carlos Kameni in the 80th minute.
Match Facts:
RMA MAL
58% Possession 42%
14(7) Shots(on goal) 10(6)
7 Fouls 20
2 Yellow Cards 3
0 Red Cards 0
9 Offsides 2
5 Corners 4
5 Saves 5
Sergio Ramos scored two goals as Real Madrid wins their 1st match after losing their unbeaten streak.
Benzema had an early chance in the 11th minute when he headed the cross from Lucas Vazquez above the crossbar.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a wonderful chance in the 12th minute when Toni Kroos made a brilliant through-ball but Carlos Kameni saved a weak shot from CR7 easily.
Malaga struck the post in the 16th minute. And Benzema again wasted an opportunity when he tried to heel flick the ball but failed miserably.
Sergio Ramos broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Toni Kroos delivered a corner and it was guided in the net perfectly by Ramos.
A free-kick was awarded to Real in the 42nd minute and the pass from Toni Kroos reached Ramos somehow and Ramos doubled Real's lead at the Bernabeu.
Juanpi got one back for Malaga when on-loan midfielder Juan Carlos made an outstanding run but his shot was saved sharply by Navas at goal. Juanpi picked out the rebound and shot right into the top corner.
Keylor Navas saved Madrid seconds later when he saved a 1v1 from Chory Castro and that reminded the memories from the 1st leg of Copa Del Rey against Celta Vigo.
Carlos Kameni couldn't control a back pass but he was very, very lucky that the ball was too slow. Cristiano Ronaldo at that moment picked out the loose ball and should've scored but everyone does not get the luck of Kameni.
Ronaldo came very close to score in the 75th minute when Isco fed him an ariel ball which Ronaldo controlled very well but his shot hit the post and came back.
Cristiano's another shot was blocked by wonder-keeper Carlos Kameni in the 80th minute.
Match Facts:
RMA MAL
58% Possession 42%
14(7) Shots(on goal) 10(6)
7 Fouls 20
2 Yellow Cards 3
0 Red Cards 0
9 Offsides 2
5 Corners 4
5 Saves 5
It's a big game for:
Wayne Rooney: Rooney will be looking to be Manchester United's highest goalscorer by scoring a goal against Stoke. It will take his goal scoring tally to 250.
Best stat:
106. It will be the 106th game between these two sides. The first game between Stoke and United was on 7th Jan 1893 and United played under the name Newton Heath, the game was won by Stoke 7-1.
Remember when:
On 20th October 2012, Manchester United were in full form and destroyed Stoke in a 6-goal thriller by 4-2 with two goals from Rooney and 1-1 by Van Persie and Welbeck. But actually, it should be 3 for Rooney as he scored an own-goal also, the 2nd goal for Stoke was scored by Kightly.
Player to watch:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: The former Swedish international is on fire after moving as a free agent last summer. He has scored at many important points of the game and rescued United many-a-times. It will be his responsibility to score regularly.
Previous meetings:
Manchester United 1 (Martial) - Stoke City 1 (Allen). October 2016.
Manchester United 3 (Lingard, Martial, Rooney) - Stoke City 0. February 2016.
Manchester United 0 - Stoke City 2 (Bojan, Arnautovic). December 2015.
Form guide:
Manchester United: LWWWW.
Stoke City: WLWLL.
Wayne Rooney: Rooney will be looking to be Manchester United's highest goalscorer by scoring a goal against Stoke. It will take his goal scoring tally to 250.
Best stat:
106. It will be the 106th game between these two sides. The first game between Stoke and United was on 7th Jan 1893 and United played under the name Newton Heath, the game was won by Stoke 7-1.
Remember when:
On 20th October 2012, Manchester United were in full form and destroyed Stoke in a 6-goal thriller by 4-2 with two goals from Rooney and 1-1 by Van Persie and Welbeck. But actually, it should be 3 for Rooney as he scored an own-goal also, the 2nd goal for Stoke was scored by Kightly.
Player to watch:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: The former Swedish international is on fire after moving as a free agent last summer. He has scored at many important points of the game and rescued United many-a-times. It will be his responsibility to score regularly.
Previous meetings:
Manchester United 1 (Martial) - Stoke City 1 (Allen). October 2016.
Manchester United 3 (Lingard, Martial, Rooney) - Stoke City 0. February 2016.
Manchester United 0 - Stoke City 2 (Bojan, Arnautovic). December 2015.
Form guide:
Manchester United: LWWWW.
Stoke City: WLWLL.
It's a big game for:
Danilo. The Brazilian will be reportedly starting in place of injured Dani Carvajal and after the criticism, the Bernabeu fans made about him he would be looking to give them the answer with his performance on the pitch.
Best stat:
20. Real Madrid has won 20 matches played between these two sides out of 25 and has lost just 1 game. They would try to maintain this record.
Remember when:
In March 2011 Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu demolished Malaga 7-0 with a hat-trick from Ronaldo, Benzema scoring two and Marcelo and Di Maria with 1-1 each.
Player to watch:
Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is always the one to watch but this time he must prove himself because of rumours about him to China by Spanish magazine Don Balon.
Previous meetings:
Real Madrid 1 (C.Ronaldo) - Malaga 1 (Albentosa). February 2016.
Real Madrid 0 - Malaga 0. September 2015.
Real Madrid 3 (Ramos, Rodriguez, C.Ronaldo) - Malaga 1 (Juanmi). April 2015.
Form guide:
Real Madrid: LLDWW.
Malaga: LLLLD.
Match odds:
Real Madrid win: 1/8
Malaga win: 20
Draw: 8
My prediction is that Real will win this game easily and Ronaldo will get on the scoresheet.
Real Madrid's 19-men squad for Malaga.
Danilo. The Brazilian will be reportedly starting in place of injured Dani Carvajal and after the criticism, the Bernabeu fans made about him he would be looking to give them the answer with his performance on the pitch.
Best stat:
20. Real Madrid has won 20 matches played between these two sides out of 25 and has lost just 1 game. They would try to maintain this record.
Remember when:
In March 2011 Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu demolished Malaga 7-0 with a hat-trick from Ronaldo, Benzema scoring two and Marcelo and Di Maria with 1-1 each.
Player to watch:
Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is always the one to watch but this time he must prove himself because of rumours about him to China by Spanish magazine Don Balon.
Previous meetings:
Real Madrid 1 (C.Ronaldo) - Malaga 1 (Albentosa). February 2016.
Real Madrid 0 - Malaga 0. September 2015.
Real Madrid 3 (Ramos, Rodriguez, C.Ronaldo) - Malaga 1 (Juanmi). April 2015.
Form guide:
Real Madrid: LLDWW.
Malaga: LLLLD.
Match odds:
Real Madrid win: 1/8
Malaga win: 20
Draw: 8
My prediction is that Real will win this game easily and Ronaldo will get on the scoresheet.
All times are in India Standard Time
All times are in India Standard Time