:: News
Sunday, August 31, 2008
:: The curse of the Riazor continues
Real Madrid travelled to Galicia for the start of La Liga to play against Deportivo La Coruña and conquer the curse of the Riazor. La Coruña's Estadio Municipal de Riazor has become a curse for Real Madrid because the club has not won there since 1991. To make it worse, the club has not even managed to take home any points after a goalless draw in 2002.
Real Madrid's best chance in the first half was Gonzalo Higuaín's shot on goal after a pass from Raúl six minutes into the match. During the next 20 minutes spectators were lulled by unspectacular scenes and boring passes. Then suddenly Miguel Mista got to shoot, totally unguarded, scoring one nil for Deportivo La Coruña 26 minutes into the match. Nine minutes later Arjen Robben hit the ball with his sidefoot, yet sending it at too narrow an angle towards the goal. Seconds before the end of the first half Marcelo Vieira got to shoot at the goal, hardly testing Deportivo La Coruña's goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia.
After the half time break the teams returned to the pitch unchanged. Four minutes into the second half Ruud van Nistelrooy scored for Real Madrid, raising hopes to end the curse of the Riazor. Yet it was not to be. Only four minutes later Albert Lopo scored two nil for Deportivo La Coruña, which was to be the final score.
Real Madrid played uninspired, disordered, almost listless, a far cry from last Sunday's appearance when they won the Supercopa. Taking the two oldest players on Real Madrid's side, Raúl and Guti, off the pitch and sending in Royston Drenthe and Rubén de la Red ten minutes before the final whistle, might have been Bernd Schuster's desperate try to turn the match, but without avail. Deportivo La Coruña won and deservedly so. With no points and one goal in the books Real Madrid stand at place 13 in the league table.
All in all, an unsuccessful trip to Galicia for the campeónes and even more so for German international Christoph Metzelder who got no further than the subsitutes' bench.
Real Madrid's best chance in the first half was Gonzalo Higuaín's shot on goal after a pass from Raúl six minutes into the match. During the next 20 minutes spectators were lulled by unspectacular scenes and boring passes. Then suddenly Miguel Mista got to shoot, totally unguarded, scoring one nil for Deportivo La Coruña 26 minutes into the match. Nine minutes later Arjen Robben hit the ball with his sidefoot, yet sending it at too narrow an angle towards the goal. Seconds before the end of the first half Marcelo Vieira got to shoot at the goal, hardly testing Deportivo La Coruña's goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia.
After the half time break the teams returned to the pitch unchanged. Four minutes into the second half Ruud van Nistelrooy scored for Real Madrid, raising hopes to end the curse of the Riazor. Yet it was not to be. Only four minutes later Albert Lopo scored two nil for Deportivo La Coruña, which was to be the final score.
Real Madrid played uninspired, disordered, almost listless, a far cry from last Sunday's appearance when they won the Supercopa. Taking the two oldest players on Real Madrid's side, Raúl and Guti, off the pitch and sending in Royston Drenthe and Rubén de la Red ten minutes before the final whistle, might have been Bernd Schuster's desperate try to turn the match, but without avail. Deportivo La Coruña won and deservedly so. With no points and one goal in the books Real Madrid stand at place 13 in the league table.
All in all, an unsuccessful trip to Galicia for the campeónes and even more so for German international Christoph Metzelder who got no further than the subsitutes' bench.
added by birgit at 21:59
Friday, August 29, 2008
:: Tough group for Real Madrid
Real Madrid were drawn in group H in the UEFA Champions League Draw for the 2008/2009 season in Monte Carlo on 28 August. They are to face Belarussian league winner BATE Borisov, third of Italy's Serie A Juventus Turin and UEFA Cup winner Zenit St. Petersburg from Russia. Matches are taking place between 17 September and 10 December with one match (Real Madrid vs. Juventus Turin) scheduled for 5 November, defender Christoph Metzelder's 28th birthday. Let's hope he has got more than one reason to celebrate on that day.
added by birgit at 22:32
:: Borussia Dortmund return to international competition
Borussia Dortmund, runner-up of the German Football Federation cup, drew Udinese Calcio who finished seventh in Italy's Serie A, in the UEFA Cup first round today in Monte Carlo. The first leg is to be played in Dortmund on 18 September and the second leg in Udine on 2 October.
added by birgit at 21:56
:: Nomination for matches in Munich, Vaduz and Helsinki
Joachim Löw, coach of the German national football team, called up 21 players for the upcoming three matches, Oliver Kahn's farewell match in Munich on 2 September and the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in Vaduz (Liechenstein) on 6 September and Helsinki (Finland) on 10 September.
While Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings return to the team fully recovered, Jermaine Jones and Arne Friedrich will miss out due to injuries. Christoph Metzelder, who has been suffering from slight knee problems lately, is also one of the 21 players gathering at Oberhaching college for physical eduation on Tuesday 2 September prior to playing against Bayern Munich in Munich that evening. This match is played in honour of highly adorned Oliver Kahn who stepped down from professional football in May 2008. Things get serious for the German national team when it faces Liechtenstein in Vaduz on 6 September and Finland in Helsinki on 10 September for the first qualifiers of 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Goalkeepers: Robert Enke, Tim Wiese
Defenders: Clemens Fritz, Marcell Jansen, Philipp Lahm, Christoph Metzelder, Christian Pander, Serdar Tasci, Heiko Westermann
Midfielders: Michael Ballack, Torsten Frings, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Marko Marin, Simon Rolfes, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Piotr Trochowski
Strikers: Mario Gomez, Patrick Helmes, Miroslav Klose, Kevin Kuranyi, Lukas Podolski
While Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings return to the team fully recovered, Jermaine Jones and Arne Friedrich will miss out due to injuries. Christoph Metzelder, who has been suffering from slight knee problems lately, is also one of the 21 players gathering at Oberhaching college for physical eduation on Tuesday 2 September prior to playing against Bayern Munich in Munich that evening. This match is played in honour of highly adorned Oliver Kahn who stepped down from professional football in May 2008. Things get serious for the German national team when it faces Liechtenstein in Vaduz on 6 September and Finland in Helsinki on 10 September for the first qualifiers of 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Goalkeepers: Robert Enke, Tim Wiese
Defenders: Clemens Fritz, Marcell Jansen, Philipp Lahm, Christoph Metzelder, Christian Pander, Serdar Tasci, Heiko Westermann
Midfielders: Michael Ballack, Torsten Frings, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Marko Marin, Simon Rolfes, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Piotr Trochowski
Strikers: Mario Gomez, Patrick Helmes, Miroslav Klose, Kevin Kuranyi, Lukas Podolski
added by birgit at 21:00
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