Real stays on course for elusive 10th Euro crown
Source: Agencies |
March 7, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
JOSE Mourinho has been on the ropes at times this season as Real Madrid's La Liga title defense stumbled but the Portuguese coach delivered knockout blows to heavyweight opponents this week that kept the Spanish club's hopes of silverware very much alive.
Real has upped its game at exactly the right moment and Tuesday's 2-1 comeback victory at 10-man Manchester United sent it through to the last eight of the Champions League 3-2 on aggregate and put it a step closer to a 10th European crown.
Success at Old Trafford came on the heels of last Tuesday's 4-2 aggregate victory against Barcelona in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and Real followed that up with a 2-1 win at home to its arch rival in La Liga on Saturday.
Real, which was celebrating its 111th birthday yesterday, is 13 points behind leader Barcelona in third in La Liga and has written off its chances of closing the gap over the remaining 12 matches, leaving Europe's elite club competition as the top priority.
Winning a third Champions League with a third different club is a personal obsession for Mourinho and it is widely thought that if Real lifts the trophy at Wembley in May he will feel his job in Madrid is done and move on.
The 50-year-old former Chelsea manager left Inter Milan to join Real in 2010 after leading the Italian club to its first European crown in 45 years. He also won the competition with Porto in 2004.
Mourinho certainly rode his luck against United as Real was trailing 1-2 on aggregate until Nani's harsh dismissal in the 56th minute transformed the game. He immediately sent on Luka Modric and the Croatia midfielder cracked in the equalizer seven minutes after replacing fullback Alvaro Arbeloa.
Mourinho was then poised to replace Gonzalo Higuain with strike partner Karim Benzema but Cristiano Ronaldo's 69th-minute goal against his former club edged Real in front and defender Pepe was deployed instead.
Brave effort
United made a brave effort at a comeback and troubled Real goalkeeper Diego Lopez several times but the visitors held on reasonably comfortably.
"Modric was crucial because he changed the match and the sending-off also changed the match because they were left a man down," Mourinho said after the game.
A night that started with affection for Ronaldo and a 1,000th career appearance for United's Ryan Giggs, ended in acrimony from the hosts aggrieved by the Nani red card.
At the final whistle, Giggs was angrily pointing at referee Cuneyt Cakir as Rio Ferdinand sarcastically clapped in his face, and manager Alex Ferguson made his fury clear on the touchline. Ferguson was replaced at the post-match press conference by his more temperate assistant Mike Phelan, who described the Scot as being "very distraught".
"It was a great performance marred by the wrong decision," added Phelan.
Real has upped its game at exactly the right moment and Tuesday's 2-1 comeback victory at 10-man Manchester United sent it through to the last eight of the Champions League 3-2 on aggregate and put it a step closer to a 10th European crown.
Success at Old Trafford came on the heels of last Tuesday's 4-2 aggregate victory against Barcelona in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and Real followed that up with a 2-1 win at home to its arch rival in La Liga on Saturday.
Real, which was celebrating its 111th birthday yesterday, is 13 points behind leader Barcelona in third in La Liga and has written off its chances of closing the gap over the remaining 12 matches, leaving Europe's elite club competition as the top priority.
Winning a third Champions League with a third different club is a personal obsession for Mourinho and it is widely thought that if Real lifts the trophy at Wembley in May he will feel his job in Madrid is done and move on.
The 50-year-old former Chelsea manager left Inter Milan to join Real in 2010 after leading the Italian club to its first European crown in 45 years. He also won the competition with Porto in 2004.
Mourinho certainly rode his luck against United as Real was trailing 1-2 on aggregate until Nani's harsh dismissal in the 56th minute transformed the game. He immediately sent on Luka Modric and the Croatia midfielder cracked in the equalizer seven minutes after replacing fullback Alvaro Arbeloa.
Mourinho was then poised to replace Gonzalo Higuain with strike partner Karim Benzema but Cristiano Ronaldo's 69th-minute goal against his former club edged Real in front and defender Pepe was deployed instead.
Brave effort
United made a brave effort at a comeback and troubled Real goalkeeper Diego Lopez several times but the visitors held on reasonably comfortably.
"Modric was crucial because he changed the match and the sending-off also changed the match because they were left a man down," Mourinho said after the game.
A night that started with affection for Ronaldo and a 1,000th career appearance for United's Ryan Giggs, ended in acrimony from the hosts aggrieved by the Nani red card.
At the final whistle, Giggs was angrily pointing at referee Cuneyt Cakir as Rio Ferdinand sarcastically clapped in his face, and manager Alex Ferguson made his fury clear on the touchline. Ferguson was replaced at the post-match press conference by his more temperate assistant Mike Phelan, who described the Scot as being "very distraught".
"It was a great performance marred by the wrong decision," added Phelan.
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