Vilanova has a pointed dig at Mourinho, Copa win for Real
Source: AFP |
January 17, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BARCELONA coach Tito Vilanova took a tacit dig at his Real Madrid counterpart Jose Mourinho, claiming that if Barcelona was 18 points behind its fierce rival as Real is, he himself would be out of a job.
"If the situation was the reverse, I would not be here to answer that question," said Vilanova, whose side is flying high at the top of the Spanish league, unbeaten with 18 wins and a draw.
Vilanova, however, acknowledged that the league was not over yet.
"Real Madrid is capable of winning all the return games and we may lose those points. It is not as though there are just four matches left," he added. "What's more, the Champions League and the (Spanish) Cup games we are going to play tire you out a lot."
On the pitch on Tuesday, France striker Karim Benzema helped Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Valencia in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. Benzema opened the scoring in the 37th minute of the first leg match, finishing off a rapid counterattack after Michael Essien had picked out Sami Khedira on the left flank.
Real's second goal arrived six minutes later when Valencia's Jose Guardado turned the ball into his own net as he tried to clear a cross under pressure from Gonzalo Higuain.
In Italy, Andrea Ranocchia scored a dramatic winner in the final minute of extra time to send Inter Milan into the semifinals of the Italian Cup with a 3-2 win over plucky Bologna.
Freddy Guarin and Rodrigo Palacio scored one apiece in regulation time to give Inter Milan a 2-0 lead with 23 minutes to play.
However, playmaker Alessandro Diamanti reduced arrears in the 80th minute to spark an unlikely comeback for Bologna, which levelled four minutes later thanks to on-loan Juventus striker Manolo Gabbiadini. It went to extra time when Ranocchia rose and got his head to a floated corner from Guarin to send a looping header into the net.
"If the situation was the reverse, I would not be here to answer that question," said Vilanova, whose side is flying high at the top of the Spanish league, unbeaten with 18 wins and a draw.
Vilanova, however, acknowledged that the league was not over yet.
"Real Madrid is capable of winning all the return games and we may lose those points. It is not as though there are just four matches left," he added. "What's more, the Champions League and the (Spanish) Cup games we are going to play tire you out a lot."
On the pitch on Tuesday, France striker Karim Benzema helped Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Valencia in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. Benzema opened the scoring in the 37th minute of the first leg match, finishing off a rapid counterattack after Michael Essien had picked out Sami Khedira on the left flank.
Real's second goal arrived six minutes later when Valencia's Jose Guardado turned the ball into his own net as he tried to clear a cross under pressure from Gonzalo Higuain.
In Italy, Andrea Ranocchia scored a dramatic winner in the final minute of extra time to send Inter Milan into the semifinals of the Italian Cup with a 3-2 win over plucky Bologna.
Freddy Guarin and Rodrigo Palacio scored one apiece in regulation time to give Inter Milan a 2-0 lead with 23 minutes to play.
However, playmaker Alessandro Diamanti reduced arrears in the 80th minute to spark an unlikely comeback for Bologna, which levelled four minutes later thanks to on-loan Juventus striker Manolo Gabbiadini. It went to extra time when Ranocchia rose and got his head to a floated corner from Guarin to send a looping header into the net.
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