We have two different styles here, which is evident when they take to the pitch. Real Madrid has half their defensive line in the injury list and Marcelo the LB also added to their worries by getting on the list in last week’s defeat. They were obviously going to make some risks and Schuster did exactly the same. He brought in Gabriel Heinze who was declared fit to play over the weekend, but was not a 100% and was not sure to complete the game. He has not played for over a month with a thigh injury. Roma currently second in the Serie A has a very strong midfield. Totti plays as the lone striker and some excellent wing play by Mancini means its a crowded midfield to follow and a deep backline. Their wing backs including Panucci are not exactly the ones who keep making the overlapping runs.
Schuster if he had to match Roma and cut out their ball possession has to make changes to his midfield. He did exactly the same. He played both Diarra and Gago in midfield. Gago quiet surprisingly taking the CDM role and Diarra in the CM role. Guti was to play as the link man in midfield and Robben the only winger with Robinho injured. Van Nistelrooy was back and the partnership with Raul back. Real Madrid as in the past 4 weeks, looked confident in the first few minutes and looked eager to attack, well thats the only way they know to play after all. The first goal came quickly from the Spanish side to the shock of the full Stadio Olimpico. Robben made a run down the left before squaring the ball to Guti who took a shot from just outside the box, which took the slightest of touches on Raul and past the stranded keeper Doni. 0-1 Real Madrid in the 8th minute and the Captain reached 60 goals in Champions League.
From that point it was an onslaught from Roma trying to score, but all they could manage were some weak and off target shots from outside the box. Gago was doing extremely well gathering the lose balls and making the quick passes. First it was Robben who took a shot from outside the box, Doni did not collect it and pushed it right into the path of Van Nistelrooy who finished it, but was rightly adjudged to be in an offside position. The turning point in my opinion came around the 22 minute mark when Robben made a run this time on the right before serving a delightful cross to an onrushing Raul who failed to hit the target with a free header. This in my opinion would have buried the game.
There is no way a team like Madrid is going to withstand so much of pressure. They did that for until right after the miss from Raul. Mancini squared the ball into the Madrid box, where Gago and Totti collided and with both on the floor an on rushing Pizzaro hit a powerful shot, which hit Gago and Casillas into the net. 1-1 in the 23 rd minute.
Real was controlling the game and was dominating passing the ball around trying to make the split in the defense. There were two free kicks missed, Van Nistelrooy not shooting on target and Robben failing to connect with a shot. But Schuster would have been happy with the away goal at half time and also the fact that Real looked the more in a position to score a goal.
The game was being played in midfield, for Real to get through 5 midfielders and reach their strikers was proving to be very difficult. Roma on the other hand were playing direct football from goal kicks, that was finding Totti and he was doing a tremendous job in holding off the defender when battling fro aerial balls. It was creating a lot of free kicks. It was one such move, Heinze tried to use his legs to clear the ball while being held off by Totti and missed it, with Totti clear the Roma captain passed it through to Mancini who had come in on the blind side of Cannavaro. One-One with Casillas Mancini made a cool finish 2-1 Roma. If you have to be super critical, we can always question the positioning of Ramos who is supposed to be marking Mancini.
Real still continued to dominate the game and it almost looked as though Roma were playing away and wanted to hit Madrid on the counter attack. Gago and company were making a genuine effort to stay back though there were gaps through the center of midfield where he could run into. The Argentine had two shots from outside the Roma penalty box and missed both.
Schuster introduced Drenthe and Baptista together for Robben and Diarra. Drenthe set up a superb cross for Van Nistelrooy at 78 minutes, the striker hit the post with the effort. It was Rudd again with a quick lob to Raul, who smartly chested it down for Baptista who was rushing in and his shot from outside the box was not on target.
It was to end 2-1 in favor of Roma, but i don’t think Schuster would be extremely unhappy with the result. Yes, Real Madrid should have buried this fixture in the first leg itself but with history as their backing and the way they have been playing in the Bernabeu, it will be a cliff hanger of a return leg in 3 weeks. The last three meetings between the two teams prior to yesterday's match have all ended in 3-0 defeats for Roma. Schuster's starting back 4 is Pepe and Cannavaro in the center of defense, Ramos at RB and Heinze at LB. There is only game they all played the full 90 minutes, and that was against Barca and a they shut down the dreaded strike force at the Camp Nou. Hopefully Pepe back and also Robinho would bring back some consistency to Real Madrid's performances.
Here are the match highlights:
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