Cristiano Ronaldo’s quick fire first half brace was enough to put a dogged Malaga outfit to the sword in a win which maintained Madrid’s perfect home record this season as La Liga reached it’s half way point.
Before the game it was announced that Dutch forward Ruud van Nistelrooy would be moving to the Bundesliga and German side Hamburg SV on a one and a half year deal.
An emotional Ruud van Nistelrooy waves goodbye to the Bernabeu for the last time.
The player deservedly had the chance to say his final goodbyes to the Bernabeu public receiving a rapturous reception off fellow players, fans and the President alike before collecting a trophy commemorating his time at the club yielding two La Liga titles and an outstanding goal scoring record of 64 strikes in 97 appearances.
As the game kicked off Real Madrid were hoping to bounce back from last weekends disappointing defeat at Athletic Bilbao and coach, Manuel Pellegrini made one change from the Basque encounter with Guti replacing Brazilian Marcelo.
Opponents Malaga came into the match on the back of a nine match unbeaten run but Juan Ramon Muniz’s side from the Costa del Sol had never tasted victory in the Spanish capital.
It was the visiting side that carved out the first opportunity though. Portuguese wide man Duda drifted inside past right back Sergio Ramos and his cross was dangerously deflected by Xabi Alonso goalwards onto Iker Casillas’s crossbar, only for the Madrid goalkeeper to then claw it to safety.
Malaga looked to secure an early advantage but they lacked a crucial killer instinct in front of goal. A searching ball over the top of the Madrid backline was swept up by Casillas, who was out of his area, and the ball fell kindly to Javi Lopez, who then attempted a prodigious chip over the goalkeeper, but somehow Casillas managed to block the effort with a header.
In a key spell for the away side, there was a feeling that they needed to capitalise on their effective attacking forward wave’s, but former Real Madrid Castilla player Fernando (29) was culpable of missing two guilt edged unmarked headers in some poor defending from the home team.
Real Madrid seemed to grasp the ascendency at the mid-way point in the first half as Malaga reverted to two defensive lines of four to nullify any Los Blancos forward play. It was Kaka, who was largely operating on the left hand side who looked to orchestrate openings for Madrid. And indeed, his involvement in a flowing move starting with the delicate touch of Guti and then the raw power of Benzema, saw the former Milan star on the right hand side of the penalty area where he drilled the ball across the Malaga box to the lightening Ronaldo (35) who edged in front of his marker to slot home past goalkeeper Munua.
Ronaldo (centre) celebrates his opening goal with Benzema and Guti.
The away side’s resistance was broken and the whites found the killer blow. Terrific artistry by Guti again in midfield saw him clip an accurate pass to Ronaldo (38) on the edge of the penalty area, he took one touch to set himself and then fired the ball emphatically with his right foot into the top corner, bringing the man in sparkling yellow boots his fifteenth strike of the campaign.
Manuel Pellegrini was forced to replace the injured Garay with Marcelo at the break with Madrid comfortably in control. A surging run from Sergio Ramos after the re-start created space in the Malaga area and the Spaniard fired past Munua, but his celebrations were cut short as the referee’s assistant had already flagged for a tight offside call.
The home side were secure in possession and this was partly due to the authority demanded by stand-in captain Guti on the night, exchanging neat control with Lass and Alonso. Guti, was replaced on 67 minutes with Granero entering the fray, but it was Ronaldo once again who kept the headline makers busy.
The Portuguese star was given a straight red card (70), his second in a Real Madrid jersey, after catching Malaga midfielder Mtiliga with a flailing elbow following Ronaldo’s attempts to stride away from the midfield man. A stunned Bernabeu then greeted the decision with a chorus of whistles before Madrid’s number nine trudged off down the tunnel.
Xabi Alonso had a late chance to sew up a Madrid win, but he blazed over after great work from former Liverpool team mate Alvaro Arbeloa, with Alonso still finding himself searching for that elusive first goal for the whites.
Real Madrid:
Casillas 7: Ever reliable when called upon, did well to claw away Duda’s deflected cross.
Ramos 8: Constant running, a menace going forward. A key component of Pellegrini’s side.
Albiol 7: Is turning out to be an excellent acquisition.
Garay 6: Solid up to half time where he was withdrawn because of injury.
Lass 6: Broke up things well and allowed Guti more freedom.
Xabi Alonso 5: Not his best game, wasteful with some passing and seems confidence void in front of goal.
Guti 7: He’s had his critics but he has the creative spark, not even Kaka can produce at the moment. Had a hand in both goals.
Kaka 6: Struggling to find an end product to his confident build up play.
Benzema 6: The Frenchman is lacking confidence in front of goal but he now needs to make the most of his opportunity to have a run in the side due to the absence of the injured Higuain and suspended Ronaldo.
Ronaldo 7: Clinical as ever and the only man who seemed likely. His sending off is a disappointment, will be missed from the side during suspension.
Substitutes: Marcelo 6: Unlucky to be dropped, solid. Granero 6: His work effort and positive attitude have rightfully forced him into Pellegrini’s plans. Raul 6: A cameo appearance full of energy, he could earn a possible recall next week.
Malaga:
Munua 7, Gamez 6, Gonzalez 7, Weligton 6, Toribo 7, Benachour 5, Duda 5, Mtiliga 6, Fernando 7, Lopez 6, Caicedo 5. Substitutes: Forestieri 6, Juanmi 6, Portillo 5.
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