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MOTD: Real Madrid 1-0 Atletico Madrid (1-0 agg)

By on April 22, 2015

Nothing has come easy for Javier Hernandez at Real Madrid, so naturally, neither did his first Champions League goal for the club. He only appeared as a replacement for the unavailable Karim Benzema, and was caught up in yet another tight, fiesty Madrid Derby. Real played narrowly, playing to the advantage of dominant Atletico center-back Diego Godin. Atletico’s bright young goalkeeper Jan Oblak was again solid and up until the very end, the match very much resembled the scoreless first leg of the Champions League Quarterfinal tie.

Real largely dominated the game, ending the match with sixty-three percent of possession and twenty-three shots. Marcelo, Luka Modric, and Gareth Bale were all sidelined, but Carlo Ancelotti’s attacking hosts still boasted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez — who orchestrated Madrid’s performance — and Isco. At the back, they cleaned up well, too.

Yet if it needed any further proof after the first leg, Atletico’s defense was well up to the challenge. The two sides have met in the Madrid Derby seven times before this season, and on not one occasion had Real previously won. Spearheaded by the ever-entertaining Diego Simeone on the sideline, the visitors’ tough tackling quickly ridded Real of their glamorous aspect and a dogfight began.

It was Hernandez who had the first chance of the game, put tamely hit the side-netting after he was played in behind by Rodriguez.

Atletico pressed high up the pitch and after Jesus Gamez caught Rodriguez napping, he got off a shot and forced Iker Casillas into a good save down low from twenty yards.

Oblak came up big on the brink of halftime as Rodriguez slipped Ronaldo through down the right, putting Ronaldo’s first-time effort just wide off with a strong chest. Ronaldo could do naught but hold his hands up in frustration. The game was begging for a goal — Atletico were holding their own and extra-time was looming. That is, until Arda Turan was needlessly sent off with a second yellow following a high challenge on Sergio Ramos. Even Simeone identified that moment as the turning point.

With fourteen minutes to go, the tide turned in Real’s direction. Chicharito did well to create a chance out of nothing with ten minutes to go, muscling off his marker to find a pocket of space down the right side of the box from Rodriguez’s through-ball; however, he fired a low effort just wide of the far post. Yet finally Chicharito’s fortunes changed: with only two minutes left of the clock, Ronaldo cut in from the right and burst into the box following a neat one-two with Rodriguez. He cut inside and brought Oblak out of goal, then poked it across for Chicharito to score with a simple tap-in. The goal turned the tie on its head, but perhaps Chicharito’s Real career, as well.
Man of the Match: James Rodriguez 

Homepage photo credit: LauraHale on Wikipedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.