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Russian roulette - Real Madrid should have killed off CSKA before late blow in Moscow
Jose Mourinho's men went ahead through Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half strike, but the Portuguese missed two good chances to make the game safe and his side paid the price
Feb 22, 2012 5:00:00 PM
Getty
COMMENT
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Editor
When all was said and done in Moscow on Tuesday night, 1-1 was a good result for Real Madrid. Faced with sub-zero temperatures, a synthetic surface and a tricky team in front of them following a long journey to the Russian capital, Jose Mourinho's men will be satisfied with the result in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
But it could have been so much better.
After a shaky start in Moscow, Madrid generated much of the play and created most of the chances in a match in which the Spanish side never looked entirely comfortable, probably due to the difficult playing conditions.
Ronaldo was the brighest of the bunch and it was the Portuguese who gave Madrid the lead after 28 minutes, when he took advantage of Zoran Tosic's terrible attempt at a headed clearance and dispatched a low shot under goalkeeper Sergei Chepchugov.
That goal saw Ronaldo draw level with Fernando Morientes as the club's second-highest scorer in Champions League matches with 17 strikes (behind Raul, who has 66) and it was his eighth opener in knockout matches in the continental competition, equalling a record shared by Raul, now at Schalke, and AC Milan's veteran forward Filippo Inzaghi.
But the Portuguese also missed two good chances to put the tie out of CSKA's reach, first when he was forced wide by Chepchugov and ended up shooting from a narrow angle, and then later as he dragged wide with just the goalkeeper to beat after being set up by Kaka.
"Ronaldo never lets you down," announced AS the following morning. True, his goal leaves Madrid in a strong position and he was the side's finest footballer on the night, but the late set piece conceded deep into injury time means his misses proved costly, too.
Mourinho complained of a foul on his famous forward in the build-up to the free kick from which CSKA levelled, after Fabio Coentrao had been penalised for handball, but the Portuguese coach will have been furious to concede a goal in stoppage time and even more annoyed that it came via a set piece, scored by Pontus Wernbloom, who, it was later revealed, belongs to a Madrid supporters' club in his native Sweden.
At Chelsea and Inter, Mourinho's teams were masters at protecting a single-goal lead, defending stubbornly and absorbing pressure from their rivals to hold out for narrow victories. But at Madrid, his side are accostumed to victory by a greater scoreline, with wins invariably achieved by a larger margin.
Five times this season, Madrid have gone behind early on in league games at the Santiago Bernabeu, comfortably winning all of the those in the end. But away from home, the capital club have looked a far more focused outfit, tightening up with some professional performances on the road. They now need to ensure that mentality is present in Europe, too
Set-piece goals will remain a concern for Mourinho as well. Madrid have conceded far too many goals from corners and free kicks this season, with the Portuguese showing his discontent on many occasions at his side's failure to adequately defend balls into the box.
Had they - and in particular, Ronaldo - been more clinical, however, Wernbloom's strike would have been merely an anecdote. As it was, on a night when Madrid were forced to turn out in all-white shirts to cover up the gambling firm that sponsors them, they should have killed off their opponents and have only themselves to blame in a game of Russian roulette. And you can bet Mourinho won't be too happy about that.
Follow Ben Hayward on
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Editor
When all was said and done in Moscow on Tuesday night, 1-1 was a good result for Real Madrid. Faced with sub-zero temperatures, a synthetic surface and a tricky team in front of them following a long journey to the Russian capital, Jose Mourinho's men will be satisfied with the result in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
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But it could have been so much better.
After a shaky start in Moscow, Madrid generated much of the play and created most of the chances in a match in which the Spanish side never looked entirely comfortable, probably due to the difficult playing conditions.
Ronaldo was the brighest of the bunch and it was the Portuguese who gave Madrid the lead after 28 minutes, when he took advantage of Zoran Tosic's terrible attempt at a headed clearance and dispatched a low shot under goalkeeper Sergei Chepchugov.
| MATCH FACTS | CSKA 1-1 Real Madrid |
|||
 |
|||
Shots
On Target
Possession
Offside
Corners
Bookings
|
CSKA 7 4 48% 1 1 1 |
Madrid 12 7 52% 6 8 3 |
|
But the Portuguese also missed two good chances to put the tie out of CSKA's reach, first when he was forced wide by Chepchugov and ended up shooting from a narrow angle, and then later as he dragged wide with just the goalkeeper to beat after being set up by Kaka.
"Ronaldo never lets you down," announced AS the following morning. True, his goal leaves Madrid in a strong position and he was the side's finest footballer on the night, but the late set piece conceded deep into injury time means his misses proved costly, too.
Mourinho complained of a foul on his famous forward in the build-up to the free kick from which CSKA levelled, after Fabio Coentrao had been penalised for handball, but the Portuguese coach will have been furious to concede a goal in stoppage time and even more annoyed that it came via a set piece, scored by Pontus Wernbloom, who, it was later revealed, belongs to a Madrid supporters' club in his native Sweden.
At Chelsea and Inter, Mourinho's teams were masters at protecting a single-goal lead, defending stubbornly and absorbing pressure from their rivals to hold out for narrow victories. But at Madrid, his side are accostumed to victory by a greater scoreline, with wins invariably achieved by a larger margin.
Cheer in the chill | Ronaldo made it 1-0, but also missed two good chances
Five times this season, Madrid have gone behind early on in league games at the Santiago Bernabeu, comfortably winning all of the those in the end. But away from home, the capital club have looked a far more focused outfit, tightening up with some professional performances on the road. They now need to ensure that mentality is present in Europe, too
Set-piece goals will remain a concern for Mourinho as well. Madrid have conceded far too many goals from corners and free kicks this season, with the Portuguese showing his discontent on many occasions at his side's failure to adequately defend balls into the box.
Had they - and in particular, Ronaldo - been more clinical, however, Wernbloom's strike would have been merely an anecdote. As it was, on a night when Madrid were forced to turn out in all-white shirts to cover up the gambling firm that sponsors them, they should have killed off their opponents and have only themselves to blame in a game of Russian roulette. And you can bet Mourinho won't be too happy about that.
Follow Ben Hayward on
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