Spain

Real Madrid Turns On Style In 5-1 Demolition Of TFC

Madrid delighted Canadian fans with a display of fluid attacking football as Raul, Ronaldo, Benzema and Robben were all on target.

Aug 8, 2009 12:10:01 AM

Adrian Serioux, Kaka, Toronto FC, Real Madrid (PA)

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Adrian Serioux, Kaka, Toronto FC, Real Madrid (PA)

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TORONTO, Canada – Real Madrid’s dream team, after an incredible summer spending spree, finally took to the field at BMO Field. Kaka, Benzema, Ronaldo and Raul Gonzalez were all accommodated in the starting formation. New signings Alvaro Arbeloa and Raul Albiol also featured in the starting lineup for the Merengues. Their last outing was a defeat at the hands of Juventus. Florentino Perez’s expensively assembled squad was finally out in full force handing debuts to Kaka and Arbeloa with Xabi Alonso on the bench.

Toronto FC lined up with a strong starting eleven, the only surprise being the inclusion of Emmanuel Gomez in favor of Nick Garcia. Having been knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions League in their last outing, TFC were hoping to put on a good show against the might of the world’s most successful club.

First Half

Lassana Diarra had the first shot of the game following a corner that blazed over the bar. Madrid was enjoying plenty of the ball with Ronaldo and Benzema combining well down the left. Benzema was drifting to the left wing, while Ronaldo enjoyed a roaming role. Kaka was patrolling between midfield and attack and had a great shout for a penalty turned down following a challenge from Jim Brennan.

Pablo Vitti had his first clear-cut chance of the game in the seventh minute, following a through ball from Amado Guevara that had dissected the Real defense. Iker Casillas came out to thwart the Argentine. Guevara was on song, supplying another sumptuous through ball for Brennan to latch on to, but the attack amounted to nothing.

Toronto was defending in numbers and making it difficult for the Spanish side. However, Raul broke the deadlock in the 13th minute following a Kaka shot that was blocked. Raul collected the ball, calmly dummied the defense and finished with his weaker right foot off the underside of the bar. Not content with a 1-0 lead, Real came back and was given plenty of time and space to shoot but failed to keep his shot down.

Ronaldo got his name on the score sheet following a beautiful, sweeping move from Madrid. Diarra played a lofted ball towards Ronaldo and his header sent Benzema on his way down the left. The former Olympique Lyonnaise man cut the ball back for Ronaldo, who slotted the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net with aplomb. 2-0 to Real Madrid with only twenty minutes played.

A long-range strike from Kaka had Stefan Frei worried, but it narrowly went wide. Madrid was toying with TFC now and went 3 goals ahead with a header from Raul in the 26th minute. Arbeloa floated the ball to the back post for Metzelder to head across goal towards Raul, who nodded in from a yard out at the near post. Raul almost grabbed his hat-trick on the half hour following a Ronaldo cross.

Real seemed to have shaped their new side around Ronaldo as the ball invariably made its way to his feet. Marauding down the left wing, he displayed a full array of party tricks, overshadowing his teammates. The fluency of Madrid’s play with Kaka, Ronaldo and Benzema at the core was mesmerizing. Every time a move broke down, a collective sigh emanated from the stands. Toronto did enjoy more position after Madrid had gone 3-0 up, but rarely threatened. Another sumptuous move involving Kaka, Ronaldo and Guti came to nothing when the Brazilian failed to control Guti’s lofted through ball. TFC went in at the break relieved to be only three goals down.

Second Half

After wholesale changes at the half, Toronto had the first chance; De Rosario played the ball to Brennan, whose cut back towards Ali Gerba was cut out by an alert Jerzy Dudek.

Marvell Wynne did his chances of a move to Europe no harm by outpacing Ronaldo on a number of occasions. Devoid of Kaka, Madrid’s play slowed down a notch; the passing became less fluid while still remaining effective. Having failed to beat Wynne for pace, Ronaldo turned on his repertoire of tricks to the delight of the fans, bemusing the defender with his subtle movement on and off the ball.

Ronaldo’s night came to an end in the 63rd minute as Arjen Robben, Alvaro Negredo and Xabi Alonso came on, the latter for his Real Madrid debut. Ronaldo came off along with Raul and Guti. Toronto brought on O’Brian White for Ali Gerba.

Real increased their lead in the 66th minute following strong play from Negredo, who held off the attentions of Garcia to cut the ball back for Benzema to slot home from the penalty spot. 4-0 to the Madridistas who were in cruise control.

Danny Dichio and Gabe Gala came on for Vitti and Barrett respectively. The stadium erupted in the 75th minute when Gabe Gala converted an opportunity after O’Brian White’s initial shot was parried into his path by Dudek. That consolation goal made it 4-1 to Madrid.

Negredo was making a good impression, constantly troubling the TFC defense with his powerful running and unpredictable passing. It was Robben, however, who rounded out the scoring following a threaded through ball from Benzema in trademark style. The Dutch international held off Garcia, rounding the keeper and slotted in with his trusted left boot. 5-1 in the 87th minute.

The final whistle blew as both teams received a standing ovation from the record crowd of 22,089 at BMO field.

Interestingly both teams face D.C. United next, with Madrid playing them first on Sunday followed by TFC in Major League Soccer action in a week’s time. Madrid’s play had fluency and flamboyance that will go down well at the Bernebau. The message for Barcelona is clear and with this Madrid side only likely to get better with each display, the signs are ominous for the rest of Europe provided key players stay fit.

Talha Zaheer, Goal.com

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