Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo helps Madrid beat Xerez 3-0

megha — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:42:45 +0530

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid beat Xerez 3-0 in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Ronaldo, returning from a two-game suspension, headed in Kaka's carefully placed cross from the right in the 71st. The two combined again in the 72nd, with the Brazil playmaker passing for Ronaldo to volley home.

Defender Alvaro Arbeloa scored his first league goal for Madrid in the 65th minute, running in from the right wing on to a long pass to shoot past goalkeeper Renan Brito.

The result means Madrid is on 53 points, two behind leader Barcelona, which visits Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

"We never stopped needing Cristiano, although we won our games without him," Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini said. "Today, he was back. He scored two goals, created a lot of space and gave a lot to the team."

Valencia, third on 43 points, was held to a 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon. Villarreal beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1.

At Xerez's Chapin Stadium, a minute's silence was observed before kickoff and the visitors wore armbands in tribute to former Real Madrid player and coach Luis Molowny, who died on Friday.

Xerez, which is rooted to the bottom of the league standings, looked desperate for its third win of the season and showed some of its best form of the season early in the game.

In the 12th, Jeronimo "Momo" Figueroa controlled a long pass from Carlos Calvo and blasted a left-footed shot just over. Figueroa sent a similar chance over the bar in the 26th.

Madrid responded with a move that led to Ronaldo heading Arbeloa's cross at Brito.

The field was in a poor state and Ronaldo appeared to blame a bad bounce when he shot wide in the 20th. The Portugal striker came close again when he headed against the post just before halftime.

Esteban Granero appealed for a penalty after falling in the area, although referee Turienzo Alvarez waved play on. The lively Ronaldo had another chance with a shot from the edge of the area that Brito just managed to control.

As Xerez tired Madrid started to dominate with the scoreline reflecting its superiority. "In the first half they were stronger than in the second, but after the first goal everything was easier for us," Arbeloa said.

At the Molinon Stadium, Gijon went ahead in the fifth minute when Diego Castro curled a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez. In the 77th, Juan Manuel Mata scored his sixth of the season, running on to Ever Banega's through pass and equalizing.

Sporting was the better side in the opening minutes, creating several chances. Miguel Angel de las Cuevas dribbled past David Albelda in the 17th and Sanchez had to dive to stop his low shot.

Valencia looked dangerous on the break, however, with David Villa and then Juan Manuel Mata testing goalkeeper Juan Pablo Colinas early on.

The visitors soon started to control midfield and Carlos Marchena struck the post with a powerful header in the 30th. Colinas did well in the 40th to rush out and steal the ball from the advancing Mata.

Castro could have put the hosts two goals up early in the second half when he found some space in the area, yet he hesitated long enough to allow Jeremy Mathieu to close him down.

In injury time, Santander's Mate Bilic was through with only Sanchez to beat, although the goalkeeper timed his run well to win the ball and avoid defeat.

In a free-flowing encounter at the Madrigal Stadium, in Juan Carlos Garrido's first home game in charge of Villarreal, Joan Capdevila put the hosts ahead in the fifth minute.

Igor Gabilondo equalized in the 24th with a long-range shot before Nilmar scored the winner in the 45th after receiving a pass from Ruben "Cani" Garcia.

In the 70th, Iker Muniain replaced Gabilondo. The 17-year-old striker earned a penalty in the 89th, although Diego Lopez saved Andoni Iraola's strike.

Tempers flared toward the end of the game with Bilbao's Javier Martinez and Villarreal's Diego Godin sent off in injury time after clashing. Bilbao coach Joaquin Caparros was also dismissed in an ensuing altercation with Pablo Orbaiz, who was also sent off for elbowing Marco Ruben.

The result leaves Bilbao seventh on 33 points and Villarreal ninth on 29 points.

Ronaldo helps Real down Malaga 2-0

megha — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:34:11 +0530

Cristiano Ronaldo scored both Real Madrid's goals in a 2-0 win over Malaga on Sunday, before being red-carded for deliberately elbowing defender Patrick Jan Mtiliga in the face.

Ronaldo ended a three game scoring drought in the 35th minute when Karim Benzema played the ball to Kaka, who crossed to the Portuguese winger to slot the ball home from close range.

Ronaldo then scored his ninth goal of the season four minutes later, firing the ball into the roof of the net after being put through by Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez.

But the Portugal forward's temper got the better of him 20 minutes from time as he lashed out with his elbow, striking Mtiliga in the face.

Mtiliga was substituted with blood pouring from his nose and will be out three weeks with a broken nose, coach Juan Ramon Lopez said.

Madrid's 10th straight home win allows it to stay within five points of Barcelona, who won 3-0 at Valladolid on Saturday.

Ronaldo's sending off means the world's most expensive footballer will miss at least one game through suspension just when Madrid's main rival is in sublime form after finishing the first half of the season unbeaten.

"His absence is major," coach Manuel Pellegrini said.

Barcelona has 49 points and Madrid 44, while Valencia is third with 39 points after a 0-0 draw against Tenerife. Mallorca went fourth - tied with Deportivo La Coruna at 34 points - after rallying for a 1-1 draw at Espanyol with a late penalty.

Pablo Osvaldo put Espanyol ahead at the Cornella-El Prat Stadium in the 49th after slotting home a loose ball. But Victor Ruiz brought Ruben Gonzalez down inside the area to set up Borja Valero's 80th-minute penalty for Mallorca.

In Sunday's other games, which capped the first half of the season, it was: Getafe 1, Atletico Madrid 0; Sporting Gijon 0, Racing Santander 1; Villarreal 4, Zaragoza 2; and Xerez 1, Osasuna 2.

Manu del Moral's 39th-minute score snapped Getafe's two-game losing run as Atletico - which had a four game winning run ended - played the final 23 minutes with 10 men after Paulo Assuncao was red-carded.

Joan Capdevila scored after three minutes and strikers Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi also added goals inside 26 minutes for Villarreal.

Zaragoza, which stayed second bottom, started its rally in the 75th when Eliseu latched on to Humberto Suaro's cross to score and Angel Lafita added a second seven minutes later.

But Villarreal ensured its first win in over a month through Ariel Ibagaza's 88th-minute goal. Javier Camunas' 83rd-minute strike brought Osasuna victory and new Xerez coach Nestor Gorosito defeat in his first game in charge of the last-place club.

Ignacio Monreal latched onto a rebound to score in the ninth minute for Osasuna. Xerez, which hasn't won since October, equalized through Mario Bermejo's 23rd-minute header before Camunas grabbed the winner.

At El Molinon, Alex Geijo received Mohamed Tchite's pass with his chest and controlled the ball before firing past goalkeeper Juan Pablo Colinas from inside the area in the 44th minute for Racing, which had defender Oriol Lazano sent off in the 89th.

On Saturday, Sevilla beat Almeria 1-0 and Deportivo won 3-1 over Athletic Bilbao.

Ronaldo hopes to play against Barca

megha — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:33:17 +0530

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo said on Thursday he was recovering well from his ankle injury, and hopes to play in the "clasico" match at Barcelona on November 29.

"Everything is going very well, I have started running again and I think I will start training with the team next week," the Portuguese winger told Spanish media at a ceremony at Real's Bernebeu stadium.

"Of course, I want to play against Barcelona, but I want to play again before then," including against Zurich in the Champions League on November 25.

Ronaldo injured his right ankle in Real's 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille at the end of September and aggravated the problem while playing for Portugal on October 10.

On Tuesday he was ruled out of his country's crucial World Cup play-off matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina on November 14 and 18 after undergoing medical tests on the injury in Lisbon.

Both Portugal - World Cup semi-finalists in 2006 - and Real had been locked in a battle over Ronaldo with the club insisting that he was not fit enough to travel.

Ronaldo, bought from Manchester United last summer for a world record 94 million euros, is the top scorer in the Primera Liga with five goals and in the Champions League with four.

Spanish media have reported that Real coach Manuel Pellegrini's job is in jeopardy after the team was eliminated from the Spanish Cup by third division minnows Alcorcon.

Real to defy Portugal request for Ronaldo

megha — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:14:36 +0530

Real Madrid have told Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz in no uncertain terms they will not make star striker Cristiano Ronaldo available for two crucial World Cup qualifying playoffs.

Portugal face Bosnia over two legs on November 14 and 18 with the winner qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

Ronaldo initially injured his right ankle in Real's 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille at the end of September and aggravated the problem while playing for Portugal on October 10.

On Thursday Real announced he would be out for another two weeks, effectively ruling him out of the playoffs.

Queiroz, however, believes Ronaldo should be made available, with reports claiming he will ask to have Ronaldo examined by a federation doctor to assess his fitness.

When that news reached Madrid, Real's sporting director Jorge Valdano said: "A combination of doctors' orders and common sense mean that Cristiano won't be travelling to Portugal.

Real coach Manuel Pellegrini added: "It's impossible for Ronaldo to play with Portugal. "I feel sorry for the Portugal squad and for the player, but he hasn't trained for a long time now and he is still in pain."

Queiroz is reported as saying he will wait until after the weekend's league matches before unveiling his squad for Bosnia.

"From now until Sunday a lot of things can transpire, with Ronaldo as with other players," Queiroz is reported as saying in Correio da Manha.

Portugal play Bosnia in Lisbon before travelling to Zenica four days later.

Ronaldo asserts he is not a 'saviour'

megha — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:05:14 +0530

Real Madrid's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been sidelined with an ankle sprain for most of the past month, said on Thursday he is not the Spanish club's "saviour".

"We're not going through a great moment but I'm also not the saviour of the nation," the 24-year-old told reporters when asked about the string of losses which the club have suffered in his absence.

Real have suffered three losses without the 94-million-euro signing, including a 4-0 Spanish Cup rout away to third-division club Alcorcon on Tuesday which have led to calls for the resignation of coach Manuel Pellegrini.

"We lost, nobody's happy, nobody expected it, the team did not play well, but we have to raise our heads. The world is not going to end because of that," Ronaldo added.

Ronaldo has been injured ever since Real's 3-0 Champions League win over Marseille at the end of September when he was tackled by the French side's Senegalese defender Souleymane Diawara.

At the time the club said the player would likely be out for between three and four weeks but Ronaldo aggravated the injury during Portugal's 3-0 victory over Hungary on October 10 when he limped off the pitch after just 27 minutes.

Real said Wednesday that Ronaldo would have to undergo further medical tests in a week before the can return to the pitch, meaning he will miss the club's Champions League match at AC Milan on Tuesday as well as its Spanish league match against Getafe on Saturday.

"I'm a little anxious to get back to playing because that's what I like most, playing and helping the team," he said.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who spent 250 million euros on new signings like Ronaldo in the pre-season, appealed for calm on Wednesday in the wake of the club's shock loss to Alcorcon.

"There has to be calm and patience, even though the defeat in Alcorcon was humiliating. The history of Real Madrid is more than one game, which shouldn't be exaggerated or create unrest," he said.

"We've only had two months of competition. The coach is new, he has a different system to last year and there are many new players. You have to give the team time to fit together and I'm sure the results will arrive."

Real midfielder Esteban Granero said the squad was fully behind Pellegrini, who joined the club in June from Spanish side Villarreal.

"We back the coach until the death. We have confidence in his ideas and we do not hold him responsible for the Cup loss. We are going to give it out all against Getafe, we are Real and we have our prestige to defend," he said.