Real Madrid and Barcelona both took commanding leads last night, in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-finals. Real Madrid won 3-0 at home to cross city rivals Atletico. This wasn't the flowing match that I'd expected. Ancelotti's side took a much more pragmatic approach. They marked Atletico's danger men closely. It was a rough and tumble match, with the home side in particular testing the referee's patience. Diego Costa was kicked at every opportunity. Finally losing his temper, he kicked back, and received a yellow card that will keep him out of the return. An injustice at every … [Read more...]
Semi-final Showdowns With Added Spice
It's semi final first leg week in the Copa Del Rey, and both games promise to be exciting, and difficult to predict. Wednesday evening will see Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona v Real Sociedad. Barcelona are red hot favourites to progress through to the King's Cup final, but Sociedad were a team in form prior to their thumping by Atletico at the weekend. Sociedad were unlucky to lose the fixture 4-0, and it may be that their players had one eye on this game and next week's return. Tata Martino's side were distraught at losing to Valencia on Sunday. The result leaves them in a poor … [Read more...]