Real pick a towering victory at the San Sebastian

By S.Aravind
February 12 2007

If the return of David Beckham and inclusion of Raul upfront were not shocking enough for the Madristas around the world,then after the final whistle during the away game versus Real Sociedad, they would have surely been shocked by an inspirational performance by every member of the Madrid backline.

Capello went back to the basics (that includes going back on his words and bringing back Beckham to the lineup) for the important encounter versus the team 2nd from bottom in the La Liga , Real Sociedad. He fielded a 4 4 2 with Raul partnering Ruud upfront while Beckham and Guti were given wing duties. With this game being a do or die one for Capello, one has to give him his due credit for making some brave changes.

Early exchanges suggested that both teams wanted a win badly and anything less would be a disappointment. Sociedad continued their momentum from last week’s great draw against Seville and they dominated the first phase of the game. Casillas on a deep cross rewarded the Basque side’s positivity with a shocking error of judgment and Aranburu dispatched the follow up with ease. 1-0 to Sociedad and you could hear every Madrista whisper – “ Here we go again!! “.

During the 1st half, Madrid failed to stitch up their system with the short passes and therefore lied scattered all over the park while Sociedad held a good line upfront with Kovacevic and Rivas. Gago had a nightmare of a start to his game while Emerson’s steadying influence kept Madrid afloat in the 1st half. Just when you felt that it was not Madrid’s day, the story took a Bollywood-esque turn. Up stepped Beckham for a free kick just outside the right end of box. Having barely contributed till that minute, Beckham proved his class with dipping free kick meant to deceive Bravo on the bounce and flight. The ball went through the crowded box and into the back of the net. 1-1 and resulting celebrations with Beckham as the nucleus left the Madrid fans flabbergasted with joy.

As the referee blew the whistle for the 2nd half, Madrid could not have asked for a better start. Some good build up play in the middle of the park from Raul and Guti allowed a cool set up for Miguel Torres’s overlapping run. Garcia poorly dealt with the left back’s peach of a cross and Ruud poached in front of him to head it into goal. 2-1 to Madrid and the tide had finally turned. Sociedad picked up the tempo in an attempt to find an equalizer, mainly through a star of the Bosque days in Madrid , Savio .The game benefited from this change in approach, with both teams showing desire in abundance. After the 2nd goal, the back 4 of Madrid took centre stage as every single player proved their individual brilliance then and there. Helguera and Cannavaro’s partnership finally looked like it blossomed to the next level, with the latter playing one of his best games for Madrid. The unsung young Spanish paladins in the form of Ramos and Torres showed Madristas why they can be pleased about the future of their club with an almost flawless performance. Torres deserves special mention as he has made a neat transition into the defense after starting as a right back and then plunged into the left back spot due to emergency requirements for the last 6 games or so. Now, a fit Roberto Carlos will only make the bench for the next game and that’s a telling tale about the gem Madrid have found in Torres. A man of the match performance from him helped his side stay in touch with Barcelona and also revived Beckham’s chances of signing out of Madrid as a winner. If the latter ever happens , that would be one of the rarest occasions where you would find Capello gulp humble pie with the biggest smile on his face possible !