Almeria vs. Real Madrid: Score, Grades and Reaction from La Liga Game
Real Madrid kept their win streak alive with a 4-1 victory over Almeria on Friday, although the final score didn't indicate how well the minnows played and how difficult a night it was for the La Liga leaders. Almeria dominated possession for large stretches before capitulating in the final 10 minutes.
The hosts knew they were in for a tough night, going up against arguably the most in-form team in all of football. Real Madrid hadn't lost a match in months and finished the Champions League group stages with a perfect record, and they were looking for more of the same on Friday.
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Almeria had no intention of letting Los Blancos run all over them, however, coming out in a 3-5-2 formation and taking the game right to the visitors. Real looked sluggish and sloppy in the opening minutes, finding no answer to Almeria's surprising formation.
In the 11th minute Verza received a yellow card for tripping Cristiano Ronaldo from behind, and Toni Kroos had the first real chance of the match minutes later, as his deflected effort from range hit the cross-bar.
Almeria's high defensive line troubled Real's explosive wingers, who couldn't find any sort of rhythm. Los Blancos started to get frustrated, but a single moment of magic from Isco turned the match around. Controlling the ball on his left, he cut inside before finding the target with a beautiful curled finish. The Vine, via Bleacher Report UK:
The hosts were visibly rattled by the setback, as they had been the better team up until that point. Real smelled blood, but Verza equalised just four minutes after Isco's opener with a stunning strike, giving Iker Casillas no chance. The Vine of the superb goal:
The action suddenly intensified, as Real surged back forward and almost immediately regained the lead through Gareth Bale. Finding acres of space to deal with Kroos' cross, the Wales International produced a classy finish, via 101 Great Goals:
The goal marked the final bit of action from the first half, which had been largely quiet for 30 minutes before exploding into a goal-fest.
One player who was nearly invisible throughout the first 45 minutes was Ronaldo. La Liga's top scorer did little to nothing on the pitch, and WhoScored noticed the same thing when they took a look at their scoring system:
The tempo dropped considerably at the start of the second half, with Real looking at the counter-attack and Almeria desperate to avoid three or four more goals by Los Blancos' speedy wingers. Bale flashed a shot just wide after 55 minutes but really should have laid it off to Ronaldo instead.
The Portugal international then drew a good save from Ruben with a low drive, as Almeria's back four started to show cracks. Ronaldo wanted a penalty minutes later for an apparent shirt-tug by Francisco Velez, but the official waved to play on, per Football Espana:
Instead, the ball went on the spot on the other side of the pitch. Already on a yellow card, Marcelo tripped Edgar Mendez in the box, and the official didn't hesitate. He produced the yellow card as well, but after a short talk with Asier Illarramendi, he decided not to dismiss the Brazil international.
Verza stepped up to bring his team back level, but Casillas produced an extraordinary diving save which drew praise from ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:
The Vine, courtesy of Bleacher Report UK:
Almeria refused to back down and continued launching attack after attack, putting real pressure on the Real Madrid back four. Bale and Ronaldo continued to struggle, allowing the hosts to commit men forward in search of the equaliser.
Ronaldo's poor match went from bad to worse, as he was carded for colliding with Ximo Navarro. The Portuguese star doesn't have many bad nights, and when it does happen, it's always odd to see:
Of course, Ronaldo isn't the Ballon d'Or favourite for nothing, and even on poor nights, he can be deadly. Playing Karim Benzema into space, he timed his run beautifully before receiving the ball back and finishing in the empty net.
As shared by OptaJoe's Duncan Alexander, Ronaldo's goal haul has truly been spectacular this season:
He added a fourth goal for good measure, blasting the ball past Ruben after excellent work from Dani Carvajal. Bale nearly made it 5-1 after a quick throw from Ronaldo, as Almeria's back four came down like a house of cards in the final minutes of the match. Even Marcelo came close to scoring, testing Ruben's fists with a line drive.
Player Grades
Toni Kroos: B
The Germany international has enjoyed a fine week, building on his performance against Razgrad Ludogorets to put in another strong effort on Friday. Slightly wasteful with the ball, he was one of few Blancos who didn't play well below his abilities.
Asier Illarramendi: B
Is Illarramendi finally coming of age? The holding midfielder continued his run of solid, if unspectacular performances against Almeria. Picking up the yellow card instead of Marcelo was a smart move, and his solid positioning was needed against Almeria's 3-5-2.
Marcelo: D
Marcelo's grade could have been even lower if it wasn't for two vital blocks in the final 10 minutes. The Brazilian could (and should) have been given the yellow card on four different occasions, and the fact he completed the match is a minor miracle.
With Almeria pressing and the score still 2-1, a dismissal could have been disastrous for Los Blancos. A veteran defender like Marcelo simply has to know better than to surrender a penalty in that situation.
Post-Match Reaction
ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan agreed Real needed a bit of luck to push their win streak to 20 matches:
Real Madrid TV's Phil Kitromilides reminded everyone how many goals Ronaldo has already scored this season:
Manager Carlo Ancelotti was asked what his Christmas wish would be, and via RMadridHome, he knew exactly what he wanted:
"Carlo Ancelotti: "For Christmas, I only wish for some vacation." #HaIaMadrid
— RMadridHome (@RMadridHome) December 12, 2014"
He's also feeling very confident ahead of the upcoming Club World Cup, per The Ancelotti Way:
"Ancelotti: "We will go to Marocco with full confidence. I think the CWC starts at the perfect moment for us."
— The Ancelotti Way (@TheAncelottiWay) December 12, 2014"
Post-Match Outlook
Real Madrid's win streak continues, and while the atmosphere in the dressing room will not have been optimal after the match, Los Blancos showed that even on a bad night, they're still capable of producing wins.
Almeria remain dangerously close to the relegation zone and missed a unique opportunity to nick some points off Real, but if they can reproduce the level of play they performed at on Friday, they should be able to turn the season around in a hurry.
