Penalties decided the Jesús Gil y Gil Memorial Trophy for the second year in a row
Tonight's friendly derby marked the last match of 2006 for the Whites. Fabio Capello put forth a starting eleven which included several of his First Teamers, like Raúl and Reyes, and eight Castilla players. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, with Atletico winning the penalty shootout. The series for this Christmas season trophy stands and one game apiece.
There was nothing riding on tonight's match but pride, although a derby is always a derby. The footballers took the pitch of the Vicente Calderón Stadium decked out with a huge banner which read “A touch against gender discrimination,” the slogan of the Second Annual Jesús Gil Memorial. But because it was a derby, for charitable motives, and because both Clubs wanted to close out the year on a positive note, both Aguirre and Capello wanted to give playing time to several of their top flight men. Raúl, Guti, Cannavaro, Reyes, Salgado, along with players who don't see so much action –Diego López, Pavón, Raúl Bravo-, plus several Castilla players –Nieto, De la Red, and Álvaro Negredo- comprised Fabio Capello's starting eleven. In the second half, Alberto Bueno, Sergio Díaz, and Adrián González made their First Team debuts.
Raúl, leader as always
It was a frigid night on the pitch that borders with the Manzanares River, but the players managed to warm things up from the get-go in search of lighting up the scoreboard as an early Christmas present for the fans, who were mostly children. The Madridistas took quick control and had several opportunities to take the lead. Two players led the way for the Madridistas: Reyes, who had three outstanding tries in the first half –two shots from the front of the box and one free kick-, and captain Raúl. The Madridista number “7” stands out for his dedication and commitment no matter who the opponent or the nature of the match. Without sparing any effort, Raúl not only fed Negredo (top scorer of the Second Division), but also enjoyed several of his own scoring chances; the best coming by way of an attempted lob (min.15) that missed opening up the scoring by inches.
But it was Fernando Torres who had the best chance of giving his team the lead. El Niño hurried to take the penalty, but he had another Madridista pearl in his way: Diego López. Madrid's second keeper continues to show amazing skills in every opportunity he is given –Spanish Cup and friendlies-, and tonight López saved the shot taken by Atleti's “9” without hesitating.
The match slowed down and Atletico began making substitutions to rest some of the players who took part in last night's 1-1 draw against Barcelona. In the other dugout, Capello made just one change during the first 45 minutes by replacing Guti with Mejía, who took position in the midfield next to Rubén De la Red, a centre midfielder who gained in prominence as the minutes ticked off the clock.
Helguera and Miñambres return
Two Madridistas made their returns from injury and saw action in the second half. Óscar Miñambres returned to competition exactly two years since he played his last official match (22 December 2004 against Espanyol). Iván Helguera (injured on 22 November against Lyon) also returned to the centre of the Madridista back line. The Cantabrian nearly scored with his heal in the closing minutes of the encounter and was outstanding in his return to the White defence.
Neither side had many scoring opportunities in the second 45 minutes. Negredo came close to the rival box every now and then, Nieto had a quality cross into the box, and Adrián a dangerous low shot. In short, the youth team's artillery exploited their amazing potential and put the Atletico defence in a tight spot on more than one occasion. But there were no goals in the Calderón during regulation time and for the second straight year, penalty kicks would decide the match.
Penalties… again
Just like last year, it was up to the goalkeepers in the penalty shootout. Although the five youth teamers were unable to keep the Jesús Gil y Gil Trophy from staying put for one more year, they passed the last test of 2006 with flying colours.
1-0 Strong shot by Jacobo.
1-1 Borja Valero equalises.
1-1 Madrid keeper Diego López saves Víctor Bravo's shot.
1-2 Goal by Álvaro Negredo.
2-2 Batres scores right down the middle.
2-2 Shot by Alberto Bueno sails high.
3-2 Zahínos doesn't miss.
3-3 Adrián González equalises with his left foot.
4-3 Pollo scored for Atletico.
4-3 Finally, Falcón saves shot by Nieto.
MATCH REPORT:
0 (4) - ATLETICO MADRID: Cuéllar; Molinero, Pablo, Azcárate, Antonio López; Galletti, Jurado, Gabi, Mista; Torres and Agüero. Zahínos, Ballesteros, Víctor Bravo, Marcos Martín, Miguel Ramos, Batres, Pollo, Vara, Falcón (reserve keeper), Jacobo and Raúl Llorente also played
0 (3) - REAL MADRID: Diego López; Michel Salgado, Pavón, Cannavaro, Raúl Bravo; Guti, De la Red; Nieto, Raúl, Reyes; Alvaro Negredo. Mejía, Miñambres, Iván Helguera, Adrián González, Bueno, Borja Valero and Sergio also played.
PENALTIES: 1-0: Jacobo, goal. 1-1: Borja Valero, goal. 1-1: Víctor Bravo, Diego López save. 1-2: Adrián, goal. 2-2, Batres, goal. 2-2: Bueno, miss. 3-2: Zahínos, goal. 3-3: Negredo, goal. 4-3: Pollo, goal. 4-3: Nieto, Falcón save.
REFEREE: Carlos Megía Dávila (Madrid Referee Association).
NOTES: Second edition of the Jesús Gil y Gil Memorial Trophy organised in honour of the former Atletico Madrid President who passed away in May 2004. Match played at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in front of 25,000 fans. A minute of silence was held before kickoff in honour of those season ticket holders from both sides who passed away in 2006, as well as the four Recreativo Huelva supporters who died last Wednesday in a coach accident. The proceeds of tonight's match will go to the Brain Injury Association of Spain and the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Madrid. The match was also played under the slogan 'A touch against gender discrimination'.
