Cristiano Ronaldo, the  Portugal international praised José Mourinho and admitted that the elimination to Bayern Munich in the Champions League was one of the worst days of his career.

In an interview with CNN’s “World Sport” program this Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo said: “I think I’m better than Messi at [...]]]>

Ronaldo or Messi: Who is the Best?

Cristiano Ronaldo, the  Portugal international praised José Mourinho and admitted that the elimination to Bayern Munich in the Champions League was one of the worst days of his career.

In an interview with CNN’s “World Sport” program this Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo said: “I think I’m better than Messi at the moment and Real Madrid is better than Barcelona” when questioned by reporter Pedro Pinto who is also Portuguese.

C Ronaldo added that “you can not compare a Ferrari and a Porsche, because they use different engines.” “He does the best for Barcelona, and I do the best for Real Madrid, and the numbers say it all. It was amazing because he beat his record and I beat mine” referring to the magnificent season both players had in La Liga, in which Messi was top scorer with an “out of this world” 50 goals and C Ronaldo with an equally impressive 46 goals.

“That is why the competition is so intense and explains why Real Madrid and Barcelona are the best teams in the world. I do not like being compared with anyone. Some say I’m the best, others say it is him (Messi). In the end, they decide who the best is. At the moment, I think I am.”

The Portuguese winger admitted that his main goal this season was to win the Spanish league with Real Madrid.

”It’s the first time and I am very happy because it is the most important trophy. I think it will be difficult to have a year as good as this, because this league is the toughest in the world, and to compete with Barcelona, as everyone knows, is very complicated. But in the end, we finished nine points ahead of them, so this year was amazing.”

When asked if Real was better than Barça, Ronaldo was clear.

”The points difference speak for themselves, nine points separated the teams and this is a lot in Spain. We played better than them this year, that’s for sure. I remember a month ago when we beat them by 2-1 and nobody could do the same. It is very difficult to win the league and we’re better than them at this time, but we have to respect them because they also form a great team.”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi - The Best Players in the World

CR7 made a point of praising Real Madrid’s Coach José Mourinho, calling him “humble and inspiring.”

”He is very humble, always joking and telling funny stories. As a coach, he is completely different. He is serious and professional, and perhaps because of this he has all these titles. For me, he is the best not only because I work with him, but by the tactics and motivation from his work with the players.”

Cristiano Ronaldo commented on the Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern, which takes place this Saturday at 15h45m (GMT). The Portuguese star said that the elimination on penalties to the Germans in the semifinal was “one of the worst days” of his career.

When asked by Pedro Pinto who he thought would win the Champions, Ronaldo replied: “Maybe a lot of people think that Bayern Munich will win easy, but I don’t think so, because we can not forget that Chelsea beat Barcelona. It will be an interesting game.”

Real Madrid ended their 38th and final round of the Spanish League 2011-2012 season with an easy 4-1 win over Mallorca on Sunday at the Bernabeu Stadium and reached the milestone of 100 points, an absolute record for a single edition of competition.

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo opened [...]]]>

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates Real Madrid vs Mallorca victory

Real Madrid ended their 38th and final round of the Spanish League 2011-2012 season with an easy 4-1 win over Mallorca on Sunday at the Bernabeu Stadium and reached the milestone of 100 points, an absolute record for a single edition of competition.

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Los Blancos after 19 minutes of play, scoring his 46th goal of the season as he jumped high to head home from a Marcelo cross.

The second goal was scored by Real Madrid’s French striker Karim Benzema on the 23rd minute after a great play between Benzema, C Ronaldo and Higuain. Goalkeeper Dudu Aouate made two great saves before the interval to maintain the score 2-0.

In the second half, Germany’s midfielder Mesut Ozil got a nice pass from Higuain and put Real Madrid 3-0 up with a classy curling shot into the nets of the Mallorca goals.

Mallorca reduced to 3-1 just a minute later after a powerful shot by Castro without any chance of defense by Casillas, but soon after, on the 58th minute. Ozil made another great goal, this time with his right foot from a precise Marcelo cross into the far post.

This was a night of records for the Spanish football season as Real Madrid established a new La Liga record of 121 goals, the most ever scored in a single edition of the Spanish League. Cristiano Ronaldo also broke another record as he managed to score against every single team this season.

This was an incredible season for the Merengues, marred only by their elimination in the semi-finals of the Champions League by Bayern Munich.

All theses records were however not enough to defend C Ronaldo’s title of the “Pichichi” trophy (top scorer in La Liga), which was won by Barcelona’s Argentine playmaker Lionel Messi, who rocked the networks no less than 50 times; an incredible feat as he shattered last years record of 41 goals held by Ronaldo. The C Ronaldo vs Messi dual pended towards the Argentinean once again.

In the post match celebrations a stage was set in the centre of the pitch where all the players walked to. José Mourinho ran towards the stage, kneeled and bowed to his players in a sign of unusual humbleness; another unforgettable moment by the “Special One”. Placido Domingo also took the stage clad in white.

Real Madrid traveled to Granada this Saturday and managed to bring home three lucky points in a game that José Mourinho decided to give a rest to Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Pepe. The new Spanish League champions won the game 2-1 and now have 97 points and [...]]]>

Cristiano Ronaldo during Granada 1-2 Real Madrid game

Real Madrid traveled to Granada this Saturday and managed to bring home three lucky points in a game that José Mourinho decided to give a rest to Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Pepe. The new Spanish League champions won the game 2-1 and now have 97 points and are obviously hoping to reach the magical 100 points next week in their last game of this season.

The first goal of the match was scored on the 4th minute by Granada when attacker Franco Jara, managed to steal the ball from Brazilian Marcelo from the midfield, then speedily dribbled past two other defenders and shot the ball between the legs of Real Madrid goalkeeper Adam to make it 1-0 for the hosts.

During the remainder of the first half and the beginning of the second, the game did not have many scoring opportunities for either side. The Merengues tied the game only on the 80th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo was fouled inside the area. As usual CR7 took the penalty and this time he shot hard to the right with no chance of defense for the goalkeeper.

The final ten minutes were the busiest of the game with Real Madrid pilling on the pressure. Just when it seemed that the game was coming to an end with a draw, came the goal that silenced the home crowd when Granada defender David Cortes scored into his own goal on the 92nd minute.

The Ronaldo penalty and the expulsions of two players, Hurtado and Siqueira in the last moments of the game caused many protests from the Granada players, who complained to the referee vehemently after the final whistle. The referee got hit by a water bottle thrown by Dani Benitez in this scuffle.

Although Mourinho’s team has a great chance of beating Mallorca next week and reaching the historic mark of 100 points, the C Ronaldo vs Messi duel for the “Pichichi” trophy for the best scorer in the Spanish League looks like an impossible dream after Messi scored an impressive 4 goals tonight in Barcelona’s easy 4-0 win over Espanyol, considerably increasingly the distant to his main competitor, Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi now has an absolutely impressive 50 goals in the competition, while the Portuguese international is second, with an equally impressive 45, with one game remaining for both super stars.

Real Madrid is the new Spanish champions, after beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 tonight in their away game, once again with the help of their main scorer Cristiano Ronaldo as well as Higuain and Ozil.

After Barcelona’s win against Malaga by 4-1 just 2 hors earlier this Wednesday, Real Madrid [...]]]>

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates goal against Athletic Bilbao

Real Madrid is the new Spanish champions, after beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 tonight in their away game, once again with the help of their main scorer Cristiano Ronaldo as well as Higuain and Ozil.

After Barcelona’s win against Malaga by 4-1 just 2 hors earlier this Wednesday, Real Madrid needed to win to be crowned champions and they made it look easy.

After some good attacking situations, Real had the first big chance to get ahead by C Ronaldo, but he missed his second penalty in a row, when he tried a shot to the middle but he hit the ball too slow and too low, allowing Bilbao’s keeper Iraizoz to save the penalty. Ronaldo had missed a crucial penalty against Bayern Munich last week that helped the Germans advance into the Champions League Final, so was not a good omen for him.

Real Madrid continued to put pressure on the home team and eventually scored with a great Higuain shot, after a lovely combination with Ronaldo and Ozil on the 16th minute.

Three minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo made a brilliant cross from the right to Özil who was loose in the area. The German international had no trouble making it 2-0 on 20 minutes, with this result remaining till the interval.

The second half was marked by the inevitable goal of Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo in a timely header after a corner kick by Xabi Alonso. This was C Ronaldo’s 44th goal in La Liga. It was also José Mourinho’s 4th title with 4 different teams in 4 different countries.

FC Porto in Portugal

Chelsea in England

Inter Milan in Italy

Real Madrid in Spain

In the C Ronaldo vs Messi duel, the Argentinean scored a hat-trick against Malaga tonight and has overtaken Ronaldo in the “Pichichi” with 46 goals, 2 more than CR7.

Messi also broke another record tonight with 68 goals scored in all competitions by beating Gerd Mueller’s 39-year-old record of 67 goals in a season for a European top-flight club. Mueller played for Bayern Munich and broke the record in the 1972-73 season. What’s amazing is that 24 year old Messi still has 3 games left to play; two in La Liga and one in the Copa Del Rey.

Cristiano Ronaldo who has had his best season so far, has scored 11 goals less than Messi with a total of 57 goals so far and 2 games in La Liga remaining.

Tomorrow at 19:00, the Merengues will celebrate their 32nd Spanish League victory party at the Cibeles in the heart of Madrid.

Real Madrid defeated Sevilla 3-0 in the 36th game of the Spanish League with the help of Benzema who scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo in a game that started at 11 am. José Mourinho and company waited impatiently for the result of the Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano game [...]]]>

Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to score against Sevilla

Real Madrid defeated Sevilla 3-0 in the 36th game of the Spanish League with the help of Benzema who scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo in a game that started at 11 am. José Mourinho and company waited impatiently for the result of the Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano game this evening. The Catalans easily beat Rayo Vallecano 7-0 tonight, forcing Real Madrid to wait a few more days before being able to celebrate the Spanish Title.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring on 19 minutes. The Portuguese winger received a pass from Benzema, took defender Coke out of the way by simulating the shot with his left foot and then scoring with the right.

Cristiano Ronaldo had another great chance to score on the 36^th minute, following a free kick by Marcelo who passed to C Ronaldo, but his powerful shot hit the bar.

During the first half, Los Blancos dominated and created more opportunities, but were also scared by some Sevilla counterattacks. The visitors put the ball in the nets after just four minutes, but the goal was disallowed because Negredo made a foul on Pepe. The Sevilla team created three more goalscoring chances, badly exploited by their men up front.

Real Madrid’s second goal came on 48 minutes. The cross at the far post was by Di María. Sevilla defender Coke failed to intercept the pass and Benzema was there to put the ball in the back of the nets.

Karim Benzema scored his second of the night on 52 minutes. A fast play by Real Madrid saw Ozil opening for Sergio Ramos on the right. The Spanish international’s cross ended in the nets after a brilliant header from Benzema to put Real 3-0 up, who upped his tally to 20 goals in La Liga and 31^st goal in all competitions.

Real Madrid maintained their 7 point lead over Barcelona who easily beat Rayo Vallecano 7-0 tonight, despite the news this Friday that Pep Guardiola would be leaving Barcelona at the end of this season.

The C Ronaldo vs Messi duel continues to be a hot topic. After todays games Cristiano Ronaldo extended his Spanish League record total to 43 goals and 57 goals for the season in all competitions. Messi scored twice tonight and equaled CR7 at the top with 43 goals scored, with an amazing 66 goals in all competitions. What an amazing season for these two fabulous players.

Real Madrid continued their amazing record goal tally in the Spanish League, now with 112 goals scored and with 3 games remaining.

Despite two early goals by Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid was knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals by Bayern Munich in a fantastic and dramatic game played at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium tonight.

The Bavarian team arrived in Madrid with a 2-1 lead from the first [...]]]>

Cristiano Ronaldo and José Mourinho lose semi-final against Bayern Munich

Despite two early goals by Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid was knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals by Bayern Munich in a fantastic and dramatic game played at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium tonight.

The Bavarian team arrived in Madrid with a 2-1 lead from the first leg game and a lot of determination to give Real Madrid a run for their money, which they did by forcing the game into extra time and consequently into the dreaded penalty shoot-outs where Bayern Munich had luck on their side, scoring 3 penalties while real Madrid only scored one.

The game began at a supersonic pace with Real Madrid opening the scoreboard very early with just 6 minutes on the clock by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal international scored from the penalty defender Alaba handled the ball after a Di Maria center.

Bayern Munich could have tied the game soon after when Alaba centered from the left to Robben who appeared on the face of Casillas but shot over the goal post. Soon afterwards, Ribery and Gomez were also close to scoring a goal but Casillas and Marcelo were able resolve the danger.

However, it would be Real Madrid that scored the second goal of the game. once again by Cristiano Ronaldo. Ozil’s deadly pass isolated Ronaldo who easily beat Neuer with a nicely placed shot to the back of the net on the 14th minute. Real Madrid went on to lose some steam after this goal and, in the 27th minute, Bayern Munich reduced the deficit to 1-2 through a goal by Robben, also scored from the penalty spot.

From then until the end of the first half both teams played an open game and created several dangerous occasions. The interval arrived with no change in the scoreboard.

The second half began with plenty of opportunities for both teams with Mario Gomez and Karim Benzema being the most dangerous forwards. Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kicks were not on target tonight

The game ended with the same result for both teams on the two ties; 2-1 (3-3 on aggregate), forcing them to play another 30 minutes of overtime.

A visibly tired Ribery was substituted by Thomas Muller for the Germans while Real Madrid substituted Di Maria and Ozil by Granero and Higuain. During the overtime period it was clearly visible that Cristiano Ronaldo was tired, losing and tripping on the ball on several occasions. At the end of 120 minutes both teams were still tied

Bayern Munich players celebrate after scoring third penalty that put them through to the Champions Final

The game would then be decided on penalties. C Ronaldo started the shoot-out badly when he allowed Neuer to save his shot. Kaká imitated Ronaldo and also allowed his shot to be saved. Bayern were now 2-0 up on penalties by Alaba and Gomez.

Then suddenly there was a dramatic turn-around when Casillas also saved two penalties by Kroos and Lahm. Xabi Alonso scored his penalty reducing to 1-2. Then it was Sergio Ramos’s turn to tie the game and would you believe it, he sent his shot into the clouds, sending shock waves through the Spanish fans who were to see their two best teams knocked out of the final.

The experienced Schweinsteiger would be next and he made no mistake, sending Bayern Munich into a somewhat unexpected Champions League Final against Chelsea, the other even more surprising finalist who pulled off a fantastic 2-2 draw against favorites Barcelona (3-2 on aggregate) at Camp Nou last night. Interestingly, Lionel Messi also missed a penalty last night. The possibility of José Mourinho winning a third Champions League Final each time with a different team, will have to wait another year.

Bayern will have a distinct advantage in the final as it will be played in their home ground: the Allianz Arena Stadium in Munich, Germany on May 19th.

Real Madrid are one step closer to winning the Spanish League after winning tonight’s “El Clasico” against their main rivals Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou in the 35th game day of La Liga. In a game watched by 400 million viewers world-wide, Real Madrid took an [...]]]>

Cristiano Ronaldo in Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid "Clasico"

Real Madrid are one step closer to winning the Spanish League after winning tonight’s “El Clasico” against their main rivals Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou in the 35th game day of La Liga. In a game watched by 400 million viewers world-wide, Real Madrid took an early lead by Khedira, with Allexis getting the equalizer in the second half only to see Cristiano Ronaldo score just two minutes later.

José Mourinho had come with a similar counter-attack strategy, with a tight mid-field and defense, giving Barcelona the initiative and ball possession, as he had done in other games against Barça, but this time things went right, probably because the Merengues were winning for most of the game. In the previous 9 matches between Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, the Portuguese coach had only won once and that was last season in the Copa del Rey final.

The first goal came on 17 minutes of play, when Khedira took a bounced ball from the opponent, after a corner kick that defender Pepe headed for an incomplete Valdés save. The rest of the first half saw Barcelona putting pressure but unable to get though the tight Merengue defense.

The second half was again similar to the first, with Real Madrid conceding the ball possession and betting on their counter attacks. Barcelona’s youngster Tello had a great opportunity to score on the 54th minute with only Casillas to beat, but his shot went up into the clouds after a great pass from Iniesta.

On the 70th minute Guardiola substituted Xavi by Alexis Sanchéz and the move paid off, as just one minute later he scored and tied the game 1-1. Pep should never have bet on the young 20 year old Tello from the beginning, when he had players like Fabregas, Piqué and Alexis on the bench and especially with Messi having an off day.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the figure of the game this Saturday, scoring the goal that decided the match at 73 minutes after a great pass by Ozil on the right with CR7 escaping the marking by Mascherano to beat Valdez from a relatively tight angle. It was the 42nd goal by Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga so far, leaving him isolated in the list of top scorers with 42 goals, one more than Messi, who wasn’t able to score tonight or to show his incredible talents.

The game also served to break the jinx Mourinho had against Guardiola, with the same applying in the Ronaldo vs Messi duel.

After this win Jose Mourinho’s team has seven more points than the Catalans, when there are four more games to play and with the gratifying thought that they only need another two wins to become Champions.

After the end of the game Pep Guardiola congratulated Real Madrid for their win against his team and for winning the Spanish League. This was Barcelona’s first home defeat in 55 games.

Real Madrid lost their first leg of the Champions League semi-final match 2-1 last night against Bayern Munich in Germany and is now at a disadvantage even though they have an away goal.

The German victory was consummated one minute from the end [...]]]>

C Ronaldo, Ozil, Di Maria and Sergio Ramos celebrate goal against Bayern

Real Madrid lost their first leg of the Champions League semi-final match 2-1 last night against Bayern Munich in Germany and is now at a disadvantage even though they have an away goal.

The German victory was consummated one minute from the end of regulation time, when the 1-1 draw seemed to be the final outcome, but a great move by the German International Lahm on the right flank, beating Fabio Coentrão and providing the winning goal to the dangerous Mario Gomez at the first post, ended Real’s dreams of a good result.

Bayern Munich went ahead in 16th minute through French international Frank Ribéry, but the Merengues tied the game in the second half on the 53rd minute, through the German international Ozil, who just had to push the ball into the nets after a pass from Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo, who only sporadically showed some glimpses of his quality.

Real Madrid was not able to hold onto the draw, even though José Mourinho clearly tried to maintain it by bringing in Marcelo and Granero at the expense of Ozil and Di Maria, two players that are good at containing the ball away from the opponents.

Some Real Madrid players again showed difficulties in their emotional control, particularly Sergio Ramos, Fabio Coentrão and Marcelo, and were it not for some laxness by the English referee Harold Webb, Real Madrid would not have finished the match with 11 players in the field.

In the first half, during which the scoring opportunities were scarce, the Germans were more efficient and went ahead when Ribéry who was Bayern’s best player, sent an unstoppable powerful shot into the nets from a corner kick.

Real Madrid made some pressing after this goal, forcing the Germans back into their defensive lines with some fast transitions in counter attack, with a good chance of scoring after seven minutes by Benzema, but as the game progressed, Bayern began taking the initiative and control of the game.

In the second half, Real Madrid started putting pressure on the Germans, forcing them back. C Ronaldo had an incredible opportunity to score after a pass from Benzema but with only goalkeeper Neuer in front, he shot without conviction for an easy save. Real Madrid tied the game on the 53rd minute when C Ronaldo went down to the end line, pushed the ball back to Özil who made it 1-1.

The German response was immediate, the team increased its game dynamic, becoming more aggressive and objective, forcing Real Madrid to retreat and creating good opportunities to reach the second goal, at 62, 71 and 73 minutes, with a common denominator: Mario Gomez.

Real Madrid can thank the gods that striker Mario Gomez had an off game, but José Mourinho sensed the danger and brought in two players who would assure him a more effective coverage in midfield, Marcelo and Granero, who were unable to avoid the Madridista’s defeat at 89 minutes when Mario Gomez redeemed himself by scoring the winner from close range after a magnificent cross from Lahm.

Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona

The other semi-final game has just ended with Chelsea beating the mighty Barça team in Stamford Bridge 1-0 with a goal by Drogba after a deadly through pass from Ramires, on the last play (47 min.) before half-time.

Messi had an excellent game, with Barcelona as usual being more dominant, having a lot more ball possession (a staggering 72%) and a lot more opportunities to score, but Chelsea managed to survive the onslaught from the Catalans and won 1-0, once again not convincing anyone that the “Blues” can effectively get to the finals of this Champions League. Lucky, lucky,  Chelsea!!!

Just to put his into perspective, this was Barcelona’s 3rd defeat in 63 games.

Real Madrid beat Gijon 3-1 tonight with the help of the inevitable Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain and Benzema in a tough game played at the Bernabeu Stadium, maintaining their four point advantage over Barcelona who had an even tougher game against Levante but still managed to win 2-1 with two [...]]]>

Cristiano Ronaldo scores against Sporting Gijon

Real Madrid beat Gijon 3-1 tonight with the help of the inevitable Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain and Benzema in a tough game played at the Bernabeu Stadium, maintaining their four point advantage over Barcelona who had an even tougher game against Levante but still managed to win 2-1 with two goals from Messi. Real now have 85 points

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium saw C Ronaldo break his own “Pichichi” record (Messi also equalled him tonight) when he scored his 41st goal in La Liga, while Real Madrid and José Mourinho also equaled a record of 107 goals scored in one season, held previously by John Toshack since the 1989-99 season. A phenomenal achievement when you consider they still have 5 games left, enough time to easily pulverize both records.

Despite playing at home and having more control of the game since the opening, it was Gijon who opening the scoring after a penalty committed by Sergio Ramos. De Las Cuevas made no mistake from the penalty spot and put the visitors up 1-0 on 30 minutes.

The same Sergio Ramos, seven minutes later, sort of redeemed himself when he made a precision cross to the head of Argentine international Higuain who tied the match 1-1.

The second half again saw the Merengues struggling to get through the Gijon defense, which would only come on the 74th minute from another cross, this time by Argentinean Di Maria that found Cristiano Ronaldo who headed home to make it 2-1.

On the 81st minute Benzema made it 3-1 from a lovely pass from Ozil and Sporting Gijon was then reduced to 10 elements, after the expulsion of Canella, following this goal that virtually “killed” the game.

With this win the Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo cemented the leadership as the top scorer in the Spanish League football with 41 goals the same as Messi who equaled CR7 tonight. The C Ronaldo vs Messi duel is getting hotter all the time and the world is waiting with great anticipation the next super Clasico between these two giants of world football in the next round, at the Camp Nou.

Real Madrid won the local derby against Atletico Madrid by 4-1 on Wednesday, in the 33rd round of the Spanish league, played at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. The Madeira Island born Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as well as an assist to Callejon who scored the [...]]]>

Cristiano Ronaldo scores hat-trick against Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid won the local derby against Atletico Madrid by 4-1 on Wednesday, in the 33rd round of the Spanish league, played at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. The Madeira Island born Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as well as an assist to Callejon who scored the fourth. The former FC Porto player Falcão scored the only goal for the “Colchoneros.”

Before the first goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, the game was being hotly contested by both teams, but the “canon shot” by the Portuguese international shook the spirits at the Vicente Calderon crowd.

On the 25th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo sent a swerving and powerful direct free kick from about 30 meters from goal that only stopped at the back of the nets, leaving goalkeeper Courtois glued to the floor.

After the goal, when you expected more pressure from the Merengues, the game went back to being balanced, probably because Real Madrid accused some nervousness in the final moments of the first half with the onslaught of the “Colchoneros.”

The tranquility that Real Madrid needed in the final moments of the first half came after halftime with the entrance of Ozil who helped to strengthen the confidence of Real Madrid to at least keep the advantage.

But Atletico’s striker Falcão, from Colombia, showed why he is unforgiving when given an inch of space. In a good collective move near the penalty area, Adrián centered to the heart of the small area, where Falcão emerged between Coentrão and Sergio Ramos to head in for the 1-1 draw.

At 68 minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to make magic in the opponents ground with a powerful shot from outside the area that dipped fast, with no chance for Courtois to save. Ronaldo celebrated once again by pointing to his thigh. Real were now 2-1 up and CR7 also had 2 goals.

Ronaldo scored his 6th hat-trick of the season on the 83rd minute when referee Carlos Ferreiro pointed to the penalty spot after Higuain was fouled in the box. Five minutes later Cristiano Ronaldo assisted Jose Callejon to seal the game at 4-1.

Leader Real Madrid maintained a four point advantage over Barcelona, who had won 4-0 on Tuesday against Levante (Messi scored twice). This four point cushion was of extreme importance due to the fact that Los Blancos with travel to Camp Nou to play Barça in 9 days time. Not an easy task at a time when the Catalans are in great form.

In the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi duel; the Portuguese star overtook the Argentinean with 40 (equaling last years record) and 39 goals respectively. I don’t remember ever seeing such a gigantic duel between two fabulous players, with so many goals scored in a season which has not yet finished… still 6 matches left. Both players will surely beat last year’s record for the “Pichichi” (best scorer in La Liga) held by CR7 with 40 goals.