Spanish Soccer- Real Madrid Take 5 in a Row by Beating Tenerife

After a string of victories, Real Madrid continues their outstanding winning streak this season by taking a fifth consecutive match of the year with a score of 3-0 over the Tenerife on Saturday. With the victory, the Meringues are perfect in points for the season with 15, one goal ahead of their eternal rival, Barcelona. The game was also the first in which Cristiano Ronaldo did not score; he added 5 in the previous four games of the season. Despite the clear victory, Real Madrid began limited in their game, with few opportunities to open the score. The Blanquiazule, on the other hand, had initiated an excellent defensive strategy, handling the locals’ action and even gaining more control over the ball. In fact, Real Madrid fans were more than a little upset at their team’s performance in the first half, which ended with a score of 0-0. Entering the second half, coach Manuel Pellegrini wisely decided to replace Esteban Granero with Kaka and Sergio Ramos with Jose Maria “Guti” Gutierrez. With these substitutions, the game immediately flowed more smoothly; it took just two minutes for Real Madrid to take the lead. Karim Benzema took advantage of Xabi Alonso’s cross to head the ball and send it to the net. The Merengues were now ahead by 1. Tenerife, however, did not let the goal destroy their confidence, and were close to scoring when Alejandro Alfaro tried a header, which went wide. Nino then had a great opportunity, but his lob also went wide. Real Madrid, though, was far more threatening; just nine minutes after the first goal, Benzema scored his team’s second after Tenerife defender Manolo Martinez was unable to deal with a long ball. Kaka worked the field as a threat to Tenerife; with talent to spare, he opened up spaces in the field to create more opportunities for his team, including giving Ronaldo an opportunity for a goal. Ronaldo, however, failed to score. From time to time, Tenerife would continue to intimidate, but Iker Casillas made great saves that denied Tete’s attempts. Kaka, on the other hand, continued his offensive for Real Madrid, and at minute 79, the Brazilian beat goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses with a spectacular strike from the edge of the penalty area, bringing the score to 3-0. The goal seemed to deplete Tenerife of their options, and the Merengues simply handled their lead until the game closed, 3-0. At the end of the game, Benzema expressed his satisfaction at helping his team with two goals while also praising Kaka’s work in the second half. "Kaka coming on at the break created a lot more space for us in the second half and it was much easier, he was the key," stated Benzema. With a fifth victory in tow, Real Madrid hope only to maintain their position in the standings to the end and, perhaps, steal the La Liga title from their Barcelona rivals this season. The next La Liga game for the Merengues will be on October 4th against Sevilla, while Tenerife will be facing Deportivo at home.