Toy G's Journal: Real Madrid 3, Manchester United 1

It was born as a small comment about the stadium. It ended up being a full chronicle of the match. Well, the introduction is general-purpose, the rest is football.
(Note for the Americans out there: this football is what you call soccer. Sorry but your football is not really appreciated here, even less these days...)

First minute - The 'Santiago Bernabeu' stadium is, in my opinion, the most beautiful 'football temple' in the world.
It can be smaller than the brasilian Maracana', less modern than San Siro, less beautiful than the old Wembley arena (yes, it shouldn't have been destroyed). From outside, its fascist appearance can be irritant. It can host one of the most (rightly) hated club ever, Francisco Franco's favourite Real Madrid, winner of more Champions' Cups than everyone else (thanks to Franco's looting of all the young spanish talents, and his money alluring DiStefano).

Nevertheless, in my heart, the Bernabeu has a special place. There, Italy won its last World Cup in 1982 in one of the most exciting finals ever played. There, it took place an heroic 1-1 draw between the merengues and one of the strongest team in italian football history, the Milan that was going to win that semi-final's second leg 5-0, and to gain the Champions' Cup 1990 beating Steaua Bucarest 4-0 (4-0!) in the final (in the final!) few weeks after, shaking the entire football world. There, almost every european club going to be serious about the Champions' Cup/Champions' League had to show off what they really could do, or else.

Above all, inside the Bernabeu you can feel what this madness called football is all about. You can feel people, shouting and screaming and singing together. You can feel the field's history, the history of your father's heroes, and your father's father's. You can see good football on a perfect pitch, not too small or too large, not too long or too short, just right.

I have to admit, I don't like Spain. It shares too much with Italy, good things (food, weather, language roots, people's attitude to life) and bad things as well (corruption, fascism, people's attitude to life). Yes, I liked to travel to Barcelona (being a child, the Gaudi's Sagrada Familia cathedral was astonishing, a dream, almost disturbing), and in the wild north-west, so amazingly full of olive trees and nothing else, and even in Madrid, a city built from nothing to become an emperor's jewel. But apart from that, I know too much european history and mediterranean people to think I could spend the rest of my life there, fighting to have a piece of paper from the government every time I'm doing something, waiting for lazy labourers to deliver services, being frightened by people that would like to put back history and relax under a 'comfortable' dictatorship. No thanks; been there, done that.

Nevertheless, if I could choose a place where playing football, I would say the 'Santiago Bernabeu' stadium in Madrid, Spain. Every day of the week, every month of the calendar, every year of the 'football era'. For me, it's the only stadium worth.

This said, I hate Real Madrid, thus... go Reds! :)

12' - Oh-My-God. United started well, a good shot from Paul Scholes, a chance taken by Ruud Van Nistelrooy just above the post... and then, Luis Figo, as old as an old mule, but still a player that any manager would pick for his team, with a simply magic touch, scored. It was almost a cross pass, but it turned, and it turned, and it turned, and it went in one of those places where the goalkeepers rarely can be.

Luis Figo is an irritant player. Its career says that he's above all lazy, rarely a big winner outside Spain (he's Portuguese, but plays in Spain since the 90s). But when he's in the game, well, he can deliver pure magic. I hate him ;)

19' - Now Real plays relaxed. Rio Ferdinand stopped Ronaldo with his leg on the other's ankle, the referee didn't see but it was worth a penalty.

22' - United's goalkeeper has lost it. He used his hands outside the area, on an absolutely useless long pass from Real. The referee should have sent him off , but probably he wasn't looking, the pass being so long and useless, thus Fabien Barthez is still of the match. But he's not in the game, it's one of 'those' games for him.

27' - It goes worse. Man U's defenders (well, let's say it straight, Gary Neville, probably distraught by Figo) shared the goalkeeper's mood, and gave Raul a ball just to shoot behind Barthez. Two-nil, now United needs a miracle.

31' - Good save by Barthez, then a good opportunity for Van Nistelrooy. Scholes is fighting, like the dutchman, but they are outplayed in the midfield by the more effective Real team. Roy Keane is showing that he's now just a defender. Maybe Ferguson should change something, Nicky Butt and Keane are just looking the ball and United's game is too slow. And where is David Beckham?

37' - Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo are enjoying themselves playing show-football. Terrific players, a pleasure to see. Ronaldo? A Nike fake.

41' - United is alive and kicking, but Real is really relaxed.

45' - End of first half. Real did show how to kill a match before actually playing it. One shot (that didn't even seem so), one goal. One error by United's defence, one goal. Less than one third of the game, and it seems already over, with merengues playing as in trash-time, doing tricks, being dangerous without sweating, and the reds trying to put together some football. Ferguson will have to do better than just kicking shoes.

49' - Good shot by Raul, three-o. It has to be said, Barthez in Italy would sit on the bench.

51' - Ruud Van Nistelrooy does the thing he does best, scoring from inside the area after the goalkeeper rebounced a touch by Ryan Giggs.

53' - Another chance for Ruud, but Real's goalkeeper is on the ball. United is exploiting the post-scoring euphoria, playing quick and well.

55' - Real is alive again, and again Barthez makes some legs trembling.

56' - Beckham, left alone and free inside the area, shoots wide.

57' - John O'Shea in, Michael Silvestre out. Silvestre is good for England (even better, for Portugal or worse), not for Europe.

60' - The anchorman on ITV1 says 'That's better, that's Nicky Butt'. That is, Manchester United is growing.

61' - Scholes is too soft. But he's not Figo, Raul or (heresy) Zidane. C'mon Paul, throw that leg in the tackle.

62' - Roberto Carlos shoots, Barthez saves in a dangerous way.

64' - The NikeFake strikes again and again. On a good pass from Raul, he shoots wide. Alone facing the goal, he loses the ball. If I was an Inter supporter, I would be happy he's gone for good.

/* now my girlfriend keeps on the phone for about 15 minutes... you know, they loathe football ;) */

79' - Is Gary Neville really shooting? yes, wide. Poor Gary, always being 'the one without talent'. It's not his fault, he just wanted to do the same job of his brother Phil. 'I mean, how much difficult can ever be?'

80' - Young players don't show respect to anyone, and there is their greatness. O'Shea stops Zidane without trembling like its old fellow Gary Neville does. The man of the month here in England, Wayne Rooney, is 17, and it's great because he's not worried of doing the wrong thing. He takes all the chances, he's not scared to the bones by his coach, and suddenly seems from another planet. He's not from another planet, it's that all the others are gone to another planet, made of pressing press (seems a joke, it isn't), greedy sponsors, and the like. Today, the biggest worry for David Beckham is not playing great football (he rarely does), but shooting good ads for Pepsi/Nike/etc. and not being injuried (banal injury = less press coverage = sponsors not happy). Rooney is still just playing football. Let's see how many months he'll resist.

83' - NikeFake out. Who cares? His place in football history has already been set as The Most Overvalued Striker Ever, or The One That Scored Only At The World Cup With Other 10 Great Players Behind Him And Went To Earn More Than All The Others.

86' - Gary Neville out, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in. Ferguson throws the last card in his hand. Figo almost punish him the same minute.

87' - Figo and Zidane in the wild, the referee could have allowed a penalty.

89' - Barthez is a goalkeeper... really? Meanwhile: Solskjaer tries something, Scholes gives up, Van Nistelrooy fights, Keane receives the only yellow card of the match (you must show you are there for something, don't you?).

92' - Ferguson wanted an away goal, he had it. Problem is, Real took three home goals as well. Now, Manchester United has to win 2-0, or by three goals at least. At Old Trafford (another great stadium, I admit it) will be a real fight for survival, because this Real Madrid is a constant danger. Today, they could have suffered a couple of goals, their defence being not good as their attack. They could be too relaxed, make mistakes... but China could send its first man on the moon tomorrow as well. This Real Madrid has so many pure talents, it's very difficult to play against it without being worried that one of those 'mad' forwards won't create something dangerous at any time. This year's United team is not the kind of team that goes out to take the match, it's full of experienced players that just 'sit on the river side' waiting the right time to bite. Against this Real Madrid, they need more young blood (O'Shea from the start?), more rage. They have three weeks very intense, with hard matches for the Premiership and the FA Cup; it could happen that they go from being able to win three trophies, to finding themselves without anything for the second season in a row. Anyway, who whins this quarter final will be a strong candidate for the championship.

Still, I hate those arrogant, better-than-everyone-else, beautifully-playing Real Madrid. What an italian I am :)