Jose Mourinho stated that his goal was to lead Madrid to the Copa del Rey and Champions League final. He is one step closer to achieving the first goal after Madrid trounced Barcelona 3-1 on the strength of two Cristiano Ronaldo goals.
Los Merengues got off to a quick start when Gerard Pique tripped Ronaldo in the box. The Portuguese star had beaten the defender on the right wing and Pique had no other choice but to take him down. On the ensuing penalty, Ronaldo shot the ball past keeper Juan Manuel Pinto to give Madrid a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.
The two teams would exit the half with Madrid up 1-0 but only 12 minutes into the second, Cristiano Ronaldo would double the lead. Angel Di Maria ran received a Sami Khedira aerial pass and raced down the left wing. He got Carles Puyol to over-commit and when the Barcelona defender fell, Di Maria took a shot. Pinto made the initial save but Ronaldo was in the box to pick up the rebound and blast it in.
11 minutes later Madrid would secure the win when a corner kick was headed in by Raphael Varane. The Madrid defender had been the star of the first leg with one goal and a number of gave saving plays.
Barcelona's Jordi Alba would eventually earn a goal for his squad in the 90th minute but Madrid ultimately won the aggregate by the score of 4-2.
Los Merengues now await the final result between Sevilla FC and Atletico Madrid to find out who they play for the crown on May 18, 2013. Atletico won the first leg at home by the score of 2-1 with two goals from Diego Costa.
With the brace against Barcelona, Ronaldo has now scored in six straight visits to the Camp Nou. He has scored six goals in five matches this season between the two squads. He scored in each of the Spanish Super Cup legs and scored a brace when the teams met in November.
According to ESPN, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was in attendance. His club and Madrid will face off next Tuesday in the second leg of the Champions League. Prior to that Madrid and Barcelona face off one last time this season (or not depending on the Champions League) on Saturday at 10 AM EST in Madrid.
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Barcelona 0-2 Real Madrid (Gol de Cristiano... by DaniDV
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Copa del Rey: Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid 26.02... by ourmatch