Tag: Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid make light work of Atalanta to reach Champions League quarterfinals | Football News – Times of India

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MADRID: Real Madrid easily overcame Atalanta 3-1 at home in their Champions League last-16 second leg on Tuesday to stroll into the quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate.
Karim Benzema scored a sixth goal in five games to put the 13-times European champions in charge after 34 minutes following a poor kick out by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello which was intercepted by Luka Modric.
Captain Sergio Ramos put Real further at ease when he converted a penalty on the hour, although the Italian side managed to get one goal back thanks to a free kick from Luis Muriel in the 83rd.
But any hope they had of making a recovery was quickly dashed a minute later by a low strike from Real substitute Marco Asensio.
Real, who were knocked out in the last 16 by Manchester City last term and Ajax Amsterdam the season before, reached the last eight for the first time since 2018.

Zinedine Zidane’s side will be the only Spanish team left in Europe’s elite club competition unless city rivals Atletico Madrid overturn a 1-0 deficit at Chelsea on Wednesday.
“The most important thing was to get through as we hadn’t done that the last two years,” said Modric.
“We have to take each game as it comes and see how far we get but tonight we showed that there’s a lot of hunger still in this team and I hope we can go very far.”
The draw for the rest of the competition is on Friday.

HIGH PRESSING
Atalanta had pulled off away wins over European giants Liverpool and Ajax in the group stage and nearly got off to an ideal start when Robin Gosens met a Muriel cross in the third minute but was thwarted by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The Serie A side continued to harass Real with their high pressing but the hosts slowly managed to pass their way out of trouble thanks to the experienced heads of midfield duo Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Real found the breakthrough on the night thanks to some high pressing of their own which saw Modric stick out a leg to block Sportiello’s poor kick and then square the ball to Benzema, who calmly stroked it into the net.
“This was a very demanding game,” added Modric. “Atalanta are a very physical team and press you all over the pitch without stopping. I think we played well from the start and we’re very happy to make it to the quarter-finals.”

Real’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr should have added to their lead after a superb move involving left back Ferland Mendy but after doing the hard part to coast past Atalanta’s defence he missed the target from close range.
He made amends by bursting into the area and drawing a foul in the box by Rafael Toloi, allowing Ramos to blast the spot kick beyond the outstretched Sportiello and effectively end the tie as a contest, scoring his 101st goal for the club.
“We came out onto the pitch with the ambition to win the game, to dominate the ball and control the play and we did that and had chances to score even more goals,” said Ramos. “There’s still a long way to go this season but this is the right path.”



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Real Madrid closer to full strength for Champions League game against Atalanta | Football News – Times of India

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MADRID: Real Madrid is seeing some of its tops players get back in shape at a crucial time of the season, and coach Zinedine Zidane will have the squad closer to full strength on Tuesday when it defends its first-leg win over Atalanta in the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Eden Hazard who have missed several matches recently because of injuries, including the first game against Atalanta are all expected to be available for the second leg at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.
Madrid had nearly 10 players sidelined not long ago, but little by little they have been coming back to action to help the club as it enters the final stretch of the season while still in contention in the Champions League and the Spanish league.
Benzema returned two matches ago and Ramos played in a 2-1 win over Elche in the Spanish league on Saturday. Hazard also played a few minutes against Elche, and Marcelo is set to return to the squad on Tuesday after more than a month out injured.
Ramos and Hazard were out for nearly two months. Ramos played from the start at the Di Stefano, while Hazard came off the bench near the end of the match in which Madrid won with two goals by Benzema, who had missed three consecutive games.
There is still some doubt about Hazard for Tuesday’s game as he did not start Monday’s practice session with the rest of the group.
The return of those players gives Zidane greater flexibility tactically, as he has been experimenting with different setups recently and could take advantage of having more options available. He has been favoring a 3-5-2 scheme that he used against Elche and is likely to try it again.
The return of Marcelo may make it easier for him to use that formation as the Brazilian can play well helping the attack. The 3-5-2 scheme backfired for Zidane a few weeks ago when he switched from a 4-3-3 formation halfway through a league match against Real Sociedad, when left back Ferland Mendy struggled and Madrid ended drawing 1-1 at home.
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini has almost a full squad available, though defender Remo Freuler is suspended following his red card in the first leg. Madrid will be without the suspended Casemiro because of an accumulation of yellow cards.
Atalanta has won all its European matches away from home this season, including a 2-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield. It has won three of its four games in Serie A since the first-leg loss to Madrid.
Atalanta is looking to make it to the Champions League quarter-finals for the second straight season. Madrid hasn’t made it out of the last 16 in the last two seasons.

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