This game wasn’t much better than the Mallorca game.  Mou says we need time, and Iker has asked for patience.  I’m going to comply with that because I really believe that things can only get better, and that soon we’ll be winning and playing beautiful football.

One. Did you catch the roar in the Bernabéu about 30 seconds in, when the final score of the Barcelona-Hércules game was flashed on the scoreboard?  Hércules lived up to their reputation as monster slayers!  People in the stadium cheered and sang (from “Hércules, Hércules” to some anti-Barça songs) for several minutes after that.  What a beautiful second goal from Valdez to beat Valdés!  Some fans were saying that Mou is a genius, because he managed to get rid of Drenthe and send him to Hércules to beat Barcelona.  Here we have the assistant coaches looking up at the scoreboard and the actual scoreboard.

Drenthe said later on that he received a lot of text messages from his former teammates congratulating him on the victory (they had also sent him texts throughout the week asking for a victory against Barcelona).

Two. The goal – as AS pointed out, it went from CR to RC.  They must be really bored.  Anyway, an unexpected player opened Madrid’s goal sheet this season.  I liked how Ricardo Carvalho also celebrated with the players warming up on the sidelines.  After the game, he said, “I’m happy that I scored, but happier that we won.”  Madrid ended up winning the game on this goal, 1-0.

Three. The tribute to the World Cup champs before the game.  More here.

Four. Iker stuff.  This was his first home game as first captain of Madrid, he hugged ex-canterano Juanfran at the end of the first half, he wore blue again (still no sign of the green kit), and looked bored and/or stretched for a lot of the game, which was no surprise, because Madrid spent about 2/3 of the game in possession of the ball.  A stat: Iker has had to make only three saves in two games.

Oh, and with this game, Iker tied Guti for ninth in Madrid’s all time Liga games played list with 387 games.  He should end the season in sixth place, surpassing Míchel (404), Osasuna coach Camacho (414) and Pirri (417) in the process.

Here’s Iker stretching, spitting & scrunching up his nose, showing off and squeezing Juanfran.

Five. Mesut Özil got a standing ovation as he was subbed out late in the game.  He was probably the only player the Bernabéu really cheered (some other players got whistles, including Cristiano, who said he didn’t hear them).  Mesut said the ovation was special, and that the Madrid crowd is a lot more tranquil than those at various stadiums throughout the Bundesliga.

Six. Mou stuff: he kept writing in his special notebook during the game, and I was also very entertained by his various facial expressions, one of the very few entertaining things in this game.

Seven. Both Pepe and Cristiano returned, and both looked good.

Eight. I liked what Michael Robinson (Canal Plus commentator) said as Karim Benzema was subbed out: “hay un buen jugador dentro de Benzema que quiere salir” (there’s a good player inside Benzema that wants to come out).

Nine. Xabi could really have a second career as a model; the man knows how to pose.  And without the beard, he looks five years younger!

Ten. Love these two pictures of Cristiano.

Eleven. Marcelo vs. Aranda.

Twelve. Kaká was at the game.  Good thing they showed him, because I’ve already sort of forgotten that he plays for Real Madrid.  I need to be patient with him too.

P.S. – on Sunday, he attended an equestrian event at the Campo Villa in Madrid with Luca.

Looking forward to the Ajax game; hopefully Madrid plays better in the Champions League!