As Xabi Alonso said, “Little pleasures, 3 points and an episode of ‘The Killing.'”  So here they are, the little pleasures from this game!

Little pleasures #1, 2, 3, 4: a cup of coffee; taking a walk; chatting and laughing with friends; Xabi Alonso.

Little pleasures #5, 6, 7: the adorableness of this team; Sergio’s hair; kisses.

Little pleasure #8: continuing the streak: it’s been almost 13 years since Madrid lost a derbi madrileño, a streak of 23 games and counting (divided into 16 wins and seven ties).  The last time Atleti won was back on Oct. 30, 1999, Iker’s first derbi.  La manera más sencilla indeed.

Another stat?  Madrid has notched up a 21-game non-losing streak in away games.

Little pleasure #9: Cris and his thigh/Antonio Adán celebration…

… although that thigh isn’t little at all, is it?

Little pleasure #10: the team celebrations.

I love the enthusiasm!

However, they have to take care that they don’t injure each other while celebrating, no?

Little pleasure #11: individual celebrations are great as well, especially when José Callejón points to that escudo that he loves so much.  He said after the game, “Real Madrid has been my team from the time I was small and it will always be.”  I hope Madrid will always be his team too!

Little pleasure #12: glitter, sparkles, shiny things: Cris’ goals were great, and then Cuatro gave them sparkly tails so they would be easier to see.  I love it!  By the way, Madrid has a record of 56-2-0 in the Liga when Cristiano scores.

Little pleasure #13: Karim posting photos of himself, with those hilarious expressions (unintentional, I’m sure) and hackneyed hand gestures.

Little pleasure #14: Xabi and his posing.

Little pleasure #15: the team player that is Cristiano.  After the game, Cris said, “I’m happy for the goals and the assist, and I thank my teammates, without them I can’t score or play my football.”  He added, “I’m not looking to set records, but to win titles for Real Madrid.”  With regards to possibly missing out on the clásico if he sees a card against Sporting, Cris said, “I’ve been in this situation for two months now [where one more card would result in a suspension of one game] but I’m behaving very well.”  And that moment when he tried to give the ball to Pepe but Sergio stole it?  Hilarious!

Calleti also said of Cristiano Ronaldo, “for me, Cristiano is the best player in the world, he does things that no one else can do.”  Meanwhile, Sergio said, “he’s the best player in the world.  We are lucky to be able to train with him everyday and to have him with us.”

Little pleasure #16: Cris putting the hat trick ball under his shirt after the game, and then walking around as if he were pregnant.

Little pleasure #17: the day Iker Casillas got on Facebook.  I miss Iker’s Facebook English though!  That was one of the big pleasures in life.

Little pleasure #18: of course, beating Atleti once again (it would be a big pleasure if it were a rarer event, no?), especially in light of how our team was treated.  Some of the ways Atleti’s fans tried to rile up Madrid before and during the game: first, they put up a sign reading, “coming soon to a theater near you.”  They then unfurled a gigantic banner reading “Ghostbusters,” with their players as the ghostbusters, and Mou, FP and Cris as the ghosts.  As the team arrived at the stadium, the crowd chanted “ese portugués, qué hijo puta es” at Mou.  During the warm-up, Cris got chants of “come out of the closet,” “son of a bitch,” “die,” and also “Messi, Messi, Messi.”  Pepe got “die,” “son of a bitch,” “assassin.”

Little pleasure #19: hugs.

Little pleasure #20: the class with which our boys picked up the bottles and other assorted items hurled at them after Cris scored the team’s second goal.

Little pleasures #21, 22: hearing Aitor Karanka speak (and gesture), and seeing Mou discussing things with the ball boy.

Following the game, Aitor Karanka praised his team and Cristiano: “it’s clear that he had a spectacular game.  Everyone’s work was spectacular as well.  When the game was the toughest, with the tie at 30 minutes left, the entire team did very good work.”  As for the Liga, “three days ago, when everyone thought we had lost the Liga, we still had confidence in ourselves and now we’ve achieved a win.  There are important games at play during each game like today.  You have to take it one day at a time.  The team is tranquil and has confidence in the work that it has done.”

Little pleasure #23: shots from inside the locker room, which are always welcome, no?  I love Mesut standing on the bench, and all of their smiles!

Little pleasure #24: seeing Sergio Canales’ return to action, after about six months out following a torn knee ligament, as Valencia beat Rayo 4-1.  He came in during the second half and played about 15 minutes.  He’ll continue his stay in Valencia next season, after that club and Madrid agreed to extend the loan for a second year.  Bonus: Roberto Soldado with Esteban Granero and Álvaro Arbeloa after the Madrid-Valencia game.  Did you know that Álvaro’s wife Carlota is the godmother of Roberto’s son Enzo?

Little pleasure #25: our captain.  I had forgotten to put this in my “all set for Atlético” post, but AS ran an interview with Atleti ‘keeper Thibaut Courtois, during which he said, “Iker was my childhood hero [this must make Iker feel old].  I like him a lot, and even though I have a lot of respect for him, he’s a rival and I will always want to beat him.  I admire his speed under the posts.  He’s a great goalkeeper… we spoke after the last derbi, in the locker room of the Bernabéu, and we exchanged shirts.  He told me not to think anymore about my expulsion, that I was having a good season and to continue like that, as I was very disappointed after the game.  Casillas is really nice.  Even though he plays in Madrid and is one of the best in the world, he hasn’t lost his human qualities and that’s something I really like about him.  He’s not only a great on the field, but also off of it.”