90 minutes is a long time at the Santiago Bernabeu

A renowned Catalan radio jockey, Joan Maria Poan once said: “For people who are not from Spain, it would be weird for them to know that Real Madrid’s ground is named after a big Franquista. Could you imagine if one of Berlin’s stadiums was called after a Nazi soldier?” It indeed is. Bernabeu was exceedingly involved in Franco’s army during the infamous Spanish Civil War, and most importantly, a figure like him was never dishonored.

Fifty years later, the Santiago Bernabeu still stands strong and gutted against the opposition. The players in white represent the very same passion and respect for the crest. Last night, the match was emotional. By emotions, I mean it wasn’t dull; there were moments of pride, shame and also realization. The match wasn’t just about getting those three points. It was about getting the lost confidence back. It was about proving the critics wrong. It was about showing what ‘Madridismo’ stands for.

Even before the game had started, there was fuss about the starting lineups. More or less, it was because of the inclusion of two 19-years old central defenders in each of the teams, viz. French player Raphael Varane and Serbian player Matija Nastasic. Players like Sergio Ramos and Joleon Lescott were left out on the bench. Michael Essien was set to wear the Blanco jersey for the first team. Pretty much, it seemed like a total bizarre, messed up scenario.

The game was set to start; the players came off from the tunnel. Handshakes, hugs were exchanged in the usual manner. The Champions League Theme song brightened fans all over the world. The match had started, and ‘#HALAMADRID’ was all that I could see on my Twitter Timeline. Yes even, I tweeted one, just so if you are wondering.

Passing the ball never looked much easier for Real Madrid. It was ticking; the team was picking up the pace. Real Madrid were playing with a classic 4-3-3 formation, rather unusual for the team. Xabi Alonso was playing as the deep lying playmaker, but this time partnered with Essien and Sami Khedira. The formation allowed Sami to move forward, and play more like the natural box to box player that he is. Cristiano Ronaldo was pumped up with adrenaline, and started the attack right away from the start with long shots on regular intervals. Real Madrid enjoyed 70% of the ball possession, hard to believe right? But, Joe Hart denied them all. Evil has a new name!

The match somehow took a new turn. Edin Dzeko was brought on in place of Spaniard David Silva. The latter was given a standing ovation by the Bernabeu fans after his brilliant performance for the La Roja Side. Getting back to the story, it was through Yaya Toure, that City could start a counter attack, eventually setting up a goal for Dzeko from a brilliant run. It was frustrating to see Yaya unmarked. You don’t leave someone like Toure unmarked. He is a powerhouse. Ferraris will have Yaya Toure engines in the future, villages will be based on Yaya Plants. That guy has enough power to support a village.

Marcelo, on the other hand, had been trying hard to put one through from long attempts, bringing up the old Roberto Carlos nostalgic memories. Oh, those were the days! It was his third attempt on the goal, and shockingly that went in. The shot had power, curl and everything it was needed at that moment. The goal was a moral uplift for the team, the goal was an equalizer.

The second goal from City came up from a free kick. It was the same old story. There has to be a goal from a set-piece in every freaking match, every damn match. At that moment, you would even prefer to watch a Jersey Shore episode. The French Cat was already brought on for Higuain. Monsieur Benzema had always been prolific in front of the goal in this competition, and boy, he didn’t let any of us down. All he needed was a couple of touches before putting one back home, greatly paced and finished. It was the 86^th minute, and most of us were cribbing for a winner. A win was thoroughly needed, after the humiliating start to the season. A goal was needed especially from an unhappy player who had been strongly criticized in recent times. And, well, the movie did have the perfect ending. The England goalkeeper kept showing his brilliance in the dying moments to save from Ronaldo – but the Bernabeu hero could not be kept out long and he fired in a low shot in injury-time. It was epic, it was brilliant, it kept us at the edge of our seats. Cristiano, who refused to celebrate after scoring in his last home game, didn’t hesitate to do so this time. He slid toward the corner before being mobbed by his teammates, while Jose Mourinho also seemed to release a weight of emotions as the Madrid coach slid onto the field on his knees with his fists pumping in delight. The match was over, we had won the match, we got the crucial three points, we got the lost confidence back.

Later Jose spoke to the media about his team: “I’m always proud of my team, whatever the outcome. I had the impression that things were not going right for us and we could have lost today, but fighting like animals, we did not lose as we had in Getafe or Sevilla. Importantly, when the team want to win they can. ”

“We recovered that DNA last year” he stated.

When asked about the Sergio Ramos’s exclusion, he was found pretty much annoyed. “Ramos has not played because the coach has decided not to play him. We’ re talking about a fantastic player. You journalists are inventing a discipline problem with Ramos that is not there. Simply Varane and Pepe were in better physical condition for this match, ” he told reporters.

Here’s a nice video, enjoy!