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Atletico Madrid 2-0 Real Madrid: Gimenez header puts
Blancos on the brink
A penalty from Raul Garcia was added to by the Uruguayan
centre-back to give los Rojiblancos the upper hand in their
Copa del Rey last-16 tie with their city-rivals
Jan 7, 2015 22:52:00
Atletico Madrid took charge of
their Copa del Rey last-16
meeting with arch-rivals Real
Madrid with a 2-0 victory in the
first leg at Vicente Calderon.
Fans' favourite Torres was the
centre of attention at Vicente Calderon after rejoining the
Spanish champions from Milan last week, having agreed a
loan deal until the end of next season. However, it was
Raul Garcia from the penalty spot and Jose Gimenez who
made sure of this first-leg triumph. Raul Garcia's 58th-
minute opener came after he had been hauled to the floor
by Real captain Sergio Ramos in the area, before Gimenez
headed home the second 14 minutes from time.
The returning Torres scored 91 goals in 244 games for
Atleti after making his debut at the age of 17, prior
to moving to Liverpool back in 2007.
The 30-year-old struggled for form after leaving the
Merseyside club to join Chelsea, but he was greeted by
more than 45,000 fans when he was unveiled at the
Calderon on Sunday.
Torres was given a hero's reception again here, although
he failed to have too much of an impact during his hour on
the pitch.
Nevertheless, he will no doubt be satisfied with a victory
over fierce local rivals Real in his first game back.
Torres' inclusion gave Atleti a welcome boost, and it was
soon followed by another when Carlo Ancelotti opted to
leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench as the visitors' fringe
players such as Keylor Navas, Raphael Varane and Sami
Khedira were given a chance to shine.
Ramos threatened to spoil international colleague
Torres' homecoming with less than a minute on the clock,
but a powerful fisted save from Jan Oblak kept out the
defender's header from a corner.
Torres was caught offside at the other end as he searched
for a memorable goal, before Gareth Bale looked to have
put Real in front with a header in the 13th minute, only for
the assistant referee to correctly flag for offside.
Atleti went on the counter-attack after Bale's effort had
been ruled out, but Antoine Griezmann had a strike tipped
wide by Navas, before drawing an excellent last-ditch
tackle from Varane.
A clash between Raul Garcia and Khedira went unnoticed
by the officials – the German hitting the deck after an
apparent push in the face – before the Atleti man saw an
effort blocked in the box by Marcelo.
Karim Benzema forced Oblak into a routine save from 20
yards six minutes from the interval, but clear-cut chances
were few and far between, despite the fast pace of the
opening period.
As they had done in the first half, los Blancos started the
second on the front foot, and Bale guided the ball just
wide of the left-hand upright after receiving a superb pass
over the top from Marcelo.
Ramos then hauled Raul Garcia to the ground in the 58th
minute to give the hosts the chance to break the deadlock
from the penalty spot, although there was some suggestion
of shirt pulling from the Atleti man.
The midfielder, who arguably should not have been on the
pitch following his clash with Khedira, stepped up to take
the spot-kick himself, and expertly dispatched the ball into
the bottom-right corner.
Torres left the field to be replaced by Koke after Atleti had
taken the lead, while Ancelotti threw on Ronaldo in a bid
to restore parity.
The Portuguese's introduction had little impact, though,
and Gimenez headed in Atleti's second from a corner in the
76th minute.
That was enough to send the hosts into the second leg
with a comfortable two-goal advantage, as Real fell to
their second consecutive defeat just a few days after
seeing their record-breaking winning streak ended by
Valencia.

Courtesy: goal.com
Broadcast by: Calistus David