Real Madrid vs. Chivas
Last night in San Diego’s Qualcomm stadium, the Guadalajara Chivas played Real Madrid as part of the World Football Challenge. I was surprised to see many empty seats in the stadium, but the fans for these teams never cease to amaze me with their enthusiasm for the sport. Chivas fans threw streamers down from the top levels, and during the second half they shot off full blown fireworks.
During the first half, the Chivas had some great opportunities and held their own against the Real Madrid powerhouse. In the 14th minute Marco Fabian scored on a play that was called offsides, and there were chances on both sides of the field for the rest of the half. Though scoreless, the first 45 minutes had some aggressive plays, leaving 3 players with yellows. Throughout the match it seemed that some players were becoming frustrated with certain calls, but overall I think the officiating team did a pretty decent job with the fairly physical play.
The action really picked up in the second half, though. In the 72nd minute Ronaldo scored, and it was downhill from there for the Chivas. The very next minute a ball in from Ronaldo bounced off the crossbar, and three minutes later he put in a PK after the Chivas fouled in the box. By the 82nd minute, Ronaldo had a hat trick off of a beautiful ball in from Mesut Ozil. Three goals in 10 minutes was the nail in the coffin for the Chivas who had trouble holding possession in the second half.
Though it is certain that neither team played its best lineup, it was fun to see two teams with over 100 years of history meet. I hope that in the future the WFC’s matches become less one-sided, but getting to see a hat trick from Ronaldo is definitely one of the benefits of tournaments like this.
Four WFC games will be played this weekend. Check out the schedule and enjoy!
-HD
The World's Sport 