CR7 ON HIS WAY TO BEING A 60-GOAL PICHICHI

sky is the limit

Ronaldo picked up a brace against Eibar and there isn't a rival in la Liga that can resist him.

29 out of 29 in Spain. Wearing the white shirt, he has racked up 50 victims out of the 51 rivals he has faced in total. Only Dinamo Zagreb has managed to keep all his efforts out of the back of their net.

Against Eibar, Cristiano scored his first just before half time, with a right-footed rocket of a shot that flew into the corner. Carvajal took the ball to the goal line and passed back to the Portuguese, who knew exactly what to do. That was his 19th goal from his 11th league game. To come would be his 20th, from a penalty, making this the best start to a season in the history of the Spanish league.

Ronaldo is running amok, tearing records down, threatening to become the league's top goalscorer of the season with, if he carries on at this rate, a total of 63. Mind-bending figures, Ronaldo is not of this world.

Just a couple of goals away from the 200-mark, the player picked up a brace and would have gone for the hat-trick if Ancelotti hadn't decided to rest him. After scoring his team's 4th he marched off to the dugout for a little r&r, the game now a done deal. Apart from his two goals, he had also served up an assist to James. A perfect performance that Ancelotti and his assistants congratulated him for. He left Ipurúa with 198 goals from 176 matches. Welcome to planet Cristiano.

An easy win against Eibar

another great win

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace while James and Karim Benzema also found the back of the net to give Real all three points against the newly-promoted side from the Basque Country.
Isco who was chosen to fill the Croatian’s traditional role in the center of the pitch alongside Toni Kroos
With midfielder Luka Modric sustaining an injury while on international duty, manager Carlo Ancelotti had to make a tweak to his normal starting XI, and it was Isco who was chosen to fill the Croatian's traditional role in the center of the pitch alongside Toni Kroos. Out on the flanks James manned the left while Gareth Bale was stationed on the right with the Colombian and Welshman tasked with helping Ronaldo and Benzema up front in attack. In defense it was a full-strength back four consisting of Dani Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo in front of goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Eibar looked very much up for the task in the first 20 minutes as the modest Basque club went toe-to-toe with their illustrious visitors. The best chance early on came from Bale whose long-range free kick rang off the crossbar after a touch from Eibar goalkeeper Xabi Irureta. The rebound fell to Ramos but the Andalusian defender failed to hit the target.
The Ballon d'Or favorite struck a spinning shot that rolled into the top right corner of the net to make it 2-0
Good fortune was on Real’s side in the 23rd minute and it helped them open the scoring with a James header. Carvajal led a charge into the Eibar area and fed Ronaldo on the right. The Portuguese passed to a clearly offside Benzema, but the ball simply hit off the Frenchman and back to Ronaldo. Right as the ball was about to roll over the end line, Ronaldo lifted a ball back across at the far post and James was there to nod it in.
On the half hour mark Eibar had the equalizer on the boot of Saúl after a brilliant cross in from Ander Capa, but Casillas timed his block to perfection to deny the Asturian striker. Eibar were left to rue that missed chance as Los Blancos doubled their lead a minute before the break. Carvajal did well to cross for Ronaldo and the Ballon d'Or favorite struck a spinning shot that rolled into the top right corner of the net to make it 2-0.
Real looked to salt away the match in the second half and Benzema nearly did so in the 54th minute, only for Irureta to come up with a big save to keep his side in it. But the former Lyon man would get another chance in the 70th minute and this time he did not
waste the opportunity in slamming in a shot after a nifty pullback by James which Eibar thought had gone out of play.
Ronaldo made it four by converting an 83rd minute penalty after the Portuguese's previous free kick had struck the arm of Eibar's Raúl Albentosa in the area. Ronaldo swept in the spot kick into the lower left corner of the net past Irureta to complete the scoring and sending Real on their way back to the Champions League on a winning note.

real madrid vs eibar live stream link

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/campeonx1

No Space For Bale To Repeat Cup Final Heroics

catch me if you can

The distance between the touchline and the first row of fans at Eibar's cosy stadium is a measly 95 cm, so we can rule out a repeat of Gareth Bale's incredible Copa del Rey final winner.

During that iconic run in Valencia, the Welshman veered so far off the pitch that he actually set foot in the technical area. If the final had been staged at Ipurúa rather than the Mestalla, Bale would have had to hurdle the seats in the away dugout - located just 50 cm from the sideline - while Marc Bartra would have faced a much easier task to block the Real Madrid speedster's path along the warm-up area.

Leaving aside the playing surface, Eibar's ground is cauldron-like because of its compact layout, which leaves the supporters breathing down the players' necks.

And you can rest assured the place will be rocking for Real Madrid's visit. No one wants to miss the occasion: the club has been inundated with media requests and tickets have been sold out for a week, meaning all 5,907 seats - a figure bolstered this season by the installation of temporary stands - will be occupied.

The Basque minnows had as few as 350 tickets to put on general sale, at prices ranging from €40 to €90, and these were all snapped up on the first day. Some fans had even camped out by the stadium overnight to make absolutely sure they would get to see the European champions.

REAL MADRID FACE POTENTIAL BANANA SKIN IN EIBAR

challenge accepted ?

The trip to La Liga new boys Eibar will not be a walk in the park for Real Madrid and promises to drag the European champions out of their comfort zone.

The international break came at the worst possible time for Carlo Ancelotti's men. Before the players went off with their countries, 'Los Blancos' were in red-hot form, having soared to the top of the table and gained plaudits aplenty across the world for their devastatingly effective possession-based style of play.

Now, two weeks on, there is a danger of all that momentum having evaporated. All the more so with Croatian orchestrator Luka Modric laid low, though the fans and squad remain confident Ancelotti will find the winning formula in his absence.

Today's venue itself could call for a less intricate approach. The Ipurúa pitch is five metres narrower than the Bernabéu and, with the crowd right on top of the action and the balconies of the surrounding buildings packed to the rafters, it can prove an intimidating place to visit.

Though the Real boss is keen to keep up his side's swashbuckling antics, he knows that coming away with three points is what matters most and has told his players that these are the sorts of matches in which titles can be won and lost. As such, the Italian has made it clear that some blood and thunder would not be amiss amid the artistry if it gets the job done.

Real Madrid not writing off Eibar

another challenge

After they were scattered to the corners of the globe for two weeks to represent their national teams, Ancelotti welcomed back his international players so they can get straight back to focusing on La Liga.

The visit to Ipurua, where 'Los Blancos' play their first match as league leaders, will be a much tougher test than the reputation or the capacity of Eibar's stadium might suggest. And the Real Madrid squad know it.

"Leagues are won and lost at these grounds", remarks one of the dressing room heavyweights. In fact, Ancelotti and many of his players remember how Real dropped points at grounds such as El Sadar and the José Zorrilla which could have given them the league title.

Real will arrive at Ipurua with a run of 13 wins on the trot in La Liga and the Champions League. The objective is to make it 14, but they know Eibar will not go down without a fight.

CR7, Real's hotspot hotshot-elect

right at the point

Some records are more significant than others, but whatever the case may be,Cristiano Ronaldo is a step away from adding yet another feather to his cap with regards to Real Madrid's history books.

Having taken 43 penalties for Real in La Liga, Cristiano is just one behind Hugo Sánchez's all-time mark of 44. The difference is that the Mexican legend converted 35 of his spot-kicks, while so far CR7 has netted 40, meaning he has the best conversion rate among the club's most regular takers.

Ronaldo's three league misses from 12 yards give him a 93% penalty strike rate, way ahead of Sánchez's 80%. His closest challengers on this count are Míchel, who scored 28 of his 34 attempts from the spot, and Pirri, who notched 23 of 28. The only more impressive conversion record (almost 95%) belongs to Paco Gento, who fluffed just a single spot-kick of the 19 he took for the club in the Primera División.

The 29-year-old has put away five penalties in La Liga this season, against Atlético, Elche (2), Levante and Barcelona. With the chance in the offing to become Real's hotspot hotshot and claim a new victim in the process, who would bet against Ronaldo increasing that tally in his first-ever meeting with Eibar this weekend?

Goliath, fear David

are we expecting the unexpected ???

REAL SUFFER AGAINST NEWBIES PLAYING AWAY

Eibar lie in wait for Real Madrid. Something not seen so for a long time in la Liga: a team making their debut in Spain's top flight, a new stadium to conquer for 'Los Blancos', who have only set foot on this turf in a Cup game two decades ago (1-1, with goals from Cuevas and Guti). On paper, it may look like a breeze for the Madrilenians, but history knows otherwise. Their results when visiting Division One debutantes are nothing to shout about.

As we can see from their figures, Real Madrid have a hard time figuring out how to handle these unknown quantities: three defeats, five draws and just three victories over the last 24 years.

Real did manage to win in their last visit to a newbie stadium. This was against Xerez with Pellegrini at the helm. 'Los Blancos' cruised to an easy victory at the Chapín stadium, coming out the 3-0 winners thanks to a goal from Arbeloa and a brace from Cristiano, who was just starting to make his mark at the club.

Before that, things were not so good. UD Almería sent Schuster's team home with their tails between their legs in the 07/08 season and Getafe did the same in 04/05. Ironically, it was Negredo and Albiol that gave their teams their victories - both players being signed by a duly impressed Real Madrid shortly afterwards.

Ipurua has the ability to suffocate Real. It is a stadium much like Los Pajaritos and the Francisco de la Hera - cages that left the Madrid team without seeing the back of the net even once on their first visit. The Goliath of the Spanish first division would do well to be wary of the young, recently-arrived David.

Here are Real Madrid's away results against teams making their debut in the First Division over the past 24 years:

90/91
Real Burgos 2-1 Real Madrid

91/92
Albacete 1-3 Real Madrid

94/95
Compostela 1-1 Real Madrid

95/96
Mérida 2-2 Real Madrid

96/97
Extremadura 0-0 Real Madrid

98/99
Villarreal 0-2 Real Madrid

99/00
Numancia 0-0 Real Madrid

99/00
Málaga C.F. 1-1 Real Madrid

04/05
Getafe 2-1 Real Madrid

07/08
U.D. Almería 2-0 Real Madrid

09/10
Xerez 0-3 Real Madrid

Kroos - handle with care

handle with care

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT WITH MODRIC OUT OF ACTION

Toni Kroos is now a one-man band shoring up the Real Madrid midfield. Or at least, that is how the 'Los Blancos' coaching team see it in the light of Luka Modric's injury. The German and Croat are the squad's two most utilised players, stalwarts for the Italian coach, who rebuilt the team around them after the departure of Xabi and Di María.

Kroos and Modric have been the driving force for 'Los Blancos' in the centre of the field, which explains the current feeling of concern in the Real Madrid dugout. With Modric ruled out for the next three months, making sure Kroos is fighting fit is now a top priority. There is no obvious substitute for the German in the team and any injury, coupled with that of the Croatian player, would see the midfield that Ancelotti has painstakingly put together crumble.

The aim, therefore, is to wrap Kroos in cotton wool. The German, more essential than ever, will be managed as much as possible. He will definitely not play the Copa del Rey match against Cornellà nor the game against Ludogorets at the Bernabéu, and could also have some time on the bench in the Basel match next week.

Ancelotti will continue to take full advantage of Kroos' talents, but will try not to tap his reserves more than is absolutely necessary, at least, while Modric is out of action. He will be part of the starting line up against Eibar.