Real Madrid is humiliated as it is knocked out of European championships
The most expensive soccer team ever assembled, a team with a record nine European championships, a team that features the world’s highest-paid player, fell flat on its face Wednesday night in front of its own disbelieving and ultimately angry fans.
Real Madrid, watched by a sellout crowd at its home Santiago Bernabeu stadium — the same stadium that will stage the European Champions League final May 22 — was knocked out of the competition.
The humiliation could not have been more complete.
Florentino Perez, the club’s president, spent a staggering $360 million last summer in bringing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and others to Madrid.
It was proclaimed the second galactico era, a reference to the days when such standouts as Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and others ruled the roost in Madrid.
But in 180 minutes of play over two legs against Olympique Lyon of France, Real Madrid managed only a single goal. It was beaten, 1-0, in Lyon and managed only a 1-1 tie on Wednesday.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini almost certainly will pay the price for the failure to reach even the quarterfinals of a tournament Real Madrid was intent on winning this year after archrival Barcelona’s success last season.
“I am not going to resign,” a defiant Pellegrini said afterward. “I’m not going to quit the fight.”
He probably will be shown the door regardless of whether Real Madrid goes on to win the Spanish league championship, which Barcelona also claimed last season.
Real Madrid was stunned by the loss. The players had confidently expected to overcome the defeat in Lyon and, indeed, had tied the aggregate score at 1-1 when Ronaldo, who earns $17.7 million a year, the most by any soccer player, according to Portuguese reports, scored within the first six minutes.
But Real Madrid squandered a hatful of other scoring chances in the first half, and in the second 45 minutes Lyon took charge, keeping the ball away from Madrid and mounting one attack after another. Miralem Pjanic’s goal in the 75th minute proved decisive.
It tied the game at 1-1, put Lyon ahead in the series, 2-1, and left Ronaldo and company needing to score twice in the final quarter of an hour against one of the best defenses in the Champions League.
The mountain proved too big to climb.
“It was everyone’s hope to be able to play the final at the Bernabeu,” Pellegrini said. “The changing room is hurting.”
Many of the 80,354 fans were pouring out of the stadium before the final whistle and it did not take long for the finger-pointing to begin.
“We showed, once again, that in the big games we are unable to go for the kill,” midfielder Guti told Spanish television. “We should have played more like a team instead of playing like a group of individuals.”
Also falling by the wayside in the Champions League on Wednesday was seven-time European champion AC Milan, which was comprehensively beaten, 4-0, by Manchester United in England and went out, 7-2 on aggregate.
Two goals by Wayne Rooney and one apiece by Ji-Sung Park and Darren Fletcher were more than enough to kill any hopes Milan had of rescuing the series after it had lost the first leg, 3-2, in Italy.
The result was bittersweet for David Beckham. The former Manchester United star remains a fervent Manchester United fan, but as now an AC Milan player he had hoped for more in what must almost surely be his final appearance on the Champions League stage.
Old Trafford was draped with banners that read: “Welcome Home Becks” and fans in the crowd of 74,595 sported scarves bearing Beckham’s name — souvenirs, no doubt, from his days with United.
“It was a disappointing night because we lost the game,” Beckham told British television, “but returning here is always special. It was unbelievable. I have to say thank you. It was really incredible.”
The on-loan Galaxy player was given only a cameo role to play. He was brought into the match for the final 26 minutes, with AC Milan already trailing, 3-0, in the game. Apart from one sweetly struck volley that flew straight to Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and a few pinpoint crosses, Beckham contributed little.
Milan, in fact, was outclassed in every aspect by a Manchester United team that was in control from the moment Rooney headed in his first goal in the 13th minute.
Rooney’s second goal, also on header just after halftime, was his 30th of the season in all competitions and it is difficult to see how the U.S. defense is going to stop him when England plays the U.S. in the World Cup opener for both teams on June 12 in South Africa.
“I think, without a doubt he’s one of the best, if not the best, player at the moment, along with Ronaldo and [Barcelona’s Lionel] Messi,” Beckham said.
Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Olympique Lyon have reached the last eight of the Champions League, which resumes next week with eight more teams, including Barcelona, Chelsea and inter Milan, seeking the remaining four quarterfinal spots.
Their coaches will be hoping to feel the same way Olympique Lyon Coach Claude Puel did Wednesday.
“It was a nice night out,” Puel said.
Jones reported from Los Angeles
