Sunday, August 12, 2007

Teresa Herrera


Deportivo La Coruña won their own pre-season tournament for the second year running. After defeating Atalanta (Bergamo) on penalties following a 1-1 draw they faced Real Madrid. The Spanish champions had beaten Os Belenenses (Lisbon) with a late Robinho strike assisted by a terrible error by the Portuguese outfit’s goalkeeper.

Real Madrid’s line-up for the final was a bit disappointing as they have the Supercopa (Spanish version of the Charity Shield) against Sevilla this weekend. Baptista scored a cracker though and I was well impressed by the defending of Sergio Ramos. Maybe he's one of those players you don't fully appreciate when watching on the telly. Depor also have new star to look out for – a Mexican international left midfielder/wing back called Guardado.

It was an entertaining game won by the hosts with strikes from Riki and a deflected Verdú free kick. It’s early days but there were signs that certain players, most notably Riki, might play with more freedom than last season when any flair Depor possessed was restricted by the stultifying tactics of Caparrós.

Os Belenenses beat Atalanta in the third place match but that didn’t stop the Italian fans from making a big noise on the streets of A Coruña.
Match highlights here:

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