Goals: Real Madrid—Rodriguez 45’ - Alonso (own goal) 49’ - Arbeloa 85'
ABSOLUTE HAMMER BLOW BY @jamesrodriguez. Take a bow all of Colombia! 1-0 #beINLaLiga https://t.co/Td7ztYS8qd
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) April 29, 2015
Recap: Ninety minutes of Spanish football saw Real Madrid defeat Almeria 3-0 on Wednesday.
A patient first half provided a myriad of half-chances for the hosts, but the breakthrough didn’t arrive until the dying seconds. Shades of his World Cup goal against Uruguay, James Rodriguez belted home the opener on the volley. Real Madrid’s 100th goal of the season arrived in style. More would come in the second half.
Beautiful build up forced Almeria’s Mauro Alonso to be in a precarious position, poking the ball in his own net just four minutes after the restart. Alvaro Arbeloa sealed the 3-0 victory in the 85th minute.
Make that two for @realmadriden, and it's @Cristiano. 2-0. #beINLaLiga https://t.co/JtZTSvh0PI
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) April 29, 2015
Key Moment: It would’ve proved to be of little consequence, but Almeria’s shouts for offside following Madrid’s second goal were both valid and unheard.
Man of the Match: Forget the goal, James proved to be Madrid’s most impactful player on the afternoon. The 23-year-old created two chances and completed 91 percent of his passes.
Lesson Learned: Angel Di Maria made the mistake, not Real Madrid. Following his success in the 2014 Champions League final, the Argentine made it abundantly clear he wasn’t interested in battling for minutes with a then-newly acquired James. A wise decision, for it would’ve been no contest. Many categorized the Colombian’s arrival as a marketing effort for Los Galacticos to sell shirts in South America. What transpired, however, was the evolution of the club’s most creative talent. Few players in all of football are irreplaceable. Clearly, Di Maria wasn’t one of them. With every passing week, James is proving he is.
Up Next: Real Madrid battle Sevilla on May 2, while Almeria host Celta Vigo on May 4.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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