VALDANO APOLOGISES FOR MADRID UPSET

• limpper

  28 Oct 09, 09:56

  Real humiliated in King's Cup

  
  

  MADRID - Real Madrid suffered an astonishing 4-0 defeat at third-tier side Alcorcon in the King's Cup on Tuesday, humiliated in the first leg by a club with a budget more than 400 times smaller than the La Liga giants.

  Real were missing their two most expensive signings, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, as well as several other key players, but were undone by a club with a 1.1 million euro annual budget compared to Real's 420 million.

  It was the third defeat in five matches for Manuel Pellegrini's side and piled more pressure on the Chilean coach after Saturday's 0-0 draw at Sporting Gijon and last week's 3-2 home defeat to AC Milan in the Champions League.

  "It's an embarrassment, I have no explanation," Pellegrini said at a news conference after the last-32 clash.

  "When you lose like that there is not much to say. Sometimes in the Cup you think that your weaker opponent is easily beaten and until you lose you don't take them seriously."

  Pressed about his future, he added: "I have never thought about, I am not thinking about, and I will not think about, resigning."

  A fired-up Alcorcon, who play in the same league as Real's youth team Castilla, laid siege to the visitors' goal in the frantic early stages of the last-32 clash, forcing Jerzy Dudek into a couple of smart saves with shots from distance.

  Former Real youth player Borja Gomez gave Alcorcon a shock lead in the 16th minute when he cut in from the right and curled a precise shot into the bottom left corner.

  Spain defender Alvaro Arbeloa inexplicably clipped the ball into his own net six minutes later before Fernando Bejar headed against Dudek's left post.

  Ernesto Gomez made it three five minutes before the break, sidefooting home Diego Cascon's cross from the right, and Borja pounced on a loose ball to make it four in the 52nd minute.

  Pellegrini replaced Raul with Ruud van Nistelrooy with just under 20 minutes left as Real searched desperately for a goal.

  Alcorcon keeper Juanma palmed the Dutchman's shot on to a post with four minutes remaining but Real were unable to find a goal ahead of the second leg at the Bernabeu in two weeks.

• limpper

  28 Oct 09, 09:57

  WOEFUL DISPLAY

   

  Real director general Jorge Valdano apologised to the Madrid fans for the side's woeful display.

  "It's difficult and I know how the Madrid supporters must be feeling," he said on the club's website.

  "We have to take it as a lesson in humility that must serve as a starting point for a fresh beginning.

  "We must stick together, and when I say together I am also thinking about the coach."

  Real president Florentino Perez, who spent 250 million euros on players in the close season, was watching from the stands at Alcorcon's tiny stadium south west of the Spanish capital, which had its capacity boosted to 4,500 from 3,000 for the match.

  In other Cup first legs on Tuesday, Quique Sanchez Flores marked his debut as Atletico Madrid coach with a 2-0 win at third-tier Marbella and Sevilla won 4-2 at Atletico Ciudad.

  Another Segunda B side, Cultural Leonesa, play host to holders and la Liga leaders Barcelona on Wednesday, while last year's finalists Athletic Bilbao visit second division Rayo Vallecano.      

• zocoss

  28 Oct 09, 14:21

  VALDANO APOLOGISES FOR MADRID UPSET

  

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  Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano has apologised to his club's supporters following the humiliating 4-0 Copa del Rey defeat to third division Alcorcon.

  Although missing a number of star players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso, Madrid still put out a strong team packed with internationals for the first leg of their round of 32 clash at neighbouring Alcorcon, but that did not save the Spanish giants from suffering one of the biggest upsets in their illustrious history.

  It took Segunda Division B side Alcorcon just 16 minutes to go ahead and they were 3-0 up by half-time and 4-0 ahead by the 52nd minute as Manuel Pellegrini's Madrid crashed to their third defeat in five games, having also lost to Sevilla and AC Milan,

  Valdano said after the match: "It's difficult. I know how the Madrid fans must be feeling and we apologise to them."

  Valdano believes Madrid can still turn the tie around in the second leg at the Bernabeu in a fortnight though, and also gave his backing to under-pressure coach Pellegrini.

  "This team is made of up good players and great professionals who are capable of turning this situation around. They are proud players and today we've had really a bad night.

  "We have to be united. And when I say united, I include the coach in that," added Valdano on his club's website.

   

• Louis dave36

  28 Oct 09, 23:53

  the coach will be sacked or replaced soon. for god's sake RM, pls appoint a high profile and high calibre coach who can stay in the job for long.

   

  they anyhow appoint a coach, then hope he succeed, then sack him when it became clear he isnt going to be successful. look at the last few coaches of RM, except for capello, he was sacked despite winning the league title and also for playing boring football.

• 2cansam

  29 Oct 09, 21:10

  the club players deserve it, as much as the coach does. 

• Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1)

  29 Oct 09, 21:12

  I be waiting for tis result upon Real not Bar

• sand king

  29 Oct 09, 21:39

  Missing 2 key players is just an excuse!