Right place met right time as right-back Dani Alves hit home the wonder goal of the night’s Copa del Rey.
Los Blancos were already back on their heels heading into the final minute of the first half when a set piece saw the ball ricochet to a breaking Dani Alves, who kicked a brilliant ball that Iker Casillas could do little but admire.
The first half of the Copa del Rey was relatively drab when you consider what took place in the waning moments before intermission.
Real Madrid came into today’s rendition of El Clasico knowing they needed at least two goals against Barcelona to keep their hopes of advancing in the Copa del Rey alive.
The match has just gone to the half, and now Real Madrid needs a miracle. Barcelona is leading 2-0.
Things were quiet for much of the first half, but Barca absolutely exploded in the final minutes. Lionel Messi worked his wizardry to sneak a pass to Pedro, and he blasted the ball into the back of the net to give Barca a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute.
Many fans and experts alike saw Luis Suarez’s eight-match ban as the perfect opportunity to reignite Andy Carroll‘s faltering Liverpool career.
Not only has he failed to score, he has lost his place to a 32-year-old journeyman and a striker who has not scored since last May.
So what to do with a problem like Carroll?
It’s become a real head-scratcher for Kenny Dalglish, who is starting to receive the first waves of real criticism after giving the green light for the huge £35 million switch from Newcastle last January.
