Ramos to the rescue as Real set new record
REAL Madrid captain Sergio Ramos produced more late drama by powering home a stoppage-time winner to beat Deportivo la Coruna 3-2 as the European champions set a new club record of 35 games unbeaten in all competitions.
Two goals in two minutes from Joselu just after the hour mark looked set to end Real’s unbeaten streak stretching back to April after Alvaro Morata’s opener.
However, even without the rested Cristiano Ronaldo, Real maintained their six-point lead at the top of La Liga as Mariano Diaz equalised six minutes from time before Ramos’s late intervention.
“When you fight to the end, these things happen,” said Ramos, who also netted a last minute equaliser against Bar- celona the previous Saturday.
“It wasn’t a great performance. We made mistakes which were costly, but at the end we managed to turn it around.”around.
Zinedine Zidane’s men have now surpassed Real’s previous record mark of 34 games unbeaten from the 1 9 8 8 - 8 9 s e a s o n under Dutch
c o a c h Leo Beenhakker.
Zidane made a host of changes ahead of Real’s trip to Japan for the Club World Cup in the week ahead with Ronaldo left out of the squad alongside Karim Benzema and Luka Modric. The European champions were exceptionally luc lucky not to be behind at thet break as Celso BorgesBorg headed against the po post and t he reboun rebound somehow escap escaped Guilherme wi with the goal ga gaping. R e a l looked to be on track for three points ea early in the second half wh when Morata turned 25 yards fro from goal and arrowed a drive in into the far corner. However, the game w was turned on its head in a tw twominute spell as on-loan StokeSto City forward Joselu – formerly of Real – struck his first two Deportivo goals.
Real were incensed that the referee didn’t blow for a foul on Casemiro in the build-up to the equaliser, before Carles Gil teed up Joselu to smash the ball in off the underside of the bar.
Real were still rocking from that blow when they were caught cold by another Deportivo counter and this time Joselu drilled the ball between the legs of Keylor Navas.
In his absence, Mariano was handed a rare first-team opportunity off the bench and took his chance to shine with a looping header from Lucas Vazquez’s c ross t hat l ef t Przemysław Tyton helpless.
The Polish goalkeeper then suffered an injury when colliding with the post as he made a save in stoppage time.
And Tyton had only just managed to get back to his feet when Ramos (pictured celebrating, AFP) powered another header into the net from Toni Kroos’s corner.
Barcelona remain second as Lionel Messi scored twice in their first La Liga win in four matches, 3-0 win at Osasuna, earlier on Saturday.
Luis Suarez rounded off a fine team move to break the deadlock just before the hour before Messi’s double in the final 17 minutes moved him ahead of Ronaldo as La Liga’s top scorer with 11 for the season.
At the bottom, Valencia fans clashed with their players on their return from a 3-2 defeat at Real Sociedad that leaves them outside the relegation zone on goal difference.