CASILLAS HAPPY WITH AWAY GOAL
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has said that his extremely happy with the result at the Allianz arena after his club were defeated 2-1 by Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal.
Real Madrid dominated the early exchanges in the match, but it was Bayern Munich who took the lead through Ribery midway through the first half. Immediately after conceding the goal, Real Madrid were shell-shocked and never really recovered in the first half. However, they secured a vital away goal in the second half after Ozil tapped the ball from close range.
Just when it seemed that Real Madrid were going to come away from the trip to Germany with a 1-1 draw, Mario Gomez scored in the final few minutes of the match after a cross from Lahm. The 2-1 defeat means that Real Madrid have to win against Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu in the return leg next week. Further, Real Madrid will be having the match against Barcelona during the weekend, while Bayern Munich can comfortably rest of the players knowing that they do not have a chance of winning the title this season.
Even though Iker Casillas conceded that he would have liked to draw the match, the 2-1 result is certainly not a bad one considering the circumstances.
He told a Real Madrid fansite that “We managed to create a few more chances in the second half but ultimately they have scored at the end, so everything will now be decided in Madrid. We have scored away and that’s important. But we must remember that Bayern have good players. In Barcelona we will try to win and do our best to look after our own interests. It will be an important game for both teams, but not decisive,” Casillas said after the match.
After the return match has been played, all eyes will turn towards the European Championships, where the latest euro 2012 betting odds makes Spain the slim favourites to win the title, and retain their European Championships title.