Football: First blood to Barca in Spanish Cup

Guardiola pleased as team’s 2-1 first-leg win over Real Madrid.

MADRID: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was ecstatic after his team came from behind to beat holders Real Madrid 2-1 in the first-leg of an increasingly bad-tempered Spanish Cup quarter-final in the Santiago Bernabeu.

Second-half goals from veteran defenders Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal overturned a half-time Madrid lead for whom Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo scored.

“We played really well tonight,” said Guardiola. “We controlled the game and, apart from their goal, reduced Madrid to the one header from [Karim] Benzema. But because of their quality, anything can happen next week so we’ll go home and prepare for that and the league game at the weekend.”

Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was less satisfied.

“I didn’t expect to lose a goal to a dead ball as we did,” said Mourinho. “We were winning 1-0 and at that stage it was a bad result for Barca, it was a bad goal to concede. Psychologically it hurt us and Barca took control of the game from then on.

“The tie is now difficult for us, it’s still open, but difficult.”

It was the third victory in 12 months for the Catalans in the stadium of their biggest rival. Guardiola is yet to lose in the Bernabeu in four seasons in charge and his team appears to have a psychological advantage over ‘los blancos’.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2012.