After winning against Atletico Madrid, Depor's Copa del Rey journey continues.
But their opponent in the semi-finals is equally difficult - Real Madrid!
In the two-leg semi-finals, Depor will face Real Madrid twice - the team they have played against the most this season.
The first round of the match is just half a month later on January 30th. In addition to the 19th round of the league that has passed, Depor has played Real Madrid twice in January. The frequency is gratifying...
Before facing Real Madrid, Depor will also play matches in the 20th and 21st rounds of the league, against Malaga and Levante at home and away respectively.
They just finished playing Atletico Madrid in an away game on January 16th, and will play against Malaga on January 19th. The schedule is tight and they are all away games. Deportivo is under great pressure.
In this case, Yunsheng must consider his physical condition and conduct large-scale rotations.
In the defense, Zhang Linpeng got a rest, and two veterans, Lucio and Nesta, came on the bench.
Midfielder Dominguez replaced Ronaldo and formed a midfield line with Beckham and Cai Huikang. Beckham performed very well in the last game, and Yun Sheng directly arranged for him to start in this game. Pogba's condition has declined to a certain extent recently. Yunsheng removed him from the starting lineup and made targeted adjustments to him.
There was also a large-scale rotation on the forward line, with Camunias and Oliveira forming a shadow forward partner, and Drogba still started on the forward line.
Even though he has been fighting continuously, Drogba is still in good physical condition. The 33-year-old veteran is worthy of being called the "Warcraft".
The 20th round of La Liga on January 19 came as scheduled.
Depor was in big trouble in this game.
In the first round of the league this season, Depor unexpectedly swept Malaga 5-2 and won heartily. Also since that game, Depor's top position has never fallen.
In fact, when it comes to the strength of the two teams, there is not much difference, especially today's extensive rotation of Deportivo. Goalkeeper Navas, central defender Zhang Linpeng, defensive midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, and strikers Wu Lei and Henry, all of these players did not appear in the rotation. Coupled with the injuries of Riquelme and others, Depor's paper strength today is actually not as good as Malaga.
But even so, Malaga still played very conservatively.
A football match is somewhat similar to a fight between two people. If one person beats another person once, the other person will be frightened by him for the rest of his life.
That's what happened to Malaga today. Seeing that Depor defeated them 5-2 at the beginning of the season, they played a little timidly.
Although the head coach loudly encouraged the players and told them that Depor would play with a disabled team today, the Malaga players did not think so.
Although many of Deportivo's main players are not available, compared with the first half of the season, they still have Drogba and Beckham. Drogba is extremely powerful, and Beckham also defeated Atletico Madrid in the last game. Okay, let’s take it easy in this game...
In this mood, Malaga's momentum is not high.
In the 22nd minute of the first half, it was Beckham who made a precise pass. Drogba jumped up high in the penalty area and headed the ball towards the goal!
The ball hit the net hard!
1 to 0! Deportivo took the lead!
Looking at the two people who scored goals and assisted, the Malaga players were even more convinced - these two people are very powerful! Deco was great today!
Next, their formation continued to retreat, and even played very conservatively when trailing by one goal. This made coach Pellegrini so angry that he almost vomited blood.
But there was a twist. In the stoppage time of the first half, Malaga created a good opportunity with a careless pass!
This time it was Isco's quick advance after getting the ball. He sprinted along the wing and was pulled to the ground by Castro at the edge of the penalty area.
The referee's whistle sounded and Castro was given a yellow card! And a penalty kick was awarded!
This is Castro's second yellow card! Two yellows turned into one red, and he was sent off!
Isco scored a penalty of his own creation in one fell swoop.
1 to 1! Malaga equalized the score!
Pellegrini applauded excitedly on the sidelines. He called several players to his side and said loudly to him: "Now we have equalized the score! The morale is high! And Deportivo has one less player to beat! You must press Get up there! We have to win this game!"
Under the encouragement and request of Peggong, Malaga's morale has improved!
They frequently suppressed Depor's defense, and Depor was in a panic in front of the goal!
Yunsheng replaced Camunias, who had an average performance, and replaced Miranda with right back.
In this game, Yun Sheng originally wanted to rotate him, so he asked central defender Castro to make a guest appearance, but unexpectedly he received an unlucky red card.
Deportivo played one less player, and the players had just played away from home three days ago, so the disadvantage of lack of physical fitness became more and more obvious.
In the 73rd minute of the game, Isco shot a low ball from the top of the penalty area. The ball was fast and tricky and went straight into the dead corner of the goal!
Alan Subia tried his best to save the ball, but still couldn't touch the ball...
2 to 1! Malaga scored another goal and overtook the score!
The players' physical fitness declined, and Yunsheng had to continue to adjust personnel.
Warcraft Drogba was replaced and Wu Lei came on as a substitute. Yun Sheng needed his speed. Now Malaga's offensive is very fierce and the defense has no gaps. Wu Lei has a great chance.
In the midfield position, Yun Sheng replaced Dominguez, who had a yellow card, and replaced him with Belleron.
Veteran Belleron returns from injury. This is his first appearance in 2013!
Originally, Yunsheng didn't plan to let him come on as a substitute in this game. He just wanted him to feel it in advance. But now that the team is one goal behind, he needs some changes.
Before going on the field, Yun Sheng patted him on the shoulder: "Man, the first task I give you is to protect your body and don't fight too hard. I need a super player more than winning a game. Superstar health.”
Beleron smiled slightly: "Boss, don't worry, I want both health and victory!"
What Belleron said is true. After he came on the field, the team's midfield and frontcourt offense immediately improved to a higher level!
Even Beckham admires Belleron's frequent and accurate through balls!
Wu Lei and Oliveira get consecutive opportunities!
In the 86th minute of the game, Belleron created an excellent opportunity!
After a clean interception by Beckham, he passed the ball straight to Belleron who was advancing forward.
At the same time, Wu Lei and Oliveira ran at full speed and rushed towards the Malaga penalty area at high speed!
This made the Malaga defensive players very nervous and stared at these two players!
But unexpectedly, Belleron suddenly took a long shot from about 30 meters away from the goal!
The ball went straight into the upper right corner of the goal!
2 to 2! Belleron's first shot in 2013 helped the team score the key equalizing goal!
Jose in the live broadcast room couldn't help but sigh: "At the top of the league, Depor's veteran midfielder Riquelme used a record-breaking long shot to help Depor open their goal account this season. He has also become Depor has become the absolute core of the field this season. But Belleron used his performance today to tell everyone that there is another midfield master of Depor!"
