Iker Casillas, the Spain and Real Madrid captain, was left to damn the luck of Real Madrid after they got beaten by Bayern Munich in the second leg semi final match on Wednesday. Real made quite an impressive beginning at the Spanish capital, with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo scoring from the spot and later securing a close range finish to put Mourinho’s team in front in just after fifteen minutes.
But the German giant Bayern Munich responded in the 27th minute with Arjen Robben beating the Real goalkeeper after Pepe, the Real Madrid midfielder got penalized for charging Mario Gómez in the spot. None of the sides could score in the second half of the game even though Gómez froze off a very good scope to seal a final spot in normal time.
The Real captain Casillas told that they played a good game. The penalty shoot-out is all about luck and this is what it is all about. He praised the German side and wished them luck for the final match. The team is also thankful to the fans. With this win, Bayern Munich will meet the English club Chelsea on 19th May for the final match at the Allianz Arena in Munich after Chelsea defeated the Catalan club and defending champs Barcelona in the semi final.
Mourinho, the Real Madrid coach told that one needs to remain balanced both in the time of win and lose. The footballers were quite good and showed a great mentality against a great side. They are happy with their effort even if they have lost.
Real Madrid captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas has said that he does not have to clue with regard to the future of manager José Mourinho. José Mourinho’s future at Real Madrid has come under intense speculation of late after he was spotted in London looking at house. It is thought that José Mourinho is looking to return to England at the end of the season after growing tired of life in Spain. José Mourinho is regarded with great affection in England mainly because of his personality and character, while the Spanish people do not seem to have grown up to like him in the same way.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas was exceptional even before José Mourinho arrived at the Santiago Bernebeu, but like in the case of Petr Cech and Julio Cesar, José Mourinho has made Iker Casillas one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Following the sacking of Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, José Mourinho has been heavily linked with a return to Stamford Bridge, where many regard that he has an unfinished business. Mourinho won every title except the Champions League with Chelsea. There have also been reports that Mourinho will be looking at Tottenham and Manchester City in the summer.
“I have no idea. I do not know what he will or will not do. The same thing can happen to me. Perhaps tomorrow I will want to leave. No one knows what can happen,” Casillas told a Spanish daily regarding the future of José Mourinho. Real Madrid are currently the favourites to win the Spanish la Liga title from the hands of Barcelona after a gap of three years. They currently lead the table by 10 points, thus making José Mourinho the holder of titles from England, Spain, and Italy.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has said that the organisation in the set pieces let down the team in the recent match between Barcelona in the Copa del Ray quarter-finals.
Real Madrid were yet again beaten by Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu. This now means that Real Madrid are yet to win against Barcelona at home since 2008. José Mourinho does not seem to have had the desired effect when it comes to beating Barcelona because the Portuguese coach has managed to beat his Barcelona counterpart on only one occasion since taking over at Real Madrid. The 2-1 defeat on Wednesday was yet another example of the poor form Real Madrid have been having over Barcelona in recent seasons.
Even though Real Madrid are currently leading Barcelona by five points in the domestic league, José Mourinho would have seriously wanted to win this match in order to add some credibility to his claims that Real Madrid are much better than Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Real Madrid with a swift counter-attack in the first 10 min. It looked like it was going to be enough for Real Madrid, as they managed to hold out Barcelona for the rest of the first half. However, Carlos Puyol scored with a header immediately after the second half from a set piece.
Iker Casillas has said that it is due to the poor organisation of the set piece that Barcelona came into the match. “In the first half we achieved what we wanted to but we found it hard to defend on dead-ball situations. It’s a shame because if we had marked up on the play [that led to Puyol's goal], we would have achieved more,” said Casillas after the match with Barcelona. Casillas, however, denied suggestions that Real Madrid were too defensive.
Real Madrid goal keeper, Iker Casillas, has stressed that in spite of their team performing really well in this season and having a great start to their season, they must keep their feet on the ground and must take things one game at a time. They have won 11 of their first 13 games in the Primera Division, putting them on the top of the table over defending champions and arch rivals, Barcelona.
The Spain international feels that before thinking about El Classico and the Pep Guardiola’s side on 10th of December they should first concentrate on defeating Sporting Gijon at El Molinon on Saturday. Iker Casillas told the club’s official website: “We are doing a great job and must continue to do so. We have great objectives, but we must focus on short term goals and on one game at a time”. He also admits feeling lucky to play for one of Europe’s top teams and he has spent his entire career at the capital city giants. He added, “I am 30 years old and I’ve had 12 marvellous years here since I made my debut in 1999. I feel happiness. It honestly feels rewarding and gratifying”.
Iker Casillas has also implored his team mates not to take any of their Euro 12 opponents lightly. He said, “The European Championship 2012 draw has paired us with Italy, Ireland and Croatia. We must never be too confident; the respect towards all three teams has to be at its maximum. We know that every game we will be defending the title won four years back. It will be a great tournament with many teams giving us great matches”.
Casillas is Spain’s highest capped player in history, boasting 127 appearances for La Roja.
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May 4, 2012 6:43 am | 
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