MATCH REPORT

In by far the most thrilling game so far Real Madrid and Corinthians came away with equal honours, but the refereeing was again the worst aspect of the game. Technically Corinthians should have won, for a perfectly legal goal was disallowed, but as the reverse happened to them on Wednesday there can be no real grounds for dispute.

This was a rough and tumble game, with no fewer than 8 yellow cards being handed out between the teams, and both teams fought hard for control - even resorting to some pushing and hitting in the second half. But it was the skill of Nicolas Anelka (who has failed to score in 16 games for Real Madrid but has managed 3 goals here so far), Edilson and goalkeepers Dida and Casillas that really shone. Anelka's first goal was a great example of skill; a low Roberto Carlos free-kick went straight to Anelka who casually flicked it behind him and straight into the goal. Shortly afterwards came the should-have-been equaliser, where Spanish 'keeper Casillas attempted clearance of a shot with two Brazilians scrambling over him. The ball bounced off of the Corinthians player and bounced towards goal, where Christian Karembeu's attempted header out only managed to knock the ball further in. The referee declared a foul on Casillas (although there was none) and the goal was disallowed. Minutes later, a defensive slip-up by Real gifted the ball to Luizão, who calmly passed to Edilson who in turn poked the ball in. Tempers were running high, and 3 yellow cards later the teams went into half-time level.

The second half commenced as strongly as the first, with both scorers Anelka and Edilson missing good chances. But it was Edilson again who put Corinthians back into the lead with a skillful run that ended with him knocking the ball through Karembeu's legs and into the goal. Real made some changes in midfield which paid off almost instantly as Anelka made a fantastically quick run past Corinthians defence, tricked Dida and rolled the ball into the net to level the scores once again. 10 minutes later, Real got their chance to go in front as Savio was fouled in the Corinthians penalty area. Anelka stood up to try for his hat-trick but penalty-saving specialist Dida stopped it easily. Minutes later the pushing and arguing commenced after a foul on Marcelinho, but it came to nothing and the game finished level.

Corinthians stay at the top of the table above Real, but only on goal difference. The winner will be decided in the 3rd round on Monday.