Real started as they had a major point to prove after not qualifying for the Final this year and could have taken the lead twice in the first six minutes. First Ruiz raced into the area and forced Martin Lach to save with his legs then Lach then produced a remarkable one-handed save to his right to push out Alvaro Martin's point-blank header.
Real then did take a deserved lead in the 13th minute when Jorge Lopez had a sight of goal after the receiving the ball on the left side of the penalty are but instead correctly decided to cross for Martin to tap in at the back post.
Slovan were by no means over-awed by their opponents and Michal Dukes could have levelled the
scores on the 20 minute mark but his low shot from 15 metres drifted wide when perhaps his teammate
Robert Vanis was in a better position. Real were more clinical though and it was the same Morata-Martin combination that created the second goal on 21 minutes, the former flighting in a free-kick down the central channel and striker Martin grabbing his fifth goal of the tournament with a neat flicked header.
12 minutes later and the scenario repeated itself, Slovan missing an opening when Michal Dukes
fired his shot from Marcel Oravec's through-ball against Ricardo Garcia's body and then Real showing how it should be done through Lopez's incisive pass and Martin's dink over a helpless Slovan goalkeeper into the goal.
Chances were still being carved out but Adam Osuch couldn't convert two late first-half opportunities and for Real Jaime Garcia rounded the keeper but contrived to place his shot into the
sidenetting with the goal empty.
With both teams playing their third match in four days they both understandably started to tire and
the second half was played at a much slower tempo than the first despite a raft of half-time substitutions. Slovan coped better and came back into the game on 64 minutes when Boris Turcak
planted Osuch's pass first-time into the far right corner of the net.
A few minutes later Alvaro missed a gilt-edged chance of a fourth goal when his shot was blocked by
Lach and he failed to convert the rebound, something he must have immediately regretted when Slovan
went straight down the other end and pulled a second goal back, Osuch finally converting when he
volleyed the ball low and sweetly into the far right corner of the net. A few nervy final minutes
remained but Real saw them through to claim third place and the bronze medal in the 2009
PUSKÁS-SUZUKI CUP. Alvaro Martin now has six goals and is in pole position to claim the tournament's top goalscorer award.
Real Madrid CF 3-2 SK Slovan Bratislava
Székesfehérvár, att: 900. Referee: Zsolt Szabó. Assistants: Róbert Kispál, Vencel Tóth II. 4th
official: István Vad II. Goalscorers: Real - Alvaro Martin 13, 21, 33. Slovan - Turcak 64', Osuch
77'.
Yellow cards: none.
Real: Ricardo Garcia (GK) (Manchado 41'), Martinez, Gutierrez (Delgado 62'), Sergio Garcia,
Poirrier (Vives 49'), del la Cruz (c), Ruiz, Lopez, Alvaro Martin, Diaz (Esara 41'), Jaime Garcia
(Jorge Martin 41').
Slovan: Lach (GK), Drobnak, Vrablec, Dukes (Kovac 41'), Fekete, Cingel (c) (Kantner 41'), Vanis,
Semrak (Turcak 56'), Stefunko (Pauschek 41'), Oravec (Strba 41'), Osuch.
Real then did take a deserved lead in the 13th minute when Jorge Lopez had a sight of goal after the receiving the ball on the left side of the penalty are but instead correctly decided to cross for Martin to tap in at the back post.
Slovan were by no means over-awed by their opponents and Michal Dukes could have levelled the
scores on the 20 minute mark but his low shot from 15 metres drifted wide when perhaps his teammate
Robert Vanis was in a better position. Real were more clinical though and it was the same Morata-Martin combination that created the second goal on 21 minutes, the former flighting in a free-kick down the central channel and striker Martin grabbing his fifth goal of the tournament with a neat flicked header.
12 minutes later and the scenario repeated itself, Slovan missing an opening when Michal Dukes
fired his shot from Marcel Oravec's through-ball against Ricardo Garcia's body and then Real showing how it should be done through Lopez's incisive pass and Martin's dink over a helpless Slovan goalkeeper into the goal.
Chances were still being carved out but Adam Osuch couldn't convert two late first-half opportunities and for Real Jaime Garcia rounded the keeper but contrived to place his shot into the
sidenetting with the goal empty.
With both teams playing their third match in four days they both understandably started to tire and
the second half was played at a much slower tempo than the first despite a raft of half-time substitutions. Slovan coped better and came back into the game on 64 minutes when Boris Turcak
planted Osuch's pass first-time into the far right corner of the net.
A few minutes later Alvaro missed a gilt-edged chance of a fourth goal when his shot was blocked by
Lach and he failed to convert the rebound, something he must have immediately regretted when Slovan
went straight down the other end and pulled a second goal back, Osuch finally converting when he
volleyed the ball low and sweetly into the far right corner of the net. A few nervy final minutes
remained but Real saw them through to claim third place and the bronze medal in the 2009
PUSKÁS-SUZUKI CUP. Alvaro Martin now has six goals and is in pole position to claim the tournament's top goalscorer award.
Real Madrid CF 3-2 SK Slovan Bratislava
Székesfehérvár, att: 900. Referee: Zsolt Szabó. Assistants: Róbert Kispál, Vencel Tóth II. 4th
official: István Vad II. Goalscorers: Real - Alvaro Martin 13, 21, 33. Slovan - Turcak 64', Osuch
77'.
Yellow cards: none.
Real: Ricardo Garcia (GK) (Manchado 41'), Martinez, Gutierrez (Delgado 62'), Sergio Garcia,
Poirrier (Vives 49'), del la Cruz (c), Ruiz, Lopez, Alvaro Martin, Diaz (Esara 41'), Jaime Garcia
(Jorge Martin 41').
Slovan: Lach (GK), Drobnak, Vrablec, Dukes (Kovac 41'), Fekete, Cingel (c) (Kantner 41'), Vanis,
Semrak (Turcak 56'), Stefunko (Pauschek 41'), Oravec (Strba 41'), Osuch.
