Espanyol 0 Real Madrid 4 - The Mesut-Centric Pic Spam & Injury Update!

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

Espanyol 0 Real Madrid 4 - The Mesut-Centric Pic Spam & Injury Update!

Poor thing!

.

Pre-Match

As was noted in the post before this one, Mesut spent the evening before the match signing autographs for the fans who visited the hotel -



Lucky little cherub!


- And hanging out, as usual, with Sami Khedira, who was, as usual, texting someone.





And who just before the match began, gave us this absolute gem of a Samisut moment -





Mesut also debuted his new boots for the match!! And an interesting note about this week's Mesut-centric news-coverage in general. Since Mario Goetze of Borussia Dortmund signed a contract with Nike last week worth 1.5 million euros a year, the German sporting press have been reminding their readers that Mesut Ozil of Real Madrid is the third highest paid athlete in the sport in sportswear sponsorship after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (a testament not only to his playing skill, but his appeal to the wealthiest of commercial markets in the game: Germany) and receives 6 million euros a year - which doubles his salary, in effect. This is only one of his sponsorships, but it is the most valuable.





And that's all to the good, because with boots this hideous, he should be well paid! I'm missing the old white ones already though perhaps these monstrosities will look good with the all-white Real Kit and Germany's white socks. His calves are so nice though.


The Match

Mesut had a very quiet match. He was stuck out on the right wing and rarely saw the ball as Madrid's game plan was apparently to  keep trying to get the ball to the back of the Espanyol net via a very congested route on the left. At time is seemed as though the rest of the players had completely forgotten they were allowed to pass the ball onto the other side of the pitch. When the second goal ultimately came from the right hand side of the pitch, I won 5 dollars from the person I was watching the game with and hit several different blogs to gloat.





It made frustrating viewing at times, but the defence was so solid, and Higuain's second goal so very emphatic (as Mourinho as good as pointed out afterwards, once Real Madrid score twice, the game is usually over) that the game was a real thriller!





And 4 goal speaks to the general quality of the rest of the attack - just as a clean sheet speaks to the quality of the defence. Although Higuain got his hat-trick, Crispy Ronaldo could easily have also been named Man-of-the-match with not only two assists but the majority of the play-making.


Hugs For Higuain!

As we all know, Mesut has a long-term bromance with Pipita that was on full display during the goal-celebrations. For the first goal, it has been pointed out that in the following picture, Pipita and Mesut might as well not be there because Cris and Kaka are plainly having a tender moment!





But another interpretation (and angle) could suggest that Cris and Kaka might as well not be there because Mesut and Pipita are plainly having a tender moment of their own!





And for the second goal, one high-five simply wasn't enough for Mesut, who insisted on two!



"I can't get enough of you!"


Man on the Floor!

And then the drama! Mesut was fouled and fell to the floor and didn't get up.



Mesut between a forest of very fine legs.


This doesn't happen very often so his teammates were unusually concerned. As the brilliant UnaMadridista has pointed out many times on her blog, when a player hits the floor after a foul, he's normally the only person no one is paying any attention to in the general rush to handbags and referee crowding.





Mesut got plenty of attention however. The lads did have some very interesting ways of showing their concern. Marcelo (in white boots, orange heels) and Alonso (in black and blue) prodded him gently with their cleats while Crispy (in boots matching Mesut's) bounced the ball gently off his back, Sami (in white with blue heels) ruffled his hair and Pipita walked the length of the pitch to stand next to him. At one point Marcelo crouched down to rub his knee.





Well - let's just say the lads have some very odd ways of making each other feel better. I'm sure we can think of many better ways of cheering up bug-eyed gorgeousness like covering his tummy in Nutella and um yes.





The medical people took him straight off the pitch. Within a few minutes however he walked back onto the pitch to allow Callejon to be substituted in. So while the bruise was painful, it was obvious even at that point that nothing was broken.



A round of applause for andriy_7's first gif creation!


Press Reviews & Injury Update

Goal.com put it thus: Linked up well with his fellow attackers and was always looking to make something happen in attack with his vision [ie., is very adept at getting himself unmarked and into space and only needs a ball or two! tossed into his direction]. Proved he can work alongside Kaka in the Madrid attack, but it wasn't his most productive of evenings.

As for the injury, German newspapers are reporting nothing serious. Mesut is bruised and will be looked at by the doctors attached to the German National team. This is good news because I'm sure none of us want the idiots at Sanitas anywhere near him, thank you very much!

And that's all the news that's fit to print! Mesut and Sami Khedira will make their way to Germany, so cue much excitement from the DFB website this week.

Next Match, with the German National Team in Istanbul is on Friday.

.
.

Comments

[cwazy-weiven.livejournal.com]

Such a late reply to this post (I only just discovered this amazing LJ) and I was wondering if you had/knew were to find or download the video of this match?

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

Late replies are always very welcome :)

Unfortunately, not - I can post, but that is the limit to my Internet skills! One can download matches from Rojadirecta.es - but I have always found that site difficult to navigate or to find matches in unless I find the match the day it was played.

They have a tutorial link. I have never taken it though and that may help you - I hope it does. I should take the tutorial too, now I think of it!

I'm glad you are enjoying the site :) And good luck with Rojadirecta!