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Real tumble out to Giuly's double

Monaco 3 Real Madrid 1 <i>5-5 on aggregate; Monaco win on away goals</i>

Andy Stewart
Wednesday 07 April 2004 00:00 BST
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In the build up to last night's match, Didier Deschamps, the Monaco coach, had re-iterated the impossibility of his team's situation, being 4-2 down to the Spanish champions after the first leg at the Bernabeu, insisting it was hard enough to score a goal against the Galacticos, let alone not concede. He was proved wrong on both counts.

In the build up to last night's match, Didier Deschamps, the Monaco coach, had re-iterated the impossibility of his team's situation, being 4-2 down to the Spanish champions after the first leg at the Bernabeu, insisting it was hard enough to score a goal against the Galacticos, let alone not concede. He was proved wrong on both counts.

For Real Madrid's part, they came to Monaco with a seemingly comfortable two goal cushion, yet did not easily fit the mantle of favourites. They needed to defend and not take unneccessary risks, but their attacking tendencies were all too often exposed, leaving themselves conspicuously open in defence.

However it was the visitors that settled the quicker into the match. Zinedine Zidane, playing alongside the Spanish defender Borja in place of the suspended David Beckham, made the first impact on the game, with an effortless chip over Flavio Roma. But the Monaco goalkeeper stood tall and tipped the ball away.

This acted as the catalyst for Monaco, and in particular Fernando Morientes, still smarting from his less than amicable loan-out from Madrid. He had scored in the Bernabeu to give the French team some hope and when Dado Prso won a freekick on the edge of the Madrid box and Morientes lashed the ball at Iker Casillas, something resembling vengence seemed to have arisen. Madrid should have taken heed.

But after thirty five minutes and just as Deschamps had predicted, Real Madrid madehis team's task even harder. Ronaldo bundled his way to the edge of the penalty box and slipped the ball to Raul. Unmarked, the Madrid captain had time to curl the ball around the stricken Flavio.

However, the home side were level seconds before the break as Ludovic Giuly's strike gave them renewed hope. Morientes headed the ball to the Monaco captain, whose low volley from 25 metres out found the corner of the net. The momentum had changed direction. And within five minutes of the restart Monaco's self-belief had grown still further as Morientes jumped high to head home a Jerome Rothen corner.

Madrid heads were down, although it still seemed likely that they would draw on their usual swag bag of luck to ride out the winners. But this wasnot to be the case as Giuly scored his second in the 66th minute to send Monaco to a semi-final against Chelsea on away goals. Deschamps summed the night up: "This is exceptional," he said.

Monaco (4-4-2): Roma; Ibarra, Rodriguez, Givet, Evra; Cisse, Plasil, Giuly, Rothen; Prso, Morientes.

Real Madrid (4-4-2): Casillas; Salgado, Helguera, Mejia, Roberto Carlos; Figo, Guti, Zidane, Borja; Raul, Ronaldo.

Referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy)

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