Real Madrid has heard every possible piece of trash talk that has been thrown at it this year: Ronaldo doesn’t pass; Ronaldo only celebrates when he scores; Chicharito doesn’t deserve to start for Real Madrid; he has been a bust. They have heard it all, and they just answered it on one of the biggest stages possible.
Behold, in all its glory, Ronaldo to Chicharito for the go-ahead goal in the 88th minute:
Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez may have had a pretty bad game overall, but so did most every attacker in this cagey quarter-final. Atletico were every ounce of the defensive stalwarts that we thought they would be. They survived 23 shots and gave up 63% of possession, but were doomed by a controversial second yellow handed out to Arda Turan.
All that aside, Chicharito showed up when it mattered most, and you could immediately tell how much all of his teammates cared that he did. He has always been a poacher, playing off of the back shoulder of the center-back. This was the kind of goal he was meant to score, regardless of whether or not he played a bad game.
Congratulations, Javier. You are the toast of Madrid tonight.
