Modest Hércules is a small team from the Spanish coastal town of Alicante. They've only recently made it to Spain's first division, and while they haven't threatened to take position at the top of the league table, they have racked up 2 very impressive results - beating both Barcelona and Sevilla. They almost had a third scalp against Real Madrid.
Their first giant killing took place in no less than Barcelona's Camp Nou, where their impressive display of counterattacking soccer was more impressive than that of Mourinho's 2009 Inter team. The team from Alicante scored 2 on quick Nelson Valdez counterattacks but had opportunities to make it 5 or 6 - 0. Despite have a little over 20% ball possession, they dominated the game.
The rest of the league hasn't been so sunny for the team from the Costa Blanca. Hércules had only 9 points after 8 matches, for a 3rd place in the league. Their match with rival Almeria looked promising, but ended in a 1-1 draw.
So it was surprising to see the team named for Zeus' bastard son go face to face with the galaticos of Real Madrid.
They got off to a great start when Cortés floated a perfect pass from outside the box on the right sideline. The ball landed squarely on the head of David Trezeguet and looped perfectly over Iker Casillas into the upper right corner of the goal. 3 minutes into the game and Madrid had been hit with a bucket of cold water.
Hércules continued their stellar play throughout the first half, attacking with speed and precision. Nelson Valdez almost scored the second with a close shot that San Iker De La Sagrada Camiseta Blanca only just saved.
Los Blancos played better in the second half, holding more possession and taking the sting out of the Alicante attack. A powerful shot from distance by Christiano Ronaldo was bobbled and pounced on by (possibly Madrid's best signing of the year) Di Maria.
In the end, Hércules' third task couldn't be completed. A superb Marcelo run along the end line, left defenders behind and set up a beautiful pull-back pass. Where the first shot was blocked, Christiano Ronaldo put in the rebound. Even Benzema got into the effort, setting up CR 7/9s second goal.
Perhaps the heroes from the Costa Blanca will be able to pull of the upset when they visit Madrid in Bernabeau.
Aside: Is there any more dislikable player than Christiano Ronaldo? His over-the-top victory celebrations, his constant pouting when things go wrong and his intentional kicks of fallen competitors earn him top-douchebag honors in the eyes of this blog. His miserable personality takes all the joy out of watching one of the world's best players. Sad! That's a matter for another post, though.
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