'Van Gol' celebrates a fantastic and fortuitous goal in the 91st minute for a 2-1 for Real over Real Betis. It was an edgy game with Marcelo sent off for an obvious foul in the box. Real played well down a man and then Betis lost one late as well on an obvious takedown of Drenthe on a breakaway. Van Nistoolroy, though, comes through in the last minute as he is so apt to do.

I'm liking this incantation of Real. Iker, Pepe, Sergio Ramos and the mix of Heinze, Canna, Torres, Marcelo etc. are solid in the back. Losing Guti and Gago hurts a bit, but De la Red and Robben seem to be doing well enough in the mid and up front 'Van Gol', Raul and Higuain are scoring opportunistically.

I see this plantilla, though, as one for La Liga, but I'm not so sure it has the horse power for Champions. Let's hope it does.

And both the boys scored today. 'Z' scored on a clean-up goal in his 6-1 win. 'L's team lost both, 8-3 and 4-2, but he scored a golazo- in his dad's esteemed opinion- with a strike just outside the box that went top shelf with some umph. We're done with futbol for the day.