Tactical triumph for Del Bosque

Real Madrid CF coach Vicente Del Bosque got his tactics just right as his side earned a famous 2-0 victory against FC Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg tonight.

Full of drama
The match, played on William Shakespeare's birthday, was a spectacle full of drama and plot twists, with Steve McManaman proving to be the unlikely hero of the hour. Having soaked up more than 50 minutes of almost incessant Barcelona pressure, the visitors struck first when Zinedine Zidane chipped Roberto Bonano to open the scoring. McManaman, so often a bit-part player in the Madrid set-up, hit a second in the final minute to put Madrid on the verge of a place in their third successive Champions League final.

'Great result'
Del Bosque was delighted with his side's performance, having watched Madrid, without the suspended Luis Figo, battle their way back when it appeared they were on the brink of surrender to a rampant home side. "This is a great result for us," he said. "Barcelona made a huge effort, and had long periods of possession, but this was a game truly worthy of a Champions League semi-final."

Tactical decision
Perhaps Del Bosque's finest tactical decision was to deploy Iván Helguera in a defensive role. The Spanish international, who is more than capable of directing proceedings in midfield, looked equally at home alongside Fernando Hierro and Francisco Pavon at the back. Despite Barcelona's territorial first-half dominance, they could find no way past the Madrid defence. "You can't be inflexible, and it worked well with Helguera in defence,'' said Del Bosque. "When you win it always seems like you've been clever. But we were made to defend."

'Anything can happen'
Carles Rexach, Del Bosque's opposite number, was philosophical in defeat but is still dreaming of a place in the Champions League final in Glasgow on 15 May. "In football anything can happen but we are in a complicated situation," he said. "It is our duty to dream about Glasgow now. We wanted to win this match and made some excellent chances in the first half but should have risked more after conceding the first goal. The final score does not reflect what happened on the pitch."

'Not concede'
Next week's second leg in Madrid will see the hosts looking to protect their advantage, while Barcelona must come out fighting as they aim to find a way past an impressive Madrid side. "We now have to score twice in the second leg and not concede any goals and we have to control the match like Madrid did tonight," Rexach said. "We always create lots of chances but fail to find the target and defensively we are unlucky. No one can criticise the team because my players gave their all tonight."

Not over yet
McManaman, who seems certain not to make the England squad for this summer's FIFA World Cup finals, came off the bench to seal the victory. The former Liverpool FC midfield player said: "To be honest I don't think anyone watching the 90 minutes would say we played fantastically well. We played deep with five men at the back - but we made a lot of chances in the second half. Everyone could see there was lots of space for me. I was fresh and willing to get forward - it was a good goal for us. The second leg will be a corker now, the fact we're 2-0 up doesn't necessarily mean it's over."