Flying start for Real Madrid:As Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick.

Some believe in a divine theory of universal balance: every reward is compensated by a punishment. This simple rule lies behind many clichés: the dumb blonde, the ugly but smart geek and the cheery chubby. Any rational human being would say it’s clearly nonsense, but 

sometimes it does look as if there’s something in it. Take Casillas. After a decade of prodigious success, he’s now on a year long streak of lamentable disasters. His current situation is as incredible as his previous spell was mind-blowing. Against Galatasaray, just 

after starting his first competitive game for Real Madrid in 238 days, he went off injured. He jumped to catch a ball in the box and as he landed Ramos crashed into him. It was a clash like so many, completely inoffensive, except for the fact the blow pushed the voodoo needle 

between his ribs. Casillas struggled on and saved well from Felipe Melo, but in the 13^th (of course) minute he was forced to come off. That’s life. His guardian angel has taken up with Diego López, just like Long John Silver’s parrot.
The Casillas incident is about as important as the result itself, the first win of Ancelotti’s Real in the Champions League. Madrid is used to winning, and to handsomely, but it’s not often it witnesses the action of an evil spirit.


It should be noted that the game didn’t look good for Madrid until the 32^nd minute when Isco scored the opener. It was a piece of play that had nothing to do with how Madrid had played up to then (poorly) and only really related to the skill of the lad (remarkable). Di María hurled a ball forward, so high and long it could be seen from the Bosphorous. Isco picked it up like a child grabbing a sweetie, controlling with his left and scoring with his right. Before we realised what had happened he was savouring the flavour of goal. Before we could ask the damning question, “Is Isco playing today?”, he’d helped himself.
For the Turks what really hurt was the incomprehension rather than the blow. Until then they’d done what was required of them: pressing hard, winning the ball back and even trying their luck between the posts. If they didn’t get what they deserved it was the fault, almost exclusively, of Diego López. A minute after coming on he found himself facing a bouncing ball in the box, but that guardian angel got to it. Just after he made a stunning save down to his left to deny a fierce Melo header. Who would believe someone so tall could be so flexible, but he is.
Galatasaray’s flame went out when Drogba went off injured after being charged in mid-air by Pepe. Again it didn’t seem all that much, but something went inside the Ivorian, maybe so many years of triumphs. The theory of universal balance strikes again.
The Madrid side that came out after the break had the confidence their opponents lacked. They also had wit, hunger and firepower. There’s always a lot of talk about the hell of Istanbul, but here the fire rained down on the innocent Galatasaray defence.
And boy did it rain. Benzema got the second on the break and the goal made up for his hard work pressing up front. Cristiano bagged the third after good play from Di María and a brave headed assist from Isco. The next wave saw Ronaldo take advantage of a rebound off Muslera and the fifth was a sublime bit of cheekiness from Ronaldo, aiming at the keeper but slipping it to Benzema. For the sixth Ronaldo took Constantinople and planted the flag in Muslera’s cobwebs.
Madrid hadn’t won here. No European side had ever scored six goals in the Ali Sami Yen (Bulut’s well taken goal the small consolation for the Turks). But every run, good or bad, breaks. That’s the theory of universal balance.