Real Madrid lose 2-0 to Wolfsburg

Real Madrid to move again for Mourinho if they go out of Europe next week

Real Madrid will make a desperate attempt to steal Jose Mourinho from Manchester United’s clutches should they be eliminated from the Champions League next Tuesday, writes Ed Malyon in Madrid.

Madrid president Florentino Perez failed in an effort to re-hire the Special One in January after dismissing his old Premier League enemy ­Rafael Benitez. He was rebuffed because Mourinho believed he was going to get the Man United job.

But with his Spanish giants now on the verge of finishing the season empty-handed after losing 2-0 in ­Wolfsburg on Wednesday in the first leg of their quarter-final, Perez is getting decidely twitchy.
Former Chelsea boss Mourinho is also getting edgy – about his chances of replacing Louis van Gaal.

In pictures — Real Madrid lose 2-0 to Wolfsburg in Germany:

Well-placed United sources are saying the club has not decided on who their manager will be next season.

Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is keen to keep Van Gaal as dismissing the Dutchman, however unpopular he has become among fans, would bring more pressure on his own role at the head of the club’s football ­operations.

And the feeling at the Old Trafford club is that Van Gaal will be kept in place if United qualify for next season’s Champions League by finishing in the top four.

Senior figures at the Bernabeu have been told by Mourinho’s camp that he expects to become United manager.

It's felt Manchester United will retain Louis van Gaal if they finish in the top four

But the uncertainty has opened a door for Perez, who is angry at his side’s under-achievement this season.

Expelled from the Copa del Rey in December and effectively out of the Spanish title race already, Madrid now face being knocked out of Europe’s premier tournament at the last-eight stage.

While Benitez's replacement, club legend Zinedine Zidane, has improved the mood around the training ground, Wednesday’s defeat in Germany reflects badly on the inexperienced Frenchman.

Zinedine Zidane was a genius as a player but is he the manager Real Madrid need?

And the fact that Madrid have won La Liga just once in the last eight seasons is considered completely unacceptable by the club’s board.

Mourinho was the man who delivered that solitary title and Perez will test his uncertainty over the United job should Madrid fail to claw back Wolfsburg’s two-goal advantage.

Real Madrid stunned by Wolfsburg’s two goals in seven minutes

Wolfsburg stunned Real Madrid with two goals in seven first-half minutes to take control of their Champions League quarter-final. The Spanish side, 10-time winners of the competition, face an uphill task to progress to the last four.

Minute-by-minute report: Real Madrid followed up their win over Barcelona at Camp Nou with a poor performance in Germany, as Ricardo Rodriguez and Max Arnold gave Wolfsburg a fully-deserved 2-0 first-leg advantage

Real’s Keylor Navas had not conceded in this competition before but he was beaten by an 18th-minute penalty from Ricardo Rodríguez before Maximilian Arnold doubled the advantage seven minutes later.

Four days on from a 2-1 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou with 10 men, Zinedine Zidane’s side, shaky at the back, have it all to do in the return leg next Tuesday.

There were early hints this would not be a straightforward match for real when, 70 seconds in, Cristiano Ronaldo was flagged for a marginal offside call after he collected Karim Benzema’s pass and turned home. Moments later Gareth Bale was denied what appeared a clear penalty after Luiz Gustavo clattered into his leg inside the area.

By this stage Real should have led anyway through Benzema who, having returned to the pitch following treatment, moved beyond Dante before finding the leg of Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio with his shot.

Wolfsburg were a threat on the counter and after Bruno Henrique had headed straight at Navas, the Real keeper finally conceded after 738 minutes in the Champions League when Rodríguez sent him the wrong way from 12 yards out.

The penalty call was debatable as André Schürrle appeared to kick his own foot as he swung his leg past Casemiro, who was caught on the wrong side of the former Chelsea forward.

Fernandinho scored Manchester City’s equaliser in a 2-2 draw after Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Adrien Rabiot had put PSG ahead following Kevin De Bruyne’s opener

Seven minutes later it was 2-0, Julian Draxler finding Henrique in space and from his cross Arnold stole a march on Sergio Ramos and finished first-time past Navas. Benzema then headed wide before injury eventually forced him off, Toni Kroos drew Benaglio into a save and Bale planted a 25-yard free-kick over his crossbar of the stroke of half-time.

Zidane’s side pushed for an away goal after the interval and Ronaldo missed the target with two attempts from Bale crosses. They almost found themselves three goals down as Schürrle took up the space once again left vacant by Marcelo, but, after taking a touch, he fired over. Marcelo’s frustration was evident when he kicked out at Arnold before comically falling to the ground after placing his head in the goalscorer’s chest, with only the victim and Bale booked in the subsequent skirmish.

Ronaldo was thwarted again by Benaglio after Isco had threaded a pass through with the outside of his boot, while Navas pushed away from Max Kruse at the other end to ensure the task facing Real in the second leg did not become even more difficult.

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