2013–14 Real Madrid CF season
The 2013–14 season was the 110th season in Real Madrid's history and their 83rd consecutive season in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. It covered a period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014. The team competed for a record 33rd La Liga title and entered the UEFA Champions League for the 17th successive season, competing for a record 10th title. They also entered the Copa del Rey in the round of 32. Real Madrid's shirt sponsor for this season was Emirates, having replaced Bwin.com. The club finished the league  campaign in third place (level on points with Barcelona and three behind cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid) after winning the Copa del Rey – against rivals Barcelona – in April. Upon reaching the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final, they defeated then-recently-league winners Atlético Madrid 4–1 a.e.t. to win their tenth European title. Season overview. Pre-season. Real Madrid started the summer without a manager, as José Mourinho departed to manage Chelsea. On 25 June, Carlo Ancelotti was officially announced as Real Madrid's new manager for the next three seasons. He appeared for his first press conference in front of  the media on 26 June. On 3 June, Real Madrid announced its first signing of the season by exercising its buyback option for Dani Carvajal from Bayer Leverkusen for €6.5 million. On 10 June, Real Madrid announced the signing of former youth system loanee Casemiro from São Paulo for €6 million. On 27 June, Real Madrid announced its first major signing of the season in Isco from Málaga for €30 million. On 10 July, Real Madrid agreed a contract extension with defender Nacho, keeping him with the club for four more years. On 11 July, Real Madrid  announced the sale of José Callejón to Napoli for €10 million. On 12 July, Asier Illarramendi from Real Sociedad became the fourth signing for Real Madrid for €32.2 million and will stay at the club for the next six years. He is the fifth player in the first team that won the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship last June with Spain. On 21 July, Real Madrid began its pre-season campaign against English 2nd Division side AFC Bournemouth. This was Carlo Ancelotti's first game in charge, with Real Madrid winning 6–0, goals coming from a brace by  Cristiano Ronaldo and goals from Sami Khedira, Gonzalo Higuaín, Casemiro and Ángel Di María. Real Madrid also announced the sale of Raúl Albiol to Napoli for €11 million. On 24 July, Real Madrid played its second pre-season match against Lyon, coming from two goals down to draw 2–2 with goals coming from Casemiro and Álvaro Morata. Real Madrid also agreed on a contract extension with Jesé which will keep him with at club for four additional years. On 25 July, Real Madrid agreed a contract extension with Denis Cheryshev, keeping him with the club for four more years . On 27 July, Real Madrid faced Paris Saint-Germain, Ancelotti's former club, winning 1–0, with Karim Benzema scoring the goal. Also, Real Madrid announced the sale of Gonzalo Higuaín to Napoli for €40 million. On 1 August, Real Madrid played its first match in the International Champions Cup (ICC) against the LA Galaxy, recording a 3–1 victory with a goal from Ángel Di María and two from Karim Benzema. On 3 August, Real Madrid faced Everton in the ICC semi-finals, beating them 2–1, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Özil scoring the goals. On 7 August, Real Madrid faced  Chelsea in the ICC final, led by former manager José Mourinho. Real Madrid recorded a 3–1 victory; a brace by Cristiano Ronaldo and a goal from Marcelo helping to record a 3–1 win for "Los Blancos". On 10 August, Real Madrid played its final pre-season match against Italian squad Inter. "Los Merengues" got goals from Kaká and Ronaldo and a Ricky Álvarez own goal in a 3–0 victory. Concluding the summer transfer window, Madrid had signed five players, as well as promoting three more from the youth system. Madrid had spent €165.5 million in the summer window, but  were only able to recoup €108.5 million, resulting in a loss of €57 million. August. Real Madrid officially kicked off its La Liga campaign on 18 August, playing home to Real Betis. Ancelotti fielded a 4–3–3 formation, while playing a style of attacking football, like that of José Mourinho's tactics. Real Madrid went on to win the match 2–1, with goals from Karim Benzema and debutante Isco, ensuring Ancelotti got off to a winning start. Madrid's second match of the season – and final match of August – was a 0–1 away win at Granada, where a goal  from Benzema ensured the victory for the club. September. Madrid's third match of the campaign was a 3–1 home win against Athletic Bilbao, with a brace from Isco and a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo sealing the deal for "Los Blancos". Madrid was unable to progress up the table, recording a 2–2 away draw against Villarreal. Although there were goals from both of Madrid's world record signings, two goals from Cani and Giovani dos Santos held Real to a draw. Madrid's third match of September was the club's opening Champions League away clash with Turkish side Galatasaray . The match turned out to be a goal fest, with Madrid producing six out of the seven goals scored. A hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo, two from Benzema and one from Isco ensured the Madrid side a 1–6 victory. In Real's fourth match of September, their fourth match of the Liga campaign, Madrid recorded a 4–1 home win against Getafe, following a brace from Ronaldo, a goal from Pepe and a goal from Isco ensured the Madrid side the victory. "Los Blancos" then travelled away to Elche, coming home with a 1–2 win with two goals from Ronaldo. Madrid  then faced rivals Atlético Madrid in "El Derbi madrileño". A Diego Costa goal in the 11th minute was all that was needed for Atlético, securing a 0–1 win against their rivals. October. Real Madrid opened October with their second Champions League clash, this time against Danish side Copenhagen at the Santiago Bernabéu. Braces from both Ronaldo and Di María produced the goals for Madrid, who won 4–0. Madrid travelled to Levante, recording a 2–3 away win, with goals from Sergio Ramos, Álvaro Morata and Ronaldo, coming back from 2–1 down. Real Madrid then hosted Málaga in a 2–0 home win , with goals from Di María and Ronaldo. "Los Blancos" then began their second Champions League group clash, this time against Italian side Juventus. Ronaldo opened the scoring, netting in the fourth minute, while Fernando Llorente equalised a mere ten minutes later for Juve, equalizing the score at 1–1. A penalty was awarded to Madrid in the 29th minute, which was successfully converted by Ronaldo. The game ended at 2–1 to Madrid. Real Madrid then travelled away to Barcelona, in "El Clásico". Goals from Neymar and Alexis Sánchez gave the Catalan side the lead, but a stoppage time goal from Jesé  resulted in Barça only holding a one-goal deficit against Madrid. Real Madrid then hosted Sevilla, a match which proved to be a ten-goal thriller. A hat-trick from Ronaldo, along with a brace from Bale and Benzema, ensured the "Los Blancos" a deserved win. November. Real Madrid opened November with a tight 2–3 away win against Rayo Vallecano. Two goals from Ronaldo, along with one from Benzema, gave the Spanish side the win. Madrid faced Juventus in another Champions League group clash, this time away. The game had ended 2–2, with goals from Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, with  Arturo Vidal and Fernando Llorente scoring for the Italian side. Real then faced Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Madrid almost finishing the match in the first half, putting away four goals. The goals before the break included a brace from Ronaldo, one from Benzema and one from Sami Khedira. Ronaldo completed a hat-trick in the second half, with the game ending 5–1 to Real. Real faced Galatasary again in another Champions League group clash, this time at home, with Madrid winning 4–1. Sergio Ramos got dismissed near to the half-time break, but a consistent Madrid side  held on with goals from Bale, Di María, Isco and Álvaro Arbeloa giving the Spanish giants the victory, along with ensuring the Madrid side a place in the knockout phase of the Champions League. On the 27th, defensive midfielder Sami Khedira suffered a season-long injury playing in an international match for Germany against Italy. The injury was described as a "huge shock" from teammate Xabi Alonso. November turned out to be a month in which Madrid went undefeated in all competitions, as Real closed November with a 4–0 home win against Real Valladolid, with a hat trick from Bale  and one from Benzema ensuring the Madrid side the win. December. Real Madrid began December against Olímpic de Xàtiva in the Copa del Rey round of 32, with the game ending 0–0. Madrid then faced Copenhagen away for their second Champions League group clash, with the game ending 0–2 to Real. Goals from Luka Modrić and Ronaldo gave Madrid the win. Ronaldo's goal set the new record for most goals scored in the Champions League group stages, with nine. The match was Madrid's final of the group stages and were the only team in their group to progress  in the knockout round undefeated. "Los Blancos" then faced Osasuna away on the 14th. Madrid were down 2–0 in the first 40 minutes, and were down to ten men (Sergio Ramos was dismissed at the stroke of half time), but were able to come away with a draw as Isco and Pepe scored to salvage a point. Real faced Olímpic de Xàtiva for the second leg in the Cope del Rey, this time Madrid winning 2–0 at home and progressing in the competition. A goal from Asier Illarramendi along with a penalty from Di María gave them the goals and  the side was able to progress into the round of 16. Madrid then faced Valencia away in the La Liga, with Madrid winning 2–3, despite once trailing 2–1. Goals from Ronaldo, Di María and Jesé gave the Madrid side the three points to climb up the La Liga table, along with going through the final two months of 2013 undefeated. January. Madrid officially kicked off 2014 in a La Liga home match against Celta de Vigo. Madrid had failed to score in the first half, but a Benzema goal in the 67th minute broke the deadlock. Real, however, were not  finished, as two goals from Ronaldo, one in the 82nd and another in stoppage time of the second half, gave the Madrid side another three points. Real's second match was against Osasuna in the Copa del Rey round of 16, with the first leg being played at the Santiago Bernabéu. A 17th-minute goal from Benzema, along with a 60th-minute strike from youth star Jesé gave the Madrid side a 2–0 aggregate advantage heading into the second leg. Madrid's third game of January came in the La Liga, with Real visiting Espanyol away. A goal from centre -back Pepe was all that was required for Madrid to collect three points in a 0–1 win. Madrid then had to focus themselves on their second leg Copa del Rey round of 16 clash away at Osasuna. Madrid again won this game 0–2, with a goal from Ronaldo and Di María, who scored in the 21st and 56th minutes respectively. This win meant Real had progressed into the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. Real Madrid then faced Real Betis away, which had ended 0–5 to Madrid. Goals from Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema, Di María and Morata helped collect another  three points. This win made Madrid on joint top of La Liga. Madrid faced Espanyol in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, earning a 0–1 away result with a Benzema goal. Real then faced 17th-placed Granada in a routine 2–0 home win. The goals came from Ronaldo and Benzema in the 56th and 74th minute respectively. The win propelled the Madrid side to the top of La Liga. Madrid's final match of January came as a 1–0 home win against Espanyol in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. Youth project Jesé scored early on , and Madrid were able to hang on tight until the end, winning 2–0 on aggregate and progressing to the semi-finals. February. Madrid kicked off February with a disappointing 1–1 draw with fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao. A goal from Jesé was what was all produced from the Madrid side. They finished on an even sour note, as Ronaldo was sent off in the 75th minute. Madrid were scheduled to face fierce rivals Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. Real were without the suspended Ronaldo, but their star Portuguese forward was not required, as they won  at home 3–0. Goals came from centre-back Pepe, winger Jesé and Argentinian forward Ángel Di María. Real Madrid then faced Villarreal in La Liga, winning 4–2 at home. Goals from Bale, a brace from Benzema and along with another strike from Jesé gave Madrid the win, but goals from Mario and Giovani dos Santos for Villarreal denied Madrid a clean sheet. This was Ronaldo's final match suspended, meaning he would be available in the second leg of the Copa del Rey clash against Atlético. Real's fourth match of February was their second leg clash against Atlético in  the Copa del Rey. Returning star Ronaldo gave Real Madrid the win, with two converted penalties. These two goals meant Ronaldo netted an impressive 34 goals in all competitions, and meant Madrid will face Barcelona in "El Clásico" for the Copa del Rey final at the Mestalla Stadium. Real Madrid then faced Getafe in La Liga, away at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez. Madrid comfortably cruised through the match, winning 0–3 with goals from Jesé, who had scored in his last three La Liga matches, along with goals from Benzema and Modrić, and the win placed the Madrid side in second , on level points with Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. The next match for Real Madrid proved to be vital, as winning would allow them to top La Liga, something the Spanish giants have not done for 15 months, but would only occur if Barcelona and Atlético Madrid lose. They faced Elche at home, winning 3–0 with a "golazo" from Gareth Bale, who struck from thirty yards out, along with goals from Illaramendi and Isco. Madrid winning, along with Barcelona losing 3–1 to Real Sociedad and Atlético losing 3–0 to Osasuna, allowed Madrid to top La Liga by three points. Madrid's  last match of February was the first leg of their last 16 Champions League clash against Schalke 04 away. The match turned out to be a seven-goal thriller for Madrid, as they won 1–6, effectively killing off the second leg and virtually guaranteeing Madrid a spot in the last eight of the competition. Braces were all scored by the returning Ronaldo, winger Bale and striker Benzema. However, a volley from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the 90th minute denied Madrid a clean sheet, along with ending captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas' record of going over 900 minutes without conceding. March . Real had a chance to extend their lead at the top of the table, should they win in "El Derbi madrileño" in La Liga against Atlético Madrid. Benzema scored early on to give Real the lead, before Koke equalised, slotting into the bottom left corner. Koke also assisted the second of Atlético's goal, which was scored by Gabi, who found the top left corner. Looking like a win for Real's bitter rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo scored and equalised and the game ended 2–2. Real gained a point and maintained the status quo at the top of La Liga, but  now only carried a one-point lead over Barcelona. Real's second match of March was also their second La Liga match of March, as the leaders took on Levante. Ronaldo jumped highest to powerfully head in Di María's left-wing corner and Marcelo doubled their lead shortly after the restart. Levante were reduced to ten men after David Navarro fought with an opponent. Real tripled their lead after Nikolaos Karabelas slid the ball in his own net. The win pushed Real three points clear at the top of La Liga, along with being four points above rivals Barcelona . Madrid had a chance to propel their lead over Barcelona, who had dominated the league in the previous seasons, should they beat Málaga. Barça suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Real Valladolid, and should Real win, the Madrid side would be seven points clear at the top over their fierce rivals. A strike from Ronaldo gave Madrid an early advantage, but many shots went amiss and the game finished in a close 0–1 victory to the Madrid side. Madrid subsequently hosted Schalke 04 for the second leg of their Champions League last 16 clash, with Madrid already boasting  a 6–1 aggregate lead. A strike from Ronaldo just after the 20th minute gave Real the lead only for Tim Hoogland to equalize, and the teams went into half time at 1–1. Madrid continued to pile on the pressure and were ultimately rewarded after Ronaldo found the net again in the 74th minute. Morata scored another to end the game at 3–1. Winning at a combined score of 9–2 on both legs, Madrid progressed to the next round of the tournament Madrid then hosted fierce rivals Barcelona, who were beginning to hit form and pile on the pressure to "Los  Blancos". In what could be called as one of the most entertaining "Clásicos" of all time, a seven-goal thriller was played. Andrés Iniesta gave Barça the lead in the seventh minute, before two strikes from Karim Benzema in under a minute gave Madrid the lead. Lionel Messi scored an equaliser, before Ronaldo gave Madrid the advantage netting home a penalty. Messi equalised again after a challenge from Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, along with again netting home another penalty, which completed the hat-trick for the Argentinian, along with him breaking the record for highest goalscorer in "El Clásico". The  game was also made notorious as it was named one of the most controversial matches ever. Madrid then travelled to Sevilla, hoping to move up the La Liga table and keep pressure on their title rivals. Madrid found the net early, thanks to Ronaldo, before Carlos Bacca netted in just under 20 minutes. Bacca scored again in the 72nd minute, giving Sevilla the win and putting a dent in Madrid's title challenge. Madrid's final match of March was at home to Rayo Vallecano, a game which Madrid dominated, scoring five in the process. Ronaldo netted early, before right -back Dani Carvajal scored in the second half. A brace from Bale, along with a strike from Morata, gave Madrid another three points and off the back off some momentum after suffering back-to-back defeats and now host Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. April. Madrid began April by hosting Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final game at the Santiago Bernabéu. Upon easily progressing after the decimation of Schalke 04 in the Round of 16, Madrid hosted last year's finalists, winning 3–0. Bale opened the scoring in the  third minute, before Isco added another, with Madrid leading 2–0 at half time. Ronaldo added another before Madrid played calm and won comprehensively. The result required Dortmund to score four goals in the next round to progress further in the competition. Madrid's second match of April was against Real Sociedad, winning 4–0, after Illarramendi, Bale, Pepe and Morata helped Madrid to a calm victory. Madrid travelled away to Dortmund for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final game, and lost 2–0 after an impressive solo performance from Marco Reus. His efforts fell to fruition, however, as Madrid  progressed into the semi-finals of the competition, where they would face last year's winners in Bayern Munich. Madrid's fourth match of April was against Almería, and the match was the second in a row in where Madrid scored four goals, as another 4–0 win kept them in the race for the title, thanks to goals from Di María, Bale, Isco and Morata. Madrid's fifth match of April was against fierce rivals Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey. Superstar Ronaldo was injured and unavailable for the game, but Madrid boasted a proud record, as  they were the only side in the competition not to concede, and found the net early thanks to Di María. Heading into the late stages of the match, Marc Bartra scored for Barça, levelling the scores. As it looked like the match would be contested in extra time, a brilliant solo goal from Bale late on ensured Madrid the trophy, lifting their 19th Copa del Rey title. The next fixture was a crucial one for "Los Blancos" as they faced the defending champions of the European Cup and perennial rivals Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals. Real won  thanks to a Benzema goal in a tightly contested game. In between two crucial battles against Bayern, Madrid easily dispatched of Osasuna 4–0 in the league thanks to a brace from Ronaldo, plus goals by Ramos and Carvajal. In what very few genuinely expected, "Madridistas" not only capped their successful month by progressing to the Champions League final for the first time in 12 years, they utterly humiliated the defending champions at their own backyard. The Whites dominated the entire game and scored four unanswered goals (Ramos and Ronaldo doubles), winning the semi-final matchup 5–0 on aggregate. Victory over  Bayern meant that Madrid had defeated both finalists of the previous Champions League season en route to the final. May. In terms of league performance, May was somewhat a disappointment for Real as the team won only one out of four games and failed to clinch the title, finishing three points behind rivals Atletico Madrid and level on points with Barcelona but below on head-to-head tiebreaking criteria. As a result, "Madridistas" finished the season third, but in title contention throughout the season. Besides, Madrid scored the most goals (104) out of all teams in their league campaign and  was second only to Barça on goal differential (+66 to +67). The league fixtures of the month were a 2–2 home tie with Valencia (with a 90+2 equalizer from Ronaldo), a 1–1 away tie with Valladolid (with the home team equalizing late in the match), a 0–2 away defeat to Celta (that ruined Real's hopes for the title), and a 3–1 win over Espanyol on the last matchday. Winning a long-awaited "La Décima" would be much more than a perfect consolation for "Madridistas" and they ultimately brought a record-extending tenth European Cup title from Lisbon , although their path was anything but easy. Diego Godín opened the scoring for Atletico in the first half and the Madrid team was on the run to accomplishing their first continental double in history up to the injury time of the second half when Sergio Ramos scored an all-important head ball equalizer after a corner kick. In the extra time, it was Real, Real, and only Real as "Los Blancos" obliterated the distraught rivals by scoring three unanswered goals (courtesy of Bale, Marcelo, and Ronaldo) and triumphed in the competition. Overall, Ronaldo scored 51 goals (31 in La Liga , a record 17 in the Champions League, and three in Copa del Rey) to become the team's top scorer for the fifth consecutive season. The Portuguese would go even further in the next season, scoring 61 goals in all competitions and breaking his own record from 2011–12. Kit. Supplier: Adidas / Sponsor: Emirates Statistics. Overall. ! !Total !Home !Away