In a match heavy with emotion, played under the worst possible circumstances, and with tragic off-field events perhaps affecting the on-field events more than can be easily measured, Recreativo Huelva earned a much deserved victory. It will be little comfort to those grieving but it was a display of heart, inspired by a need to pay tribute to those fans who died or were injured in a bus accident, less than 24 hours before the match. Real Madrid's players seemed to bring no sense of purpose to the game. They played without heart and as if they could not bear to increase Recreativo's pain.

David Beckham played better than many in a white shirt but the team was collectively below their best. It was good to see Becks start again, as several people have rightly posted in the comment area, Capello's approach to selection makes earning a place in the starting eleven difficult for those players whose place in the team is not set in stone. It was interesting to see that Diarra and Cassano clearly agree that Capello is not selecting the team on form, making it hard for a starting berth to be earnt on merit. Their comments to this affect were caught on camera last week, and it has been reported that they were left out of the squad because of this - full details here, although Capello says this is not the case. You can view their comments here. This may impact on David Beckham in terms of the competition he faces to start but also it points to an unhappy dressing room and clearly there is dissent in the ranks, this will not aid Real Madrid's chances of taking any honors, unfortunately. Capello needs to select players based on form not favoritism and when the players can see this is the case, then spirit within the team will improve and reports of disciplinary measures being necessary to keep players in line, will cease.

The official match report and photos are online. I will place the first of the agency photo's in the gallery

It is a sad way for several reasons to go into the break. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season with your loved ones. Updates to the site will be less frequent over the break and will return to normal January 3 -- Anna