Weary Leeds caught napping

Fernando Hierro's header spells the end for Leeds

Leeds 0-2 Real Madrid

Two goals in as many second-half minutes saw Real Madrid seal victory at Elland Road and gain the upper hand in Group D of the Champions League.

David O'Leary's depleted troops had battled gamely to hold the European Champions for more than an hour, before Real captain Fernando Hierro broke their spirited resistance.

Hierro rose highest to thump home a header from Luis Figo's cross on 66 minutes and, with Leeds fans still wiping away tears of frustration, Raul stole in to strike a second hammer blow.

Leeds, whose phase one campaign began with a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona, had previously looked anything but overawed by Spanish opposition as they kicked off part two of their Champions League adventure.

But Madrid gradually wound up the tempo and eventually won with something to spare against a Leeds side in which several players were still alarmingly conspicuous by their absence.

Bright start

It hadn't looked that way in the early exchanges as Leeds made light of the absence of Eirik Bakke, Olivier Dacourt and a whole host of other stars whose absence left United ominously soft-centred.

In fact, Leeds were desperately unlucky not to make a dream start when central defender Jonathan Woodgate shot against the foot of a post inside 10 minutes.

Hierro opens the scoring against Leeds

Young Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas dropped a cross under pressure and the ball dropped invitingly between Woodgate and Alan Smith, though it was the defender who reacted quickest before seeing his low drive somehow bounce to safety.

Luis Figo, predictably, was the chief Real threat and saw a dipping free kick curl just over the bar midway through the first half.

But the Portuguese midfielder could have considered himself fortunate to still be on the pitch and posing a threat after an early booking and a fortunate escape in the opening stages.

Figo was booked for trying to hoodwink referee Dick Jol into giving an early penalty as he collapsed under an innocent Woodgate challenge and, when Figo stepped in to prevent Leeds taking a quick free kick, he was relieved not to see a second yellow card brandished by Mr Jol.

Woodgate, too, was treading a disciplinary tightrope after being harshly booked for clipping the ankles of Roberton Carlos.

A series of last ditch, desperation tackles by the young defender had the Leeds fans biting their nails in the presence of a fussy official - but it was that kind of night as both sides had chances to swing fortunes in either direction.

Guti went closest for Real as he bent a shot against the outside of a post after a rapid exchange of passes with Raul.

Thumping header

At the other end, Ivan Campo breathed a sigh of relief when his loose pass was swept into danger zone by Lee Bowyer and Dominic Matteo saw a thumping header beaten out by Casillas.

Raul celebrates scoring the second goal

But Leeds' brave first-half showing was rendered worthless by a double whammy midway through the second half.

Goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who continues to prove an outstanding deputy for Nigel Martyn - another Leeds injury casualty - seemed to have maintained parity when he blocked a Figo shot with his legs on 66 minutes.

But the quickly-taken corner which followed caught Leeds on the hop and Figo's cross was headed home by Hierro with the aid of a deflection in front of the unsighted Robinson.

Leeds were clearly deflated and Raul rubbed salt in their gaping wounds with a second just two minutes later.

Steve McManaman wmade a probing run down the left and played a neat pass which was helped on by Guti into the path of Raul, who slid the ball home despite frantic appeals for offside.

Leeds constant probing in the game's final quarter failed to expose a chink in Real's defensive armoury and life in Group D is unlikely to get any easier for O'Leary's side.

Match two of phase two for Leeds' weary and worn squad is an unenviable trip to Lazio.

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Leeds: Robinson, Kelly, Harte, Radebe, Woodgate, Viduka, Bowyer, Smith, Mills, Matteo, Burns. Subs: Milosevic, Huckerby, Wilcox, Jones, Maybury, Molenaar, Evans.

Real Madrid: Casillas, Carlos, Hierro, Helguera, Raul, McManaman, Figo, Campo, Guti, Geremi, Makelele. Subs: Cesar, Salgado, Morientes, Savio, Conceicao, Munitis, Karanka.

Referee: Dick Jol (Holland)