Beckham eases Real pressure
Wednesday, 22 September 2004 08:40David Beckham and Real Madrid's underfire galacticos are breathing a sigh of relief after another trademark free-kick by the England captain secured a 1-0 win over Osasuna.
In the first match since the resignation of boss Jose Antonio Camacho - the club great who stepped down because of difficulties he was enduring as coach of the star-studded team - Beckham scored from 30 yards in the second half.
"It was important for us to win," Beckham said. "We were under a lot of pressure."
Having lost to Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League opener and Espanyol in Spain, Madrid were feeling the heat by fans.
They took all three points but the overall performance was disappointing from the Spanish giants.
The Englishman, who scored with a free-kick earlier this season, admitted the goal was just what he needed.
His performances for Madrid, and for his country, have been less than impressive in recent times.
"Scoring goals like that that are important and help your confidence," he said.
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen is being used primarily as a substitute and has yet to open his account at the club.
He only had 10 minutes in which to shine after being brought on late against the team from Pamplona.
"Its hard to start when it's already 1-0," Owen said. "You want to impress and to score goals when what you really have to do is run the ball into the corners."
Filed by Barry McEneaney
