Barcelona alone in first, Real continues to struggle
Striker Henrik Larsson's pinpoint header in the 70th minute lifted Barcelona to a 1-0 win against feisty Numancia on Sunday, moving the Catalan power into sole possesion of first place the Spanish Primera Liga.
Striker Henrik Larsson's pinpoint header in the 70th minute lifted Barcelona to a 1-0 win against feisty Numancia on Sunday, moving the Catalan power into sole possesion of first place the Spanish Primera Liga.
The match was heading toward a draw when the Swedish international, who signed with Barcelona shortly before the start of the season, climbed highest to head a corner past goalkeeper Alvaro Nunez into the net.
The news wasn't all good for Barca as Brazilian defender Edmilson injured his knee challenging for a header in the 63rd minute, three minutes after entering the game. He will be out at least six months.
Defending champion Valencia was tied with Barcelona, but could only manage a 1-1 draw against Betis Sevilla.
Striker Marco Di Vaio gave Valencia the early lead when he launched a precise strike from 20 yards away, leaving 'keeper Toni Prats befuddled.
However, Luis Edu responded for Betis when the Brazilian received Ricardo Oliveira's pass and netted it past the defenseless Santiago Canizares, sending the crowd at Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera into a frenzy.
Valencia trails Barcelona by two points heading into this week's hiatus for World Cup qualifiers.
No team may need a respite more than Real Madrid, whose early season woes continued with a 1-0 loss to Deportivo La Coruna.
Alberto Luque provided the only score when he ran undefended down the left side of the field and slipped the ball past Iker Casillas just as the first half came to an end.
English striker Michael Owen struggled in his home debut for Real. His only real opportunity to score came in the 36th minute, but he shot wide of the net.
Owen was replaced in the 52nd minute by another struggling forward, Fernando Morientes.
Real Sociedad provided the biggest upset of the week when it defeated then-fourth-place Atletico Madrid, 1-0. Serbian forward headed home the only score of the game in the 41st minute, giving his team its first victory of the season.
Albacete also won its first game of the season, 1-0 over Espanyol, which was tied for fourth place going into the contest.
In other results, Getafe topped Athletic Bilbao, 3-1; Levante blanked Mallorca, 2-0; FC Sevilla and Racing Santander played to a 0-0 draw; Malaga beat Osasuna, 2-0; and Villareal stopped Real Zaragoza, 2-0.