Rayo do neighbours Real a big favour
Rayo Vallecano did neighbours Real Madrid a big favour as they held second-placed Deportivo Coruna to a 1-1 draw at the Teresa Rivero stadium in the Spanish first division on Sunday.
Rayo Vallecano did neighbours Real Madrid a big favour as they held second-placed Deportivo Coruna to a 1-1 draw at the Teresa Rivero stadium in the Spanish first division on Sunday. Rayo took the lead with a first-time strike from Jon Perez Bolo 61 minutes and although Deportivo levelled through Juan Carlos Valeron they proved incapable of pulling off the win they so desperately needed if they were to keep alive their faint hopes of retaining the title.
Real, who suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Celta Vigo on Saturday, are eight points clear of Deportivo at the top of the table with just five games left to the end of the season.
UEFA Cup finalists Alaves hit form at the perfect time as they hammered relegation-threatened Racing Santander 5-1 just 10 days before their date with Liverpool in Dortmund. Jordi Cruyff began the rout with a fine far post header, and Javi Moreno and Ivan Alonso added two more before Racing replied with a thundering volley from ernando Moran. Moreno then set up Raul Ganan for the fourth before he sent a sensational free kick fizzing into the top corner to notch his 20th strike of the season. With Osasuna clawing their way out of the relegation zone
with a 1-0 win over fourth-placed Real Mallorca, Racing's future in the top flight looks bleak.
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The Cantabrian side are second from bottom, just two points above Numancia who are odds-on favourites for the drop after their 3-1 defeat at Real Zaragoza.
Deportivo Coruna wasted little time at Rayo as they went in serach of the win that would reduce the gap with leaders Real to six points. Javier Irureta's side came within inches of taking the lead after 22 minutes, but midfielder Fran somehow contrived to fire over from a metre out after he had run in at speed to connect with Roy Makaay's pass. Deportivo had the better of the possession with Brazilian Emerson dominating in midfield, but it was Rayo who looked more dangerous in attack. Spanish international defender Manuel Pablo managed to chest
a Sergio Ballesteros header off the line on 33 minutes and keeper Jose Molina was out of position when Bolo owered a header against the bar soon after.
Luis Cembranos then saw his whipped shot go wide of the post after he finished off a neat passing move from the home side. Rayo's American keeper Kasey Keller had to pull off a brilliant reaction save at the other end as Victor completed a lightning counter attack from the Galician side ten minutes before the break. But the Madrid-based side then used route one to take the lead on 61 minutes. Bolo smashed in a first time shot as he
latched on to 30 metre pass from Angel Alcazar. Deportivo levelled 11 minutes later as Valeron chipped Keller after Makaay had slipped in a neat pass from Enrique Romero's free kick. The game remained wide open as both sides pushed for the win, and it was Deportivo who spurned the best opportunities to score. But Makaay, Walter Pandiani and Victor all proved incapable of beating Keller and the draw left the Galician side's chances of retaining their title looking increasingly remote.