Real hold six-point lead despite draw
Espanyol fought their way back from a two-goal deficit to hold league leaders Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the Spanish first division on Sunday.
Espanyol fought their way back from a two-goal deficit to hold league leaders Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the Spanish first division on Sunday.
Real took the lead midway through the first half through a Luis Figo free kick and then went 2-0 up a minute after the break when Raul headed home his 20th goal of the season. But Espanyol fought back with a Pablo Rotchen header and a Constantin Galca penalty, given after a hand ball by Fernando Hierro.
Real were reduced to 10 men at the same time as their skipper also received his second booking for the incident.
The result saw Real extend their lead over second-placed Deportivo Coruna to six points with just four games remaining.
Real have 70 points, Deportivo 64 and third-placed Valencia, who lost 3-0 at Malaga, are a further five points back on 59. Real Mallorca consolidated their bid for a place in next season's Champions League with a 2-0 victory over the in-form Celta Vigo thanks to two goals from Nigeria's Finidi George. Barcelona hit form and at long last gave their fans something to cheer about as they thumped Rayo Vallecano 5-1 at the Nou Camp. The Catalan side stayed in fifth place three points behind Mallorca.
REAL CHANGES
Real Madrid coach Vicente Del Bosque decided to ring the changes following his team's exit from the European Cup at the hands of Bayern Munich. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas and England's Steve McManaman were both consigned to the bench, their respective boots being filled by Cesar and Savio, while Ivan Campo replaced the suspended Roberto Carlos in defence.
With the league championship now the only title left within their grasp, Real pushed forward in search of an early goal and dominated the early exchanges. Raul, Savio and Luis Figo all went close with efforts within the first 15 minutes. It was Figo who gave the home side the lead in the 25th minute. The Portuguese international curled a 20-metre free kick over the wall and past a static Espanyol keeper Juan Luis Mora. Real looked as if they would cruise to victory when Raul notched his 20th goal of the season and made it 2-0 just a minute after the break. The Real striker headed home after Mora spilled a fierce drive from Savio. But only four minutes later Espanyol pulled a goal back as Pablo Rotchen got in front of Ivan Helguera and headed home a Sergio Gonzalez corner. Real nearly conceded another when Espanyol striker Raul Tamudo charged down a Cesar clearance and the ball just skimmed past the post.
But Espanyol had luck on their side when they did eventually draw level. A Martin Possee cross ricocheted off the leg and on to the hand of Fernando Hierro who had slid in to block the ball. Real received a double blow as referee Perez Burrull awarded a penalty and sent off Hierro. Romanian international Constantin Galca slotted past Cesar to make it 2-2. Nerves got the better of Real for the remainder of the match and Cesar had to pull off several good saves in order to keep his side in the match.
Panamanian striker Dely Valdes notched a hat-trick as Malaga brought European Cup finalists Valencia back down to earth with a 3-0 victory. After their midweek exertions against Leeds United, Valencia seemed prepared to sit back and wait for Malaga to take the game to them. But it proved a very costly policy as Dely Valdes opened his
account on 22 minutes with a spectacular overhead kick after a Francisco Rufete corner. Six minutes before halftime he notched his second as he brushed the ball with his head after another Rufete corner. He completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot on 77 minutes after Gonzalo de Los Santos was pushed off the ball by Mauricio Pellegrino. Valencia were reduced to 10 men in injury time of the first half after Fabian Ayala was sent off for a challenge on Manuel Canabal.
A sixth-minute goal from Pedro Ojeda allowed Numancia to get the better of fellow relegation candidates Osasuna, while Racing Santander battled their way to a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo. But after Saturday's 3-1 win for Real Sociedad over Villarreal, the outlook for all three sides remains bleak.