Real Outguns Betis to Close the Gap on Barcelona
Real Madrid closed the gap on leader Barcelona to six points at the top of the Primera Liga Wednesday when it out-gunned Real Betis with a 3-1 win at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid closed the gap on leader Barcelona to six points at the top of the Primera Liga Wednesday when it out-gunned Real Betis with a 3-1 win at the Bernabeu.
Betis was the better side for much of the first half, but an opportunist strike from Michael Owen and a thunderbolt from fullback Roberto Carlos put Real 2-0 up at the break.
Midfielder Edu pulled one back for the visitors with a sharp strike on the turn early in the second half, but center back Ivan Helguera snuffed out any hopes of a comeback when he looped a header over keeper Antonio Doblas two minutes later.
Barcelona, which was held to a 0-0 draw at home by city rival Espanyol Tuesday, leads the standings with 59 points, Real follows on 53, a distant 10 ahead of in-form Villarreal.
Manuel Pelligrini's side climbed into third thanks to a 2-1 win at home to relegation-threatened Real Mallorca, Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan snatching a late winner to take his tally for the season to 16.
Earlier Sevilla and Valencia fought out a dramatic 2-2 draw that kept the teams in the hunt for the Champions League places.
Sevilla striker Julio Baptista, who had equalized when he cracked home a penalty midway through the second half, missed a golden opportunity to seal victory when he skied another spot kick over the bar just six minutes from time.
Valencia, which got off to a winning start under new coach Antonio Lopez with a 2-1 victory over Betis at the weekend, was also left ruing its bad luck when it had a late goal controversially disallowed for a foul.
The result left Sevilla fourth in the standings, level on points with Villarreal and one ahead of defending champion Valencia.
Visiting Betis should have taken the lead in the second minute at the Bernabeu when winger Joaquin danced through the Real defense but then dinked a weak lob straight into the hands of keeper Iker Casillas.
Nine minutes later England striker Owen squirmed his way past two defenders to poke the ball under Doblas after Santiago Solari had cut a pass into the area.
Casillas made several top-drawer saves to keep the dominant Andalucians at bay, before being forced to leave the pitch with what appeared to be a groin injury early in the second half.
The pressure was relieved on Real, though, when the referee awarded it a controversial free kick 11 yards out from the goal after defender Luis Fernandez was adjudged to have given a back-pass to keeper Esteban just before the break.
Roberto Carlos celebrated his 300th league appearance for Real by firing an unstoppable thunderbolt high into the net.
Owen spurned two good chances to extend Real's lead after the break, slicing one shot over the bar and then scuffing a follow up into the arms of the keeper.
Betis looked as though it might stage a comeback when Edu stepped round two defenders to fire home past reserve keeper Cesar, but Helguera destroyed their hopes when he restored his side's advantage two minutes later.
The home crowd was unsatisfied, however, and Ronaldo was greeted with a chorus of jeers when he failed to convert several late chances to extend Real's lead.