Barcelona's draw at Espanyol gives Real hope
Source: Agencies |
April 19, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
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BARCELONA was held 0-0 at Espanyol after being reduced to 10 men in a high-tempo Catalan derby on Saturday to drop two valuable points in the Spanish league title race.
With 84 points, Barcelona still leads the standings, although Real Madrid can cut the gap to one point if it beats third-place Valencia.
Espanyol is 12th on 38 points.
"The derby isn't an ordinary game, there's a lot of rivalry involved," said Espanyol defender Francisco Chica. "We wanted to work hard and that's what we did."
Earlier, Sevilla improved its chances of qualifying for a Champions League spot by beating nine-man Sporting Gijon 3-0. Villarreal moved into the European places as it beat Atletico Madrid 2-1.
The result lifts Sevilla into fourth place on 54 points, leapfrogging Mallorca. Villarreal is sixth on 49 points and Atletico (40) 10th.
The visitors lost defender Daniel Alves to a red card after 62 minutes and Espanyol, which hit the woodwork in the first half, were perhaps unlucky not to come away with more from a game in which Barcelona was uncharacteristically defensive.
At the Cornella-El Prat Stadium, Espanyol fans gave Barcelona a typically hostile reception, with a banner in the stands reading: "You aren't a rival, you are the enemy."
Roared on by its own, Espanyol gave Barca very little space, while a succession of fouls disrupted the rhythm of the game.
In a highly physical match, Pablo Osvaldo received a yellow card in the fifth minute for a tackle on Sergio Busquets. Luis Garcia was cautioned soon after, as Espanyol refused to give Barcelona time on the ball. Xavi Hernandez complained to referee Undiano Mallenco that Espanyol's players were being over-zealous.
Barcelona did not have one decent shot on target and was lucky to go in at the break level after a quick Espanyol counter-attack ended with Osvaldo's effort being pushed on to a post by Victor Valdes.
Matters got worse for manager Pep Guardiola when Alves got his second yellow card but he still opted for attack throwing on Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to join Lionel Messi in the second half.
With 84 points, Barcelona still leads the standings, although Real Madrid can cut the gap to one point if it beats third-place Valencia.
Espanyol is 12th on 38 points.
"The derby isn't an ordinary game, there's a lot of rivalry involved," said Espanyol defender Francisco Chica. "We wanted to work hard and that's what we did."
Earlier, Sevilla improved its chances of qualifying for a Champions League spot by beating nine-man Sporting Gijon 3-0. Villarreal moved into the European places as it beat Atletico Madrid 2-1.
The result lifts Sevilla into fourth place on 54 points, leapfrogging Mallorca. Villarreal is sixth on 49 points and Atletico (40) 10th.
The visitors lost defender Daniel Alves to a red card after 62 minutes and Espanyol, which hit the woodwork in the first half, were perhaps unlucky not to come away with more from a game in which Barcelona was uncharacteristically defensive.
At the Cornella-El Prat Stadium, Espanyol fans gave Barcelona a typically hostile reception, with a banner in the stands reading: "You aren't a rival, you are the enemy."
Roared on by its own, Espanyol gave Barca very little space, while a succession of fouls disrupted the rhythm of the game.
In a highly physical match, Pablo Osvaldo received a yellow card in the fifth minute for a tackle on Sergio Busquets. Luis Garcia was cautioned soon after, as Espanyol refused to give Barcelona time on the ball. Xavi Hernandez complained to referee Undiano Mallenco that Espanyol's players were being over-zealous.
Barcelona did not have one decent shot on target and was lucky to go in at the break level after a quick Espanyol counter-attack ended with Osvaldo's effort being pushed on to a post by Victor Valdes.
Matters got worse for manager Pep Guardiola when Alves got his second yellow card but he still opted for attack throwing on Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to join Lionel Messi in the second half.
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