Osasuna brings little Levante down to earth
Source: Agencies |
November 1, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
LEVANTE'S first experience of life at the top of La Liga in its 102-year history ended when the surprise early pacesetter suffered a first defeat of the season in a 0-2 loss at 10-man Osasuna on Sunday.
The Valencia-based club, whose annual budget of around 20 million euros (US$28.4 million) is less than a 20th of new leader Real Madrid, fell behind to an Alvaro Cejudo strike in the 39th minute and Nino netted a second for Pamplona-based Osasuna three minutes later.
Cejudo, who had already been booked for taking his shirt off in his goal celebration, was shown a second yellow card in the 59th but Levante was unable to exploit its numerical advantage and its astounding seven-match win streak came to an end.
"It's true that we have been on a very good run but we knew this was going to be a tough match," Levante coach Juan Ignacio Martinez, who is in his debut top-flight campaign, said. "When you have won so many games the next defeat is always closer."
La Liga had a more familiar look to it after Levante was toppled, with Real leading on 25 points from 10 matches thanks to Saturday's 1-0 win at Real Sociedad.
Champion Barcelona, bidding for a club record-equaling fourth straight title, was a point back in second after a Lionel Messi-inspired 5-0 demolition of Real Mallorca on Saturday, with Levante third on 23 points.
In Sunday's late kickoff, big-spending Malaga climbed above Espanyol into sixth when it beat the Catalan capital's second club 2-1 at the Rosaleda.
The Valencia-based club, whose annual budget of around 20 million euros (US$28.4 million) is less than a 20th of new leader Real Madrid, fell behind to an Alvaro Cejudo strike in the 39th minute and Nino netted a second for Pamplona-based Osasuna three minutes later.
Cejudo, who had already been booked for taking his shirt off in his goal celebration, was shown a second yellow card in the 59th but Levante was unable to exploit its numerical advantage and its astounding seven-match win streak came to an end.
"It's true that we have been on a very good run but we knew this was going to be a tough match," Levante coach Juan Ignacio Martinez, who is in his debut top-flight campaign, said. "When you have won so many games the next defeat is always closer."
La Liga had a more familiar look to it after Levante was toppled, with Real leading on 25 points from 10 matches thanks to Saturday's 1-0 win at Real Sociedad.
Champion Barcelona, bidding for a club record-equaling fourth straight title, was a point back in second after a Lionel Messi-inspired 5-0 demolition of Real Mallorca on Saturday, with Levante third on 23 points.
In Sunday's late kickoff, big-spending Malaga climbed above Espanyol into sixth when it beat the Catalan capital's second club 2-1 at the Rosaleda.
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