Real battles back to seize top spot
Source: Agencies |
March 30, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
REAL Madrid climbed back above Barcelona to the top of La Liga when goals from former Liverpool pair Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa helped them to a stirring 3-2 comeback win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
A 1-0 victory for Barcelona at fourth-placed Real Mallorca on Saturday put the champions three clear but Real responded to draw level on 74 points with its arch-rival and reclaim top spot on goal difference.
Atletico, which has not won a Madrid derby in more than 10 years, led 1-0 at the break thanks to a curled effort from former Real player Jose Antonio Reyes, before Alonso, Arbeloa and Gonzalo Higuain struck to put the hosts 3-1 ahead.
Diego Forlan pulled one back from the penalty spot with just over 20 minutes left after Alonso handled at a corner but Real comfortably held on to claim the three points.
With nine matches remaining, the top two are 21 points ahead of third-placed Valencia. Real hosts Barcelona in the potentially decisive "clasico" in two weeks.
Bad dream
The match initially looked liked turning into a bad dream for the hosts thanks to Reyes, who helped Real win the title with two goals on the final day of the 2006/07 season.
Portugal midfielder Tiago drove toward the penalty area and fed Sergio Aguero, who flicked the ball wide to Reyes to curl a delicate shot past Iker Casillas into the corner of the net.
The best first-half chance for a Real equalizer fell to Cristiano Ronaldo. Alonso floated a cross into the area and the unmarked Portuguese forward, usually so effective in the air, somehow failed to net his header with only keeper David De Gea to beat.
Real continued to pile on the pressure after the break and Alonso put them level in the 49th with a close-range header.
The midfielder's cross-field pass sent Arbeloa clear to put Real in front six minutes later and a defensive lapse let Higuain in for a third in the 62nd, the Argentina forward's 23rd of the season.
An attempted Tiago clearance hit teammate Paulo Assuncao and Higuain stroked the ball past De Gea to close within two of top scorer Lionel Messi.
Alonso inexplicably threw up an arm to give away the penalty in the 68th minute and Forlan gave Casillas no chance with a powerful low drive.
Real has now won all 15 of its home matches this season and it was its 11th straight league win.
Earlier, Sevilla lost 0-3 at Villarreal under new coach Antonio Alvarez to extend its winless run to eight games, while last-place Xerez maintained its hopes of remaining in Spain's topflight league by beating fellow relegation battler Valladolid 3-0.
Deportivo de La Coruna slumped to a third straight defeat with a 1-3 loss to Getafe. Also, Walter Pandiani's 20th-minute header gave Osasuna a 1-0 win over Almeria to end a seven-game winless streak and Espanyol and Sporting Gijon drew 0-0.
Valencia stayed third, while Mallorca is in fourth spot - the last Champions League qualifying place - and leads Sevilla by two points with nine rounds left.
A 1-0 victory for Barcelona at fourth-placed Real Mallorca on Saturday put the champions three clear but Real responded to draw level on 74 points with its arch-rival and reclaim top spot on goal difference.
Atletico, which has not won a Madrid derby in more than 10 years, led 1-0 at the break thanks to a curled effort from former Real player Jose Antonio Reyes, before Alonso, Arbeloa and Gonzalo Higuain struck to put the hosts 3-1 ahead.
Diego Forlan pulled one back from the penalty spot with just over 20 minutes left after Alonso handled at a corner but Real comfortably held on to claim the three points.
With nine matches remaining, the top two are 21 points ahead of third-placed Valencia. Real hosts Barcelona in the potentially decisive "clasico" in two weeks.
Bad dream
The match initially looked liked turning into a bad dream for the hosts thanks to Reyes, who helped Real win the title with two goals on the final day of the 2006/07 season.
Portugal midfielder Tiago drove toward the penalty area and fed Sergio Aguero, who flicked the ball wide to Reyes to curl a delicate shot past Iker Casillas into the corner of the net.
The best first-half chance for a Real equalizer fell to Cristiano Ronaldo. Alonso floated a cross into the area and the unmarked Portuguese forward, usually so effective in the air, somehow failed to net his header with only keeper David De Gea to beat.
Real continued to pile on the pressure after the break and Alonso put them level in the 49th with a close-range header.
The midfielder's cross-field pass sent Arbeloa clear to put Real in front six minutes later and a defensive lapse let Higuain in for a third in the 62nd, the Argentina forward's 23rd of the season.
An attempted Tiago clearance hit teammate Paulo Assuncao and Higuain stroked the ball past De Gea to close within two of top scorer Lionel Messi.
Alonso inexplicably threw up an arm to give away the penalty in the 68th minute and Forlan gave Casillas no chance with a powerful low drive.
Real has now won all 15 of its home matches this season and it was its 11th straight league win.
Earlier, Sevilla lost 0-3 at Villarreal under new coach Antonio Alvarez to extend its winless run to eight games, while last-place Xerez maintained its hopes of remaining in Spain's topflight league by beating fellow relegation battler Valladolid 3-0.
Deportivo de La Coruna slumped to a third straight defeat with a 1-3 loss to Getafe. Also, Walter Pandiani's 20th-minute header gave Osasuna a 1-0 win over Almeria to end a seven-game winless streak and Espanyol and Sporting Gijon drew 0-0.
Valencia stayed third, while Mallorca is in fourth spot - the last Champions League qualifying place - and leads Sevilla by two points with nine rounds left.
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