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| October 28, 2005 | Friday | Ramzan 23, 1426 |
Spanish Soccer: Madrid fail again as Barca win
MADRID, Oct 27: Real Madrid’s sorry streak at Deportivo La Coruna continued when the Spanish giants crashed 3-1 in their bogey team’s intimidating Riazor stadium on Wednesday.
With the Riazor festooned with banners proclaiming Deportivo fans to be ‘Anti-Madrista’, Real were as good as defeated before the break thanks to two outstanding first half goals from Julian De Guzman and Juanma Delgado.
Juanma got his second of the night seven minutes from time and Real club captain Raul Gonzalez scored a late consolation three minutes later but the three points were effectively in Deportivo’s hands by the interval.
Real, missing the injured quartet of Ronaldo, Robinho, Zinedine Zidane and Michel Salgado, have now not won in La Coruna since the 1991-92 season.
Goals from Ronaldinho and Henrik Larsson in the last ten minutes gave reigning Spanish champions Barcelona a 2-0 win over Malaga, which helped them leapfrog over their bitter rivals Real.
Ronaldinho broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after 80 minutes, after he had been brought down by Juan Rodriguez, although Malaga players accused the World Player of the Year of diving.
Second half substitute Larsson then got his first goal of the season three minutes from time.
The Swedish striker was left unmarked on the edge of the area as a pinpoint cross from Ronaldinho came to his feet and he chipped over the head of Malaga’s oncoming keeper Francesc Arnau, who started his career at Barca.
Osasuna moved top of the table Wednesday after a 3-2 win over struggling Athletic Bilbao although Getafe and Valencia both play on Thursday and can overtake them.
Cameroon international Pierre Webo got Osasuna’s winner three minutes into injury time after the game had swung to and fro.
Carlos Gurpegi put the Basque vistors ahead from close range after 25 minutes but Raul Garcia levelled for Osasuna two minutes from half time.
Garcia found the net with perfectly pitched lob from 30 yards, having spotted Athletic keeper Daniel Aranzubia was just too far off his line.
Savo Milosevic then headed Osasuna into the lead before Athletic’s Andoni Iraola nudged the ball into the net with nine minutes remaining.
Betis played the final 19 minutes with just nine men after first Spanish international winger Joaquin Sanchez and then Melli Andrau got their marching orders.
Celta Vigo, who started the week in second place, blew their big chance of putting pressure on, who travel to San Sebastian on Thursday, when they lost 1-0 at struggling Real Mallorca.
Former Italian international midfielder Cristiano Doni scored the only goal of the game less than two minutes into the second half to lever Mallorca off the foot of the table.
Results:
Real Betis 2 Villarreal 3
Real Mallorca 1 Celta Vigo 0
Osasuna 3 Athletic Bilbao 2
Barcelona 2 Malaga 0
Deportivo 3 Real Madrid 1
—Agencies
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