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LONDON, Jan 16: Following is a roundup of weekend action in the other major European leagues:
SPAIN
Barcelona notched up their 17th consecutive victory in all competitions, coming from behind to beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 at home in the Primera Liga on Sunday.
Bilbao led through Fernando Llorente early on before World Player of the Year Ronaldinho scored from the penalty spot in the 36th minute. Argentine
forward Leo Messi scored the winner six minutes after the break.
Barca, who had Portugal midfielder Deco sent off in the final minute, have 46 points from 19 games, seven ahead of Osasuna who lost 2-0 to third-placed Valencia in the Mestalla on Saturday.
Uruguayan winger Mario Regueiro fired home the opener and Spain striker David Villa headed the second goal six minutes after the restart, his 11th of the season.
Frenchman Zinedine Zidane hit his first hat trick for Real Madrid as the capital side moved up to fourth on 33 points after beating Sevilla 4-2 in a pulsating match at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
ITALY
Alessandro Del Piero maintained his record-breaking form when he struck the winner in Juventus’s laboured 1-0 win over Reggina on Sunday.
The striker, who hit a hat-trick in midweek against Italian Cup rivals Fiorentina to surpass Giampiero Boniperti as the club’s all-time top scorer, struck just before halftime to maintain Juve’s 100 percent winning record at home.
The result gave Juventus 52 points from 19 matches, 10 points ahead of second-placed Inter Milan, who edged out Cagliari 3-2 with Brazilian Adriano scoring twice.
AC Milan slipped back one place to third on 40 points after losing 1-0 to AS Roma in the Italian capital. Midfielder Mancini, playing his first Serie A game after a two-month injury layoff, picked up Francesco Totti’s pass on the edge of the area and fired in a shot that deflected off Jaap Stam to beat Dida at his near post.
Fiorentina stayed fourth, also on 40 points, after the division’s leading scorer Luca Toni hit a a stoppage-time winner to sink Chievo Verona 2-1.
FRANCE
Olympique Lyon, chasing a record fifth successive title, maintained their huge advantage in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 win at in-form Nancy on Saturday.
Claudio Cacapa and Fred scored Lyon’s goals in a win that took them on to 53 points from 22 games, 14 more than their closest rival, Girondins Bordeaux.
In the battle for second place Bordeaux stayed one point ahead of AJ Auxerre after defeating Monaco 1-0 in the principality. Former Brazil midfielder Denilson secured their win with his first Ligue 1 goal since arriving in France at the start of the season.
Peguy Luyindula hit AJ Auxerre’s winner in a 1-0 defeat of Lens.
Paris St Germain needed a stoppage time winner from striker Fabrice Pancrate to defeat visiting Troyes 2-1. PSG are fourth on 37 points.—Reuters
