MADRID, Oct 29: Celta Vigo blew their big chance to go to the top of the Spanish first division on Sunday when they could only scrape a 1-1 draw with Valladolid.

The result means that Celta’s local Galician rivals Deportivo La Coruna remain as league leaders despite their surprising 2-1 loss to bottom-placed Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.

Deportivo have 20 points from 10 games while Barcelona moved up to second place on Saturday, one point adrift of Deportivo, with a convincing 3-0 win over Real Betis.

Celta are in third place with 18 points, ahead of Alaves and Valencia on goal difference, who have the same number of points but are fourth and fifth respectively.

Valladolid looked set to end Celta’s unbeaten record until Alexander Mostovoi scored on the stroke of full time with a close-range header.

The hosts pressed forward desperately in the final 10 minutes in a last-gasp bid for an equaliser, and their prayers were answered after the Russian international, left unmarked after a misunderstanding between the Valladolid defenders Juan Manuel Pena and Pablo Richetti, got on the end of a long punt.

The visitors had earlier taken the lead when Tote Lopez pounced on a loose ball after Celta goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero could only parry away an effort from Valladolid’s Mexican international striker Cuauthemoc Blanco.

Alaves can thank their teenage Argentine defender Fabricio Coloccini for their 1-0 victory over Las Palmas, which maintains the Basque club’s presence close to the top of the table.

Coloccini was employed to stop goals when he arrived on loan from Milan during the summer but appears equally at home at the other end and scored his fourth goal of the season by heading home a Pablo Gomez free kick after 31 minutes.

“The first half was ours but we should have made more of the fact that we had the ball and the play,” reflected Alaves coach Mane Esnal.

“Nevertheless I’m very pleased, because it’s always good to win games like this when your opponents are as good as you on the pitch,” he added, failing to mention the furious and futile Las Palmas appeals for a penalty after Jesus Angle Turiel appeared to handle the ball in the box in injury time.

According to reports in the Spanish media last week, Real Madrid are prepared to make Milan an offer they can’t refuse in order to get the services of Coloccini, who captained his country to the under-20 World Cup title earlier this year.

Real Madrid showed that they could do with a central defender of Coloccini’s calibre even though they got their first away victory of the season on Saturday with a 3-2 victory at Villarreal.

The defending champions only got their win, with two goals in the last seven minutes from Spanish internationals Pedro Munitis and Raul Gonzalez, after throwing caution to the wind.

Valencia also maintained their unbeaten record with a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Sevilla on Sunday, their fifth draw in as many matches away from home this season.

However, Valencia coach Rafa Benitez admitted that they could have easily lost the game after a sloppy second half when Sevilla were clearly superior to the Champions’ League finalists for the last two years.

“We should have finished this game off in the first half, when we were playing well. We went to sleep in the second half,” admitted Benitez.

David Albelda put Valencia ahead when he blasted home a loose ball inside the area after 19 minutes.

Sevilla got their share of the points just 18 seconds into the second half when Moises Garcia found the net after connecting with a pass from wide out on the left wing by Fredi Lobeiras.

Moises though was not on the field for Sevilla’s end of game celebrations after recieving his second yellow card, and his marching orders, a minute before the whistle.

Dutch midfielder Kiki Musampa was Malaga’s hero, getting both goals in their 2-0 away win at Real Zaragoza on Sunday, to take his tally for the season to four goals.

Sunday’s first division: