La Liga 1999/2000
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Sunday 8th August Friday 13th AugustThat little sniveller, Anelka, played his first game for Real Madrid - a friendly against Perugia. The game ended 1-1, with Morientes scoring for Real. Can't work out who scored for Perugia!
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SUPERCOPA, 2nd LEG 16th AUGUST 1999 |
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Wow! The games between these two are always amazing! The only downer was that this match was shown on Eurosport and the commentator, as well as having no idea about football; obviously sleeps in a room with a Barcelona duvet and matching curtains and lampshade! |
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 Anelka started the game |
21st AugustHooray! At last La Primera is off and running again. Tonight we had the Mallorca v Real Madrid game live and it was a little disappointing - until the end! Really, Real are pretty poor! Anelka started the game and stood like a plank for 69 minutes before he was eventually put out of his misery! McManaman came on in the 2nd half and looked rather nervous! The real star of the show was Mallorca's replacement goalkeeper for Roa! Also Argentina's replacement for Roa - German Burgos!! He's a scream!!! Such an entertainment! Catches balls with one hand; nonchalently tips the ball over the bar at the last minute! Mallorca deservedly took the lead on 51 minutes with Carlos Gomez scoring. Real were awarded a very dubious penalty, but Hierro fluffed it!! It looked like all three points were Mallorca's and then, oops, Morientes scored from a McManaman pass on 92' and, to add to Mallorca's woes, Real netted the winner (a superb volley) on 94'! Full-time whistle! Lucky, Real!! I've decided to support Valencia this season. They got off to a rotten start though, losing 1-2 at home to Racing Santander. Mendieta scored Valencia's goal from a penalty. Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 'X' scoring. |
 Madrid celebrate |
Jordi Lardin, |
Saturday 28th AugustAtletico Madrid got trounced 4-1by Real Sociedad in San Sebastian. Of course, Jordi Lardin took all the blame (he played for at least 5 minutes!). All is not looking rosey there. Sunday 29th August I've been very worried about our Victor (well, we all have!). He didn't play last weekend and we were wondering whether he was still standing outside McDonalds in his blue plastic suit, being abused by all the kids!  Nope! There is an article on "as" today, which I don't understand, but refers to Victor as the "spark in the side" - so why is he not playing??? Thinking of you tonight, Vic - sure you'll play! |
 Victor only went and scored Valladolid's winning goal against Bilbao! |
Espanyol v Valencia. Mendieta scored one of the goals
 Mauricio Pochettino |
11th and 12th SeptemberSaturday - watched Espanyol v Barcelona (0-3). A non-event of a game really - although Pochettino got sent off for kicking out at Figo!! Good thing was though - that he succeeded in getting Figo sent off as well!! Oh, and little Mauro Navas was playing - I'd forgotten he'd gone to Espanyol! Other games, Saturday - Valencia LOST at home (0-2) to Alaves (SO poor!!) and Victor's Valladolid lost 0-2 to Deportivo (Victor went down twice, looking for penalites - all he got was a booking!). Sunday Games From Nando: Real drew at Bilbao. McManaman scored again - and Guerrero scored one of Athletic's goals. Atletico lost again - and Vallecano won! Malaga 3 Real Betis 0 Malaga ran out comfortable winners in this Andalucian derby as Betis -- still to score this season -- were overrun. Vicente Valcarce set the home side on their way with a free kick on 22 minutes, Gonzalo de los Santos then rifled in the second and Brazilian striker Catanha wrapped up the points with a header. Mallorca 3 Numancia 0 Mallorca, in their first game under new coach Fernando Vazquez, were given an ideal start when Jovan Stankovic converted a penalty in the opening minute. Carlos Dominguez threaded the ball home for the second before Numancia spurned the chance to pull a goal back when German Burgos saved Ruben Navarro's penalty. Diego Tristan scored Mallorca's third. Atletico Madrid 1 Celta 2 Celta opened the scoring with a Valery Karpin penalty in the 31th minute after Kili Gonzalez had been pulled down by Atletico keeper Toni Jimenez. Atletico equalized six minutes later when Juan Valeron nodded home Jordi Lardin's cross but four minutes from time Goran Djorovic headed in to leave Atletico still pointless after three games. Oviedo 1 Racing Santander 2 Racing took the points thanks to two Salvo Ballesta penalties in the first half. Oviedo pulled a goal back in the 76th minute through Panamanian striker Dely Valdes but their hopes of snatching a point were ended three minutes later when French defender Franck Rabarivony was dismissed. Athletic Bilbao 2 Real Madrid 2 Real fell behind after 15 minutes to a Julen Guerrero free kick, equalized with a brilliant strike from Steve McManaman, but then looked to be down and out as they had Michel Salgado sent off on 28 minutes. An own goal from Geremi Njitap saw them go in at halftime 2-1 down but they rallied impressively and equalized for the second time through Jose Maria Gutierrez with 15 minutes to go. Sevilla 0 Real Zaragoza 0 Both goalkeepers pulled off a string of fine saves to keep this intriguing contest level. Sevilla, who had the best of the chances, have yet to win this season. Rayo Vallecano 2 Real Sociedad 1 Jordi Ferron gave Rayo the lead after 19 minutes with a fierce shot. Inigo Idiakez equalized in the 56th minute but Jose Felix Guerrero's dismissal 15 minutes later put Real on the defensive. Rayo clinched the game in injury time when Michel Sanchez volleyed home. Barcelona 3 Espanyol 0 A poor first half was most notable for a flare-up between Luis Figo and defender Mauricio Pochettino which resulted in both being sent off on the stroke of halftime. Rivaldo turned the game in the 75th minute, swivelling to beat Pablo Cavallero from close range. Patrick Kluivert volleyed in the second and Rivaldo, put clean through by his Dutch colleague, calmly swept in the third. Deportivo Coruna 2 Valladolid 0 Deportivo made the ideal start with a goal by Dutch striker Roy Makaay, his fourth of the season, after just 15 seconds. Valladolid never recovered from the shock and after 26 minutes Victor Sanchez was tripped in the area. Djalminha calmly converted the penalty. Deportivo have taken seven points out of a possible nine. Valencia 0 Alaves 2 Valencia hit rock bottom with a dismal defeat. Magno Mocelin headed home for the modest Basque team in the 83rd minute and 60 seconds later Alaves's veteran striker Julio Salinas was pulled down in the box by Joachim Bjorkland. The Swede was sent off but Pablo Gomez hit the bar with the penalty. Alaves wrapped up the points three minutes later as Mauricio Astudillo fired in from the edge of the area. Weekend 18/19 September Barcelona lost! Real Madrid only drew. Valencia lost yet again - now bottom of the table, all on their own.Rayo Vallecano won again (away at Celta) so are alone at the top of the table! Must write to Kasey! They have the most wonderful kits - bees! Julen Guerrro got sent off - VICTOR scored TWO GOALS! Maybe he'll win the puchichi! Much sadness at Espanyol where a young man who was employed to hand out the cushions, fell and killed himself. From Nando Real Vallecano clearly hasn't read the script. Normally the team from an obscure Madrid suburb would be hard-pressed to take the limelight in the capital, never mind nationwide, but after four matches, the first division new boys are sitting top of the pile. Nobody gave Juande Ramos' men much hope of making an impression among the elite, but on Sunday they won 1-0 at Celta Vigo to keep up their 100 percent record.Vallecano is three points clear of Barcelona and Alaves after Alaves handed Barca its first defeat, 2-1, on Saturday. A goal in the 65th minute from Jon Perez Bolo, who had only come on as a sub for Manuel Canabal ten minutes earlier, was enough to give Rayo Vallecano the points and lift it top for the first time in its 75-year history. Its best-ever finish is 10th - 21 years ago. "It's early days of course - we won't be able to hang on and fight for a Champions League spot," forecast Ramos. Benedict McCarthy and Israeli striker Haim Revivo both went close for Vigo - but a visiting defense held firm by solid goalkeeping from American international Kasey Keller, formerly with Leicester in the English Premiership, repelled everything thrown at them. Keller was on hand to deny Alexander Mostovoi midway through the first half, as Vigo put the visitors under the cosh before fading in the second period. Bolo then was on hand to score with an opportunistic effort following a corner. Vigo's misery was complete when it had Argentine defender Fernando Caceres dismissed. If Vallecano fans were elated with their side's showing, the fortunes of the other Madrid clubs - Real and Atletico - leaves something to be desired. Real is only fifth, four points adrift, after Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Deportivo La Coruna. And Atletico finally got its first point - at Real Zaragoza - thanks to a goal by ex-Leeds striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Real gave Bosnian signing Elvir Balic his debut following an injury-plagued start to the season, but found itself having to come from behind after Brazilian Djalminha put Deportivo ahead with a freekick. Spanish international striker Raul grabbed the equalizer nine minutes from time after a pass from English international Steve McManaman. Disenchanted French striker Nicolas Anelka came on for Real in the 71st minute - but failed to make much of an impact. Barcelona took the lead through former Real Madrid striker Dani in the 22nd minute against Alaves but was rocked as first Alaves leveled before halftime through Mauricio Astudillo, following a mistake by Barca's Dutch keeper Ruud Hesp. 'Nan Ribera' scored the winner for Alaves 17 minutes from time. There was no let-up for Valencia's Argentinian coach Hector Cuper, as he watched his Spanish Cup winners remain pointless as it went down 1-0 to Real Betis - coached by another Argentinian Carlos Griguol - on Saturday. The Espanyol-Oviedo match, which Espanyol won 2-1, was marred by tragedy when an 18-year-old man fell 10 meters to his death. Weekend 25/26 September Not an awful lot to report, although we got to watch two live games (because the Ryder Cup was on digital as well as ordinary Sky). Barcelona easily beat Betis and Vallecano lost their first game (at home) to Zaragoza. Valencia got themselves one whole point by drawing at home with Victor's mob! BARCELONA, Spain -- Real Zaragoza put an end to Rayo Vallecano's winning run in the Spanish first division on Sunday, as Savo Milosevic's goal midway through the second half doomed the Madrid club to a 1-0 defeat. The result left Barcelona as the league leader following its 4-1 demolition of Real Betis on Saturday, featuring a hat trick from former Mallorca striker Dani Garcia. Rayo, which missed a penalty at the start of the second half against Zaragoza, is second, behind the Catalan giants on goal difference. Real Madrid is third, three points back, after a 1-1 draw with Malaga on Saturday. Real's city neighbors Atletico moved off the bottom of the table with a 2-0 home victory against Racing Santander. Atletico's first victory of the season was set up by a trademark turn and powerful shot from star striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the 65th minute, with Ruben Baraja wrapping up the points two minutes from time. Also winning 2-0 was first-division newcomer Numancia, which outfought a listless Deportivo Coruna, while Oviedo beat Alaves 1-0 and Espanyol came from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1. Rayo's defeat to Zaragoza was a disappointing end to its dream start to the season, which had brought four straight victories and top spot in the table. Rayo dominated the match from start to finish but could not find any composure in front of goal, with Bolo Perez a particular culprit. Carlos Llorens missed the clearest chance from the penalty spot five minutes into the second half following a blatant handball from Paco Jemez. Zaragoza made Rayo pay for that miss 10 minutes later, as Milosevic stole in between two Rayo defenders and tapped in a speculative cross from the right. Rayo had plenty more chances to get back into the game, but Zaragoza somehow held out to clinch a victory that moves it back up into the top half of the table. Weekend 2/3 October Well, I was lazy this weekend on all football - so that includes this! Watched Valladolid play Barca live though, and Victor was not his usual self (they lost; he didn't score!) but he had his dear little arm stepped on and managed to get Bogarde sent off! Well done, Victor! In other games, Real lost 2-3 to Valencia - so they (Valencia) at last have some points - although Real were down to 10 men because they had Roberto Carlos sent off early on for a deliberate handball. Rayo Vallecano drew, so keep up the pressure - and you'll have to look on the Spanish results page for the rest! Oh, but Pochettino's had his hair cut short - tchh! |
Scuse me everybody, this is shoddy! But I've been busy doing a dance page!
Played Wednesday:
Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 2
Scorers: Barcelona - Rivaldo 29, Luis Figo 49
Real Madrid - Raul Gonzalez 27, 86
Red card: Patrick Kluivert (Barcelona) 55
Halftime: 1-1; Attendance: 98,000
- Raul Gonzalez struck his second goal with four minutes to go for Real Madrid to clinch a 2-2 draw with Barcelona in a full-blooded Nou Camp clash that saw the home side play the last 25 minutes with 10 men. Raul gave his side the lead on 27 minutes as Real made a period of dominance tell but Barcelona came straight back to equalise through Rivaldo two minutes later. Barca then looked set to take control as Luis Figo put them ahead only for Dutchman Patrick Kluivert to send the game swinging back Real's way as he got himself sent off for comments made to referee Diaz Vega. Real left it late but they managed their equaliser on 86 minutes as Savio Bortolini found Raul in space in the area and the young striker slipped the ball past Ruud Hesp.
Oviedo 1 Valladolid 1
Scorers: Oviedo - Dely Valdes 15
Valladolid - Rodrigo 70pen
HT: 1-0; Att: 8,000
Dely Valdes, Oviedo's leading scorer for the past two years, gave his side a deserved first-half lead but a Valladolid penalty after 70 minutes saw them pegged back.
Real Sociedad 2 Racing Santander 5
Scorers: Real Sociedad - Victor Bonilla 3, Mikel Antia 84
Racing Santander - Pedro Munitis 45, Salva Ballesta 63, 67, 74, 87
HT: 1-1; Att: 15,000
Racing's in-form striker Salva Ballesta struck four times in a little over 40 minutes to settle this game. The home side took the lead inside three minutes and managed to hold it until first-half injury time when Salva got his first. Three more followed in the second half, taking his tally to the season to 10.
Celta Vigo 2 Real Zaragoza 1
Scorers: Celta Vigo - Fernando Caceres 37, Alexander Mostovoi 54
Real Zaragoza - Savo Milosevic 28
Red card: Xavier Aguado (Real Zaragoza) 35
HT: 1-1; Att: 18,000
Fernando Caceres and Alexander Mostovoi struck for Celta after Xavier Aguado had received his marching orders for the visitors -- at that time leading 1-0 -- midway through the first half. The result took Celta up to third in the table.
Rayo Vallecano 2 Espanyol 1
Scorers: Rayo Vallecano - Jean Francois Hernandez 48, Canabal 84
Espanyol - Toni Velamazan 87 Red card: Jesus Cota 89
HT: 0-0; Att: 5,000
While most of Madrid was following Real's thrilling 2-2 draw with Barcelona, Rayo Vallecano, the city's third club, grabbed their fifth victory out of seven this season to move joint top with the might of Barca
Valencia 4 Numancia 0
Scorers: Adrian Ilie 30, 52, Francisco Farinos 69, Oscar Garica 88
HT: 1-0; Att: 30,000
Valencia were far too strong for Numancia as they followed up their first victory of the season against Real Madrid last week with a 4-0 stroll here. Two goals from Adrian Ilie, making his first league start of the season, were the highlight for Hector Cuper's side who move off the bottom of the table.
Playing on Tuesday:
Atletico Madrid 1 - 0 Alaves
Scorers: Hasselbaink (77')
Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 23,000
A long-range strike by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink earned Atletico Madrid a 1-0 win over Alaves that took them off the bottom of the Spanish first division on Tuesday. Hasselbaink's fourth league goal of the season, which took a wicked deflection, came after 77 minutes of an uninspiring game. Tuesday's two other early games featured brave fightbacks by Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca. Bilbao, trailing 3-2 at Malaga with just a couple of minutes left, equalised through Jose Maria Lacruz -- the young defender's second of the game -- and snatched the winner with a Joseba Etxeberria strike deep into injury time. Mallorca came back from 2-0 down early in the first half to draw 2-2 with Deportivo Coruna. The equaliser, almost the last kick of the game, came with a Jovan Stankovic penalty after Gabriel Schurrer had been sent off for a crude tackle. The draw was enough to move Deportivo up to third, three points behind Barcelona who take on Real Madrid on Wednesday. Sevilla and Real Betis were playing later on Tuesday.
Mallorca 2 - 2 Deportivo Coruna
Scorers: Quinteros (81'), Stankovic (94' penalty) for Mallorca.
Pauleta (49', 58') for Deportiva Coruna.
Mallorca came back from 2-0 down early in the first half to draw 2-2 with Deportivo Coruna. The equaliser, almost the last kick of the game, came with a Jovan Stankovic penalty after Gabriel Schurrer had been sent off for a crude tackle. The draw was enough to move Deportivo up to third, three points behind Barcelona who take on Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Malaga 3 - 4 Athletic Bilbao
Scorers: Edgar (27'), Catanha (48', 62' ) for Malaga.
Alforta (21'), Lacruz (73', 88') and Etxebarria (93') for Athletic Bilbao.
Bilbao staged a brave fightback in the final minutes of the game to take three points against Malaga. Bilbao, trailing 3-2 at with just a couple of minutes left, equalised through Jose Maria Lacruz -- the young defender's second of the game -- and snatched the winner deep into injury time as Joseba Etxeberria's cross-shot squeezed in off the bar.
Sevilla 3 Real Betis 0
Scorers- Jose Maria Quevedo 1, Juan Carlos Gomez 74, Loren del Pino 90
Red cards: Gabriel Moya (Sevilla) 87, Joaquin Bornes (Real Betis) 87
HT: 1-0; Att: 45,000
Sevilla scored their first Spanish League victory of the season on Tuesday, a first-minute goal from Jose Maria Quevedo setting them on their way to a satisfying 3-0 win over city rivals Real Betis. Sevilla, newly promoted this season, dominated the game and wrapped up the points with two goals in the last 15 minutes -- a brilliant finish from Juan Carlos Gomez and then a close-range header from Loren del Pino in the dying seconds. Loren's last-gasp strike came after both teams had been reduced to 10 men in what was an increasingly bad-tempered match. The result saw Sevilla move up from 18th to 13th in the table, while Betis slipped into the bottom three
More Eurosport reports - but they're good!!! Watched the Celta game which was rubbish! Real and Barca both falling by the wayside today - must be to do with the CL next week. A goal from Roberto Losada at the Bernabeu though - and another goal from VICTOR, who showed us his grey vest again!! Rayo Vallecano back on top again - and Burgos the goalie sent off (smiling!). Here are those reports then: Saturday Oct 16th:
Atletic Bilbao 1 Valencia 0
Scorers:Ismael Urzaiz 20
HT: 1-0 ; Att: 38,000
Bilbao gained a valuable win through a 20th minute goal by Ismael Urzaiz, the Spanish international forward's second of the season. Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League match against Bayern Munich, the loss was a setback for Valencia whose league form had been improving recently.
Numancia 3 Barcelona 3
Scorers: Numancia - Perico Ojedo 83pen, Ruben Navarro 88, Pacheta Rojo 90
Barcelona - Luis Figo 6, Jari Litmanen 69, Dani Garcia 90
Red card - Winston Bogarde (Barcelona) 90
Halftime: 0-1; Attendance: 10,000
Numancia staged an extraordinary fightback to score three goals in the last 10 minutes. Argentine striker Perico Ojeda (83) and Ruben Navarro (89) levelled after Luis Figo and Jari Litmanen had put Barcelona 2-0 up. Although Barcelona striker Dani Garcia headed home in the 90th minute, Pacheta Rojo equalised in injury time.
Deportivo Coruna 4 Malaga 1
Scorers:Deportivo Coruna - Donato Gama 37, Djalminha 57, 74, Victor Sanchez 68
Malaga - Catanha 15pen
HT: 1-1; Att: 22,000
Three days before their UEFA Cup match against Montpellier, Deportivo cruised to a comfortable win despite Catanha's early penalty, the Brazilian's seventh goal of the season. Deportivo's goals came from Donato (37), Djalminha (57, 74) and Victor Sanchez (68).
Racing Santander 3 Celta Vigo 0
Scorers:Salva Ballesta 5, 17, 45
HT: 3-0 ; Att: 17,000
Salva Ballesta's extraordinary season continued with the Racing striker scoring three goals before halftime against the meanest defence in the division. Ballesta has now scored 13 times in eight games and has netted seven in the last two.
Real Madrid 2 Oviedo 2
Scorers: Real Madrid - Fernando Morientes 12, Savio Bortalini 28
Oviedo - Roberto Losada 26, Roberto Pompei 84
HT: 2-1; Att: 72,000
A disappointing result for Real after their draw at Barcelona on Wednesday. After Fernando Morientes opened the scoring, Oviedo's Roberto Losada calmly slotted home the equaliser. Savio Bortalini restored Real's lead with a powerful long shot but with six minutes left midfielder Roberto Pompei equalised from outside the area.
Sunday Oct 17th:
Alaves 0 Rayo Vallecano 1
Scorers: Bolo Perez 82
Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 17,000
Rayo Vallecano took back top spot in the Spanish first division on Sunday with a typically hard-fought 1-0 win at Alaves. Rayo's victory over Alaves came courtesy of Basque striker Bolo Perez, who headed home from close range after 82 minutes. The result took Rayo two points clear of Barcelona. Alaves failed to capitalise on their long periods of possession, with Kasey Keller having another good game in the Rayo goal.
Real Betis 2 Atletico Madrid 1
Scorers: Real Betis - Toni Prats 29, Finidi George 55
Atletico Madrid - Santiago Solari 6
HT: 1-1; Att: 35,000
Real Betis keeper Toni Prats went from goalstopper to goalscorer on Sunday, as he fired in a free kick in his side's clash with Atletico Madrid. With his side trailing 1-0, Prats struck after 29 minutes with a free kick that was deflected in off Atletico striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. It was the second time in a week he had tried his luck from outside the box after Betis coach Carlos Griguol gave him the go-ahead to take free kicks in shooting range. The 28-year-old keeper shaved the bar with a well struck shot in his side's 3-0 defeat to Sevilla on Tuesday.
Valladolid 2 Sevilla 1
Scorers: Valladolid - Edwin Congo 5, Victor Sanchez 67
Sevilla - Marcelo Otero 21
HT: 1-1; Att: 11,000
After an evenly matched first half, which featured goals from Valladolid's Edwin Congo and Marcelo Otero for the visitors, Sevilla took control only to concede a soft goal on the break to Victor Fernandez, whose neat finish proved enough to give the home side the points.
Real Zaragoza 2 Real Mallorca 0
Scorers: Savo Milosevic 51pen, 59, Roberto Acuna 90
Red cards: German Burgos (Real Mallorca) 50, Juan Jose Serrizuela (Real Mallorca) 89
HT: 0-0; Att: 19,000
This game turned on the sending-off of Mallorca goalkeeper German Burgos five minutes into the second half for hauling back Savo Milsoveic. The Yugoslav stepped up to convert the spot kick, slotted in another eight minutes later and Roberto Acuna wrapped up the scoring in the final minute.
Espanyol 0 Real Sociedad 0
Att: 18,400
Real Sociedad will take a small measure of hope from this terrible game, played under torrential rain for the most part, as they at least brought to an end their run of three successive defeats.
Real only drew. Barca won easy (with the help of the referee: this is the game we saw - and it was poor). Valencia won! :) Valladolid LOST, but Victor scored AGAIN! What a star he is! And little Roberto Losada scored again! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him for today (25th).
Eurosport reports
Saturday's Results
Barcelona 4 Athletic Bilbao 0
Scorers: Philip Cocu 38, Rivaldo 60, Luis Figo 77pen, Dani Garcia 90
Red card: Aitor Larrazabal (Athletic Bilbao) 36
HT: 1-0; Att: 85,000
Barcelona regained top spot in the Spanish first division on Saturday with a 4-0 stroll past 10-man Athletic Bilbao. The Catalans were always in charge against their Basque visitors and took the lead on 38 minutes -- two minutes after Bilbao defender Aitor Larrazabal had been sent off for his second bad foul on maurauding winger Luis Figo. Barcelona never really got out of first gear in the second half but made sure of the points with three goals in the final half-hour from Rivaldo, Figo -- from the penalty spot -- and Dani Garcia. The result moved Louis van Gaal's side a point clear of Rayo Vallecano, who have the chance to retake the summit when they host Real Betis on Sunday.
Sevilla 1 Real Madrid 1
Scorers: Sevilla - Vassilis Tsartas 20
Real Madrid - Raul Gonzalez 81
Halftime: 1-0; Attendance: 40,000
Real Madrid needed a Raul Gonzalez equaliser with nine minutes to go to salvage a 1-1 draw at Sevilla on Saturday. John Toshack's embattled side, who have now gone seven Spanish league games without a win, were once again terrible in a first half that saw the home side take the lead on 20 minutes through a Vassilis Tsartas free kick. Real improved after the break following the introduction of Raul and the Spanish international missed two clear chances to level the scores before latching on to a Clarence Seedorf through ball and finishing neatly. The visitors might even have taken an unlikely win in the final minute had Nicolas Anelka -- who endured another miserable night -- not inexplicably opted to leave a Geremi Njitap cross for Julio Cesar, running in behind him, to blast over the bar.
Valencia 2 Deportivo Coruna 0
Scorers: Kily Gonzalez 26, Gerard Lopez 86
HT: 1-0; Att: 38,000
Kily Gonzalez 26, Gerard Lopez 86 HT: 1-0; Att: 38,000 Valencia's in-form midfielder Kily Gonzalez struck midway through the first half to set Valencia on their way to a victory that takes them out of the bottom three. Gerard Lopez wrapped up victory as he nodded in a Gaizka Mendieta cross four minutes from time.
Sunday's Matches
Rayo Vallecano 1 Real Betis 3
Scorers: Rayo Vallecano - Luis Cembranos 58
Real Betis - Alfonso Perez 64pen, 71, Denilson 68
Red cards: Jean-Francois Hernandez (Rayo Vallecano) 34, Angel Alcazar (Rayo Vallecano) 64
HT: 0-0; Att: 9,000
Rayo Vallecano were reduced to nine men and missed the chance to return to the top of the Spanish first division when they went down 3-1 at home to Real Betis in an early match on Sunday. Defeat was inevitable after French defender Jean Francois Hernandez was sent off in the first half for two yellow card offences and defender Angel Alcazar followed him after the break for a deliberate hand ball in the penalty area. Alfonso Perez converted the spot kick for Betis's opening goal. Rayo had taken the lead through a close-range shot by winger Luis Cembranos. Rayo became ragged after being reduced to nine men and they quickly conceded two more goals. Denilson broke thrpogh to score his first goal of the season and then Alfonso scored his second when he reacted to head home after Kasey Keller had brilliantly saved his initial shot.
Real Zaragoza 4 Racing Santander 1
Scorers: Real Zaragoza - Savo Milosevic 29, 79, 89 Juanele Castano 49
Racing Santander - Washington Tais 82
HT: 1-0; Att: 25,000
Savo Milosevic hit a hat-trick and now has 10 goals this season. The Yugoslav scored his team's first, second and fourth with Juanele Castano netting the second. Washington Tais scored for Racing, whose prolific striker Salva Ballesta missed the game through injury
Mallorca 2 Malaga 1
Scorers: Mallorca - Lauren Mayer 18, Jorge Quinteros 25
Malaga - Gonzalo de los Santos 58
HT: 2-0; Att: 14,000
Mallorca deserved their win against a disappointing Malaga who now occupy bottom place in the table. Cameroun international Lauren Mayer headed in Mallorca's first from Stankovic's freekick and another header by Jorge Quinteros seven minutes later gave Mallorca a two-goal lead. Argentine midfielder Gonzalo de los Santos (58th) scored a consolation goal, with another header
Real Sociedad 1 Alaves 1
Scorers: Real Sociedad - Aitor Lopez Rekarte 36
Alaves - Mauricio Astudillo 23
Red cards: Aitor Lopez Rekarte 68, Mutiu Adepoju (Real Sociedad) 85 Cosmin Contra (Alaves) 68
HT: 1-1; Att: 24,000
Real were booed off and stand one point off the bottom. Mauricio Astudillo clipped in Alaves's goal in the 23rd minute with Aitor Lopez Rekarte heading the equaliser 13 minutes later. A second half clash led to both Rekarte and Alaves defender Cosmin Contra being sent off. With 10 minutes to go, Nigerian midfielder Mutiu Adepoju also received his marching orders.
Oviedo 1 Numancia 0
Scorers: - Roberto Losada 60
HT: 0-0; Att: 11,000
Numancia had their chances to win including a penalty when Perico Ojeda's shot was brilliantly saved by Oviedo goalkeeper Esteban Suarez just before halftime. But Oviedo's Roberto Losada broke free of his marker to tap home the winner in the second half.
Atletico Madrid 3 Valladolid 1
Scorers: Atletico Madrid - Joan Capdevila 27, Santiago Solari 69 Jimmy Hasselbaink 90 Valladolid - Victor Fernandez 62
HT: 1-0; Att: 35,000
Atletico grabbed some breathing space with a win which takes them off the bottom of the table. Atletico's Joan Capdevila opened the scoring but Victor Fernandez equalised early in the second half. Atletico clinched the win through Argentine Santiago Solari's brilliant curling shot and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's late header.
Celta Vigo 2 Espanyol 1
Scorers: Celta Vigo - Gustavo Lopez 7, Juanfran Garcia 90
Espanyol - Enrique De Lucas 43
Halftime: 1-1; Attendance: 23,000
Celta opened the scoring through Gustavo Lopez who fired home in the seventh minute. An unstoppable long-range shot from Enrique De Lucas gave Espanyol an equaliser on the stroke of halftime. In injury time, Juanfran Garcia hit home Valery Karpin's freekick to take Celta to third place in the table, two points behind Barcelona
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But only just! 1-3!!! Goals from Morientes, 2 x Hasselbaink and 1 x Jose Mari. This was the game we (unfortunately) saw live.
But Valladolid lost to Rayo Vallecano, who go to the top of La Liga again! Great stuff you bees! |
From EurosportNINE-MAN CELTA VIGO MISS CHANCE TO GO TOP IN SPAIN Celta Vigo missed their chance to go top of the Spanish first division on Sunday as they were reduced to nine men on their way to a 1-0 defeat to Alaves. Celta, needing a victory to leap-frog Barcelona at the top, were denied as they lost Alexander Mostovoi on 44 minutes and Claude Makelele five minutes after the break, both for second yellow cards. Alaves made the most of their numerical advantage with a Julio Salinas header on 60 minutes. Barcelona, beaten 2-1 at Deportivo Coruna on Saturday, lead the standings by a point from Rayo Vallecano. Rayo, who were playing Valladolid later on Sunday, were also looking for a win to replace them at the top. Elsewhere, there were a clutch of 1-1 draws involving Mallorca and Racing Santander, Real Zaragoza away at Espanyol, and Athletic Bilbao at home to Oviedo. Real Betis got the better of Real Sociedad, beating the new club of their former coach Javier Clemente 1-0. Numancia beat Sevilla 2-0 to leave the Andalucians bottom of the table. In other games on Saturday, Real Madrid were beaten 3-1 at home to city rivals Atletico to put coach John Toshack under pressure for his job, while Valencia suffered a poor 1-1 draw with Malaga. |
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Real won against Rayo Vallecano!! Barca lost (to Malaga! :)). Watched both of these games live. Unfortunately, poor old Victor's band of Valladolid lost again and now languish in send to bottom spot - and Valencia too managed to lose yet again!
Reports from Eurosport
Barcelona 1 Malaga 2
Scorers: Barcelona - Winston Bogarde 30
Malaga - Joaquin Agostinho 8, Vicente Valcarce 13
Halftime: 1-2; Attendance: 70,000
Barcelona suffered their first home defeat of the Spanish league season on Sunday, losing 2-1 to struggling Malaga. Early goals by Joaquin Agostinho (8) and Vicente Valcarce (13) gave Malaga only their second ever win at Barcelona and lifted them out of the bottom three in the league. Barcelona replied through Winston Bogarde in the 30th but Barca failed to find the net again before a disbelieving crowd of 70,000. The result meant Rayo Vallecano, who lost 3-2 at home to Real Madrid on Saturday, stayed top after 11 games,while Barcelona, who have now lost three times this season in the league, are fifth on 20 points.
Racing Santander 2 Espanyol 2
Scorers: Racing Santander - Claudio Arzeno 26, Salva Ballesta 90
Espanyol 2 - Enrique de Lucas 17pen, Moises Arteaga 73
Halftime: 1-1; Attendance: 17,000
Enrique de Lucas converted a penalty (17min) awarded after Claudio Arzeno handled. However, Arzeno soon made amends and equalised with a header. Midfielder Moises Arteaga looked to have won Espanyol the three points but in the last minute Salva Ballesta's 14th goal of the season earned Santander a draw.
Celta Vigo 5 Real Betis 1
Scorers: Celta Vigo 5 - Gustavo Lopez 18, Mario Turdo 23, 59 Alexander Mostovoi 27, Valery Karpin 70
Real Betis 1 - Alfonso Perez 2
HT: 3-1; Att: 18,000
Celta showed why they are looking the most in-form team of the division. Betis's Alfonso Perez struck in two minutes but then Celta took control with goals from Gustavo Lopez, Mario Turdo and Alexander Mostovoi before the half hour. Turdo and Valery Karpin added goals in the second half.
Real Sociedad 3 Valladolid 0
Scorers: Real Sociedad - Javier de Pedro 32, Ricardo Sa Pinto 43 Oscar de Paula 48
HT: 2-0; Att: 18,000
Javier Clemente's home debut as coach did his struggling new team the power of good. Javier de Pedro headed Real into the lead after 32 minutes. Ricardo Sa Pinto scored the second just before halftime. Oscar de Paula added a third (48min) with Valladolid looking increasingly outclassed.
Atletico Madrid 2 Numancia 2
Scorers: Atletico Madrid - Ruben Baraja 26, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 43
Numancia - Francisco Castano 58, Txomin Nagore 90
HT: 2-0; Att: 35,000
A disappointing result for Atletico who appeared to be coasting through headers from Ruben Baraja (26min) and Jimmy Hasselbaink (43). But Atletico tired in the second half and Francisco Castano (58min) and Txomin Nagore (90) won an industrious Numancia a good away point.
Sevilla 0 Athletic Bilbao 0
Red card: Ivan Juric (Sevilla) 85
Att: 37,000
Bilbao have only won twice in 20 years at Sevilla and this lack of success continued with this dull draw. The only incident of note was the dismissal of Sevilla's Croatian defender Ivan Juric with five minutes to go.
Oviedo 0 Deportivo Coruna 1
Scorers: Deportivo Coruna - Djalminha 61pen
HT: 0-0; Att: 13,000
Oviedo conceded their fifth penalty of the season, Deportivo's Brazilian midfielder Djalminha converting. The penalty was greeted by a flurry of missiles from the angry crowd, one of which hit Deportivo midfielder Victor Sanchez who was forced off temporarily.
Real Zaragoza 2 Alaves 1
Scorers: Real Zaragoza - Savo Milosevic 3, 60
Alaves - Meho Kodro 76
HT: 1-0; Att: 20,000
Savo Milosevic grabbed two more goals to take his season's tally to 12 as Zaragoza's rich vein of form continued. However, Zaragoza escaped when goalkeeper Juanmi Garcia made a brilliant save from Pablo Gomez's penalty in the second half. Alaves's Bosnian Meho Kodro scored a consolation from a free kick (76min)
Mallorca 1 Valencia 0
Scorers: Mallorca - Diego Tristan 50
Red card: Amadeo Carboni (Valencia) 59 HT: 0-0; Att: 19,000
An unhappy return to Mallorca for former manager Hector Cuper. Mallorca's winner came from a header from Diego Tristan, ironically a player ignored by Cuper during his tenure at the club. A second yellow card for Valencia's Italian defender Amadeo Carboni left Valencia with ten men for the last half hour.
Saturday's Result:
Rayo Vallecano 2 Real Madrid 3
Scorers: Rayo Vallecano - Jordi Ferron 22, Julio Canabal 28
Real Madrid 3 - Fernando Morientes 46, Fernando Hierro 62pen, Raul Gonzalez 85
Red card: Fernando Morientes 59
Halftime: 2-0; Attendance: 15,000
Ten-man Real Madrid staged an extraordinary second-half fightback against Spanish league leaders Rayo Vallecano to win a frenetic derby clash 3-2 away on Saturday. The victory was Real's first in nine games. Rayo remained two points ahead of Barcelona, who play Malaga at home on Sunday. Rayo were two up at halftime through Jordi Ferron (22) and Julio Canabal (28), both goals the result of poor Real defending. Real began their recovery at the start of the second half with a goal from Fernando Morientes. He was sent off in the 59th minute. A 62nd minute penalty by Fernando Hierro followed by a superb Raul Gonzalez chip five minutes from time sealed the long-awaited win.
And we saw it live on TV. Valencia were superb!
Bilbao beat Atletico Madrid 4-2, in the snow - despite only having 9 men on the pitch!
From Eurosport
Saturday November 20th
Athletic Bilbao 4 Atletico Madrid 2
Scorers: Athletic Bilbao - Joseba Etxeberria 15, Julen Guerrero 21, Carlos Garcia 47, Santiago Ezquerro 57pen
Atletico Madrid 2 - Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 28pen, Veljko Paunvoic 76
Red cards: Rafael Alkorta (Athletic Bilbao) 20, Josu Urrutia (Athletic Bilbao) 86
Halftime 2-1; Attendance: 25,000
Athletic Bilbao heldion to beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 despite having two players sent off. Joseba Etxeberria and Julen Guerrero gave Bilbao a commanding lead before Rafael Alkorta saw red for a foul on Juan Carlos Valeron in the area. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink reduced the arrears from the spot but against the odds the home side then went further ahead through Carlos Garcia and Santiago Ezquerro with a penalty. Atletico eventually came back with a poacher's goal from Veljko Paunovic but the Madrid club failed to break through again even after Bilbao were reduced to nine men when Josu Urrutia was sent off with four minutes to go.
Valencia 3 Barcelona 1
Scorers: Valencia 3 - Claudio Lopez 31, Adrian Ilie 35, Gerard Lopez 89
Barcelona 1 - Boudewijn Zenden 44
Red cards: Daniel Fagiani (Valencia) 75, Dani Garcia (Barcelona) 90
HT: 2-1; Att: 49,000
Barcelona suffered their third successive Spanish first division defeat on Saturday, losing 3-1 at Valencia in a game in which both sides were reduced to 10 men. Louis van Gaal's misfiring side were two goals down within 35 minutes as Claudio Lopez and Adrian Ilie both took advantage of serious lapses in the visiting defence to supply expert finishes. Boudewijn Zenden pulled one back a minute before halftime, finishing with a bang after a neat move involving fellow Dutchmen Ronald de Boer, Patrick Kluivert and Philip Cocu. In the second half Barcelona were camped out in the Valencia half but, without influential Brazilian Rivaldo, they were short of ideas in attack and created few clear opportunities, despite the sending-off of Valencia's Daniel Fiagini on 75 minutes. With a minute to go Gerard Lopez wrapped up the points for Valencia, taking advantage of further hesitation in the Barca defence to stab in from close range. Matters took a further turn for the worse for the Catalans in injury time when Dani Garcia was sent off for a foul on Valencia keeper Andres Palop. Valencia moved up the table from 18th to 11th, while Barcelona stayed fifth and could be five points off the title pace come Sunday night.
Real Madrid 1 Real Sociedad 1
Scorers: Real Madrid - Savio Bortolini 66
Real Sociedad - Jose Antonio Pikabea 77
Red card: Jose Mari Gutierrez (Real Madrid) 80
HT: 0-0; Att: 46,000
Espanyol 1 Mallorca 2
Scorers: Espanyol - Roger Garcia 58
Real Mallorca - Jovan Stankovic 23, Leo Biagini 24
Red card: Gustavo Siviero (Real Mallorca) 69
HT: 0-2; Att: 20,000
Alaves v R Santander OFF
Real Betis 2 Real Zaragoza 0
Scorers: Real Betis - Finidi George 23, 53pen
Halftime: 1-0; Attendance: 26,000
Valladolid 1 Celta Vigo 3
Scorers: Valladolid - Rodrigo Fabri 55
Celta Vigo - Goran Djorovic 29, Valery Karpin 81, Benny McCarthy 88
HT: 0-1; Att: 13,000
Numancia 3 R Vallecano 1
Scorers: Numancia - Ruben Navarro 58, Jose Luis Morales 80, Francisco Castano 90
Rayo Vallecano - Manuel Canabal 51
HT: 0-0; Att: 10,000
Deportivo 5 Sevilla 2
Malaga 4 Oviedo 0
Scorers: Malaga - Catanha 9, 42, 59, Jose Maria Movilla 58
HT: 2-0; Att: 19,000
27/28 November Bone, bone idle today and using these nice things from Eurosport. God bless!! (Victor look!! Another goal!)
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Valencia won; Barca won - Valladolid won. Real lost 5-1 at home to Zaragoza!!!!!! Worst result for 25 years it seems. Well, I reckon that's because they have the worst team in 25 years! They now lie in 17th place in the table, while Valencia have leapt up to 10th!! The matches we watched were (Sat) Bilbao v Real Sociedad (Basque derby), which was an ok match ending 1-1 - and (Sun) Deportivo v Vallecano which was an exciting encounter. Deportivo scored 3 goals in the first 15 minutes, but Vallecano came back with 2 goals of their own. Just a pity they couldn't quite squeeze out that third. Oh, and Roberto Losada scored at the Nou Camp! Brill! So, that's the Nou Camp and the Bernabeau he's scored at this season!
11th and 12th December
Well, Real, who are suddenly such a sad team, only managed to draw again - and Valladolid also. BUT, I was entertained to smithereens with the two live games we saw!! Saturday - Barca LOST to the BOTTOM TEAM, Sevilla!!! Wonderful stuff! Then, on Sunday - Atletico couldn't beat Valencia (couldn't even draw with!) at home, when Valencia were down to EIGHT MEN!!! :))) Laughed my slippers off! Barca lost 3-2 and Atletico lost 1-2. (Mendieta scored; Claudio Lopez the last of the 3 Valencias to be sent off)
Eurosport stuff (God bless 'em!)
DEPORTIVO MAINTAIN WINNING RUN AS REAL FALTER YET AGAIN!
Live Coverage
Sunday's Results
Rayo Vallecano 4 Malaga 1
Scorers: Rayo Vallecano - Bolo Perez 18, Jean Francois Hernandez 36, Carlos Llorens 79, Manuel Canabal 81
Malaga - Catanha 25
Halftime: 2-1; Attendance: 7,000
Rayo Vallecano brought their four-game losing streak to an end with a 4-1 victory at home to Malaga on Sunday. Rayo, whose poor run had seen them slip from first to fifth in the Spanish first division, took the lead on 18 minutes through Bolo Perez.
Brazilian striker Catanha equalised for Malaga seven minutes later but three headed goals, from Jean Francois Hernandez, Carlos Llorens and Manuel Canabal, earned the points for Rayo, taking them back up to fourth.
Racing Santander 1 Real Madrid 1
Scorers: Vivar Dorado 82 Real Madrid 1 - Raul Gonzalez 23
HT: 0-1;
Att: 14,000
Racing had a host of early chances but missed them all and were duly punished when Raul Gonzalez bundled in after a goalmouth scramble. Racing were always in charge, though, and it was no surprise when they equalised through Vivar Dorado eight minutes from time, with an equally scrappy goal.
Alaves 2 Real Betis 0
Scorers: Meho Kodro 22, Javi Moreno 45pen
Halftime: 2-0;
Attendance: 15,000
Unfancied Alaves moved up to fifth on the back of this disciplined victory, secured by a goal from Meho Kodro and a Javi Moreno penalty. Betis, missing the suspended Denilson, rarely threatened to make a game of it.
Celta Vigo 1 Athletic Bilbao 1
Scorers: Mario Turdo 42 Athletic Bilbao 1 - Santi Ezquerro 79
HT: 1-0;
Att: 23,000
A fair result between two sides running into good form. Celta took the lead through Mario Turdo a couple of minutes before halftime but justice was done as Santi Ezquerro pounced to turn in the equaliser 11 minutes from time.
Espanyol 1 Valladolid 1
Scorers: Constantin Galca 44pen Rodrigo Fabri 90
Ht: 1-0;
Att: 26,000
Espanyol took the lead in first-half injury time as a foul on Roger Garcia led to a penalty that Constantin Galca converted. Valladolid left it similarly late at the end of the second period to get their equaliser, Rodrigo Fabri doing the honours three minutes into time added on.
Mallorca 1 Oviedo 1
Scorers: - Diego Tristan 68 Oviedo 1 - Dely Valdes 62
HT: 0-0;
Att: 16,000
Mallorca, 2-0 winners over Ajax Amsterdam in midweek, found life a lot tougher against Spanish league strugglers Oviedo as the visitors took a deserved lead through Dely Valdes. Diego Tristan, with his ninth goal of the season, rescued a point for Mallorca.
Real Sociedad 0 Deportivo Coruna 1
Scorers: Deportivo Coruna 1 - Jose Felix Guerrero 37og
HT: 0-1;
Att: 22,000
Deportivo's sixth successive league victory came courtesy of a miscued clearance from Jose Felix Guerrero in the first half. Depor were a long way from their best but they held on for a victory that takes them five points clear at the top.
Real Zaragoza 3 Numancia 3
Scorers: Yordi Gonzalez 40, 70, Martin Vellisca 80 Numancia 3 - Ruben Navarro 28, 73, Constantin Barbu 49
HT: 1-1;
Att: 33,000
Zaragoza, who strolled to a 5-1 win at Real Madrid last week, were made to work a lot harder at home to Numancia. Yordi Gonzalez got two for the home side, while Ruben Navaaro bagged a brace for the visitors as honours finished even.
Atletico Madrid 1 Valencia 2
Scorers: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 28 Valencia 2 - Gaizka Mendieta 16, Juan Sanchez 54
Red cards: Gerard Lopez (Valencia) 69, Amadeo Carboni (Valencia) 70, Claudio Lopez (Valencia) 87
HT: 1-1;
Att: 25,000
Valencia somehow managed to hang on to victory despite finishing with eight men. Hector Cuper's side, leading 2-1 through goals from Gaizka Mendieta and Juan Sanchez, were rocked in the second half as Gerard Lopez and Amadeo Carboni were sent off.
They kept battling, though, and even managed to survive a third red card for Claudio Lopez three minutes from time. Atletico, aside from first-half goalscorer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, were terrible and slipped a place to 16th.
Saturday, December 11:
Sevilla 3 Barcelona 2
Scorers: Sevilla- Juan Carlos Gomez 11, 79, Victor Salas 89
Barcelona - Dani Garcia 29, Luis Enrique Martinez 59
Halftime: 1-1; Attendance: 23,000
BARCELONA, Dec 11 - Victor Salas snatched an 89th minute goal to give bottom club Sevilla a surprise 3-2 win over Barcelona in the Spanish first division on Saturday. Louis van Gaal's side led 2-1 with 11 minutes to go but then twice commited defensive suicide to gift their opponents only their second win of the season.
The result left Barcelona in fourth place, with 23 points from 15 matches, and they will find themselves 10 points off the title pace if leaders Deportivo Coruna beat Real Sociedad on Sunday. Sevilla moved up a place to 19th, with Oviedo replacing them at the bottom of the pile.
18th and 19th December
Just the Eurosport stuff this week! Too busy!
Saturday's Results
Deportivo Coruna 1 Celta Vigo 0
Scorers: Turu Flores 65
Red card: Djalminha (Deportivo Coruna) 89
Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 36,500
A seventh successive league win saw Deportivo take an eight-point lead at the top of the table. They were not at their best, and were under pressure for much of the game, but Celta failed to take their chances and a smart finish from Turu Flores midway through the second half proved enough to give the home side the points.
Real Madrid 2 Espanyol 1
Scorers: Real Madrid 2 - Raul Gonzalez 42, Fernando Hierro 53
Espanyol 1 - Miguel Angel Benitez 25
HT: 1-1; Att: 45,000
Real made a poor start, conceding a soft goal to Miguel Angel Benitez on 25 minutes, but recovered well to record their first home win since August. Raul Gonzalez and Fernando Hierro got the goals for Real, with Raul missing the chance to wrap up the game from the penalty spot in the second half.
Valladolid 1 Alavés 1
Scorers: Valladolid 1 - Rodrigo Fabri 68
Alaves 1 - Cosmin Contra 21
Red card: Harold Lozano (Valladolid) 43
HT: 0-1; Att: 8,000
A brave fightback from Valladolid, who went a goal down after 21 minutes when Cosmin Contra lashed in from the edge of the box and were then reduced to 10 men just before halftime after Harold Lozano received his marching orders. The home side played a lot better with 10 than they had with 11, however, and deservedly equalised through Rodrigo Fabri after 68 minutes.
Sunday, December 19 Spanish first division Results
Ahletic Bilbao 2 Real Zaragoza 2
Scorers: Athletic Bilbao 2 - Santi Ezquerro 13, Jose Maria Lacruz 37
Real Zaragoza 2 - Martin Vellisca 30, Savo Milosevic 34pen
Red card: Felipe Gurendez (Athletic Bilbao) 86
Halftime: 2-2; Attendance: 30,000
A game played in driving rain on a muddy pitch made for great entertainment before the players tired, with all four goals coming in the first half. Athletic took the lead through Santi Ezquerro - a tap-in after the ball was held up in the mud - but then fell behind to a Martin Vellisca strike and a Savo Milosevic penalty.
Jose Maria Lacruz won the home side a point with his header on 37 minutes.
Barcelona 2 Atletico Madrid 1
Scorers: Barcelona - Luis Enrique Martinez 35, Boudewijn Zenden 80
Atletico Madrid - Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 43pen
Halftime: 1-1; Attendance: 50,000
A 30 metre strike from Boudewijn Zenden 10 minutes from time brought Barca only their second win in seven league games. They had earlier taken the lead through Luis Enrique Martinez, who latched on to a backheel from Rivaldo and rounded the keeper, before a Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink penalty got Atletico back in the game.
Real Betis 1 Real Mallorca 0
Scorers: Real Betis - Finidi George 63
Real Mallorca HT: 0-0; Att: 29,000
This dour game was heading for a draw before Nigerian international Finidi George squeezed a shot past Mallorca's stand-in keeper Leo Franco midway through the second half to give the points to Betis.
Malaga 0 Real Sociedad 0
Att: 12,000
Real Sociedad continue to struggle for a cutting edge, despite their impressive approach play. Here they dominated the game but had to settle for a draw that leaves them down in 15th place, just a point clear of the relegation places.
Numancia 2 Racing Santander 1
Scorers: Numancia 2 - Jose Pacheta 3, Constantin Barbu 50
Racing Santander 1 - Sigurd Rushfeldt 88
Red card: Ivan Rocha (Numancia) 36
HT: 1-0; Att: 7,000
A Jose Pacheta header gave Numanica the lead after three minutes, and despite having Ivan Rocha sent off for his second booking on 36, the home side went further ahead as Romanian Constantin Barbu produced a brilliant finish from an acute angle.
Racing threw everything forward but could manage no more than a Sigurd Rushfeldt consolation two minutes from time.
Oviedo 4 Sevilla 2
Scorers: Oviedo - Viktor Onopko 32, Ivan Iglesias 58, Dely Valdes 72, Jaime Fernandez 90
Sevilla - Juan Carlos Gomez 27, 70
HT: 1-1; Att: 10,000
Sevilla are four points adrift at the bottom of the table after this latest defeat, which saw four pieces of poor depending hand the goals to Oviedo on a plate. In-form striker Juan Carlos Gomez scored both Sevilla's goals, numbers six and seven of the season.
Valencia back on track despite broken leg for defender Albelda
Valencia 3 Rayo Vallecano 1
Scorers: Valencia - Juan Sanchez 12, 75, Gaizka Mendieta 90
Rayo Vallecano - Luis Cembranos 70
HT: 1-0; Att: 35,000
Valencia's gradual improvement continued with this hard-fought victory which featured two expert finishes from Juan Sanchez and a cracking Gaizka Mendieta free kick. Luis Cembranos got the only Rayo goal.
21st and 22nd December
Wednesday's Results
Real Zaragoza 2 Deportivo Coruna 1
Scorers: Real Zaragoza 2 - Savo Milosevic 19, Juanele Castano 55 Deportivo
Coruna 1 - Turu Flores 74
HT: 1-0; Att: 19,000
Deportivo Coruna's lead at the top of the Spanish first division was cut to six points on Wednesday as Real Zaragoza brought their seven-match winning run to an end with an accomplished 2-1 victory.
Real Sociedad 0 Valencia 0
Att: 20,000
Atletico Madrid 5 Oviedo 0
Scorers: Atletico Madrid 5 - Juan Carlos Valeron 2, Celso Ayala 10, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 42, 65, Fernando Correa 58
Halftime: 3-0; Attendance: 22,000
Espanyol 3 Numancia 1
Scorers: Espanyol 3 - Toni Velamazan 52, Manuel Serrano 55, 90
Numancia 1 - Ruben Navarro 19 Red cards: Alberto Belsue (Numancia) 76, Juan Muniz (Numancia) 81
HT: 0-1; Att: 10,000
Real Betis 0 Valladolid 1
Scorers: Valladolid 1 - Jose Luis Caminero 73
HT: 0-0; Att: 30,000
Celta Vigo 2 Malaga 4
Scorers: Celta Vigo 2 - Valery Karpin 35pen, Haim Revivo 66
Malaga 4 - Catanha 17, 86, 89, Francisco Rufete 57
HT:1-1; Att: 26,000
Mallorca 3 Sevilla 1
Scorers: Real Mallorca 3 - Manuel Prieto 74og, Luis Carreras 78, Ariel Ibagaza 88
Sevilla 1 - Marcelo Zalayeta 89
HT: 0-0; Att: 22,000
Racing Santander 2 Athletic Bilbao 2
Scorers: Racing Santander 2 - Salva Ballesta 33pen, Jose Amavisca 66
Athletic Bilbao 2 - Joseba Etxeberria 37, Julen Guerrero 84
Red cards: Jose Ceballos (Racing Santander) 19, Josu Urrutia (Athletic Bilbao) 59, Jose Maria Lacruz (Athletic Bilbao) 90
HT: 1-1; Att: 18,000
Rayo Vallecano 1 Barcelona 1
Scorers: Rayo Vallecano 1 - Luis Cembranos 25
Barcelona 1 - Simao Sabrosa 55
HT: 1-0; Att: 15,500
Champions Barcelona were unable to take full advantage of the Deportivo slip, however, as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano in a game that left coach Louis van Gaal wide open to criticism. Van Gaal, who omitted Rivaldo from his squad after a row over the Brazilian's best position, watched as Luis Figo missed a late penalty that he would never have taken had Rivaldo been on the field.
Tuesday's Result
Alaves 1 Real Madrid 3
Alaves 1 - Angel Morales 90 Real Madrid 3 - Fernando Hierro 38, Jose Maria Guttierez 78, Raul Gonzalez 86 Red card: Cosmin Contra (Alaves) 72
Halftime: 0-1; Attendance: 16,000
Real Madrid's mini-revival in the Spanish league continued on Tuesday as they beat Alaves 3-1 away from home with goals from Fernando Hierro, Jose Maria Gutierrez and Raul Gonzalez. Real's second successive victory takes them up to eighth in the table, 13 points behind leaders Deportivo Coruna, who take on Real Zaragoza in one of nine matches taking place on Wednesday.
Alaves had much the better of the opening half-hour, with Javi Moreno and Meho Kodro both going close early on. But Real, who came into the game on the back of a 2-1 win at home to Espanyol, gradually fought their way back and took the lead on 38 minutes as Hierro blasted in a free kick from 25 metres.
Alaves started the second half as well as they had the first but the sending-off of Cosmin Contra after 72 minutes effectively put an end to their hopes and Real pulled clear in the final quarter of an hour.
Guti made it 2-0 with a well struck half-volley on 78 minutes and, eight minutes later, his long range shot was deflected in by Raul. Angel Morales scored a consolation goal for Alaves three minutes into injury-time. The Spanish league takes a short break after the remaining matches are played on Wednesday, with league action resuming on January 5.
NEWS!!!!!
Our Victor has been called up to the SPANISH squad!!!! For the first time EVER!!!!!!
Real TROUNCE Barca!!! Goals from Roberto Carlos, Morientes and Anelka(!).
(From Eurosport)
MADRID'S DERBY JOY AS BARCELONA ARE HUMBLED
Nicolas Anelka scored on his first game back for Real Madrid
Nicolas Anelka scored his first Spanish league goal on Saturday as Real Madrid handed Barcelona a humiliating 3-0 defeat in front of a delirious 80,000 crowd at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Real, who finished the game with 10 men following the late sending-off of Jose Maria Gutierrez, took the lead after just five minutes with a Roberto Carlos special. The Brazilian fired in a vicious, swerving free kick from 35 metres which caught Barcelona's inexperienced goalkeeper Francesc Arnau cold.
French striker Anelka, making his return to the side following injury in the World Club Championship in Brazil, shook of six months of frustration since his $35 million move from Arsenal as he tapped in his side's second goal on 23 minutes.
Fernando Morientes wrapped up a memorable win eight minutes into the second half with a high-quality turn and shot which beat the nervous Arnau at his near post. The result took Real above Barcelona into second place, three points behind Deportivo Coruna.
MADRID, Feb 26 - Goals by Gaizka Mendieta and Claudio Lopez set Valencia on their way to a morale boosting 2-1 victory over Numancia on Saturday.
Valencia, who return to Champions League action next week with a group B game against Fiorentina, moved up to sixth in the Spanish first division on the back of a hard-fought win. Hector Cuper's side took the lead after four minutes with Mendieta's delicate chip from the right.
A breakaway move, finished emphatically by Lopez, doubled their advantage on the hour. Miguel Angel Soria pulled back a goal with 13 minutes to go but despite dominating the remainder of the game Numancia rarely looked like finding a way past Valencia's disciplined defence for a second time.
Whee! Long time no been here, eh?!?! Well, this is just to honour RAUL GONZALES who scored his 100th league goal for Real Madrid this evening. A penalty - but who cares! Anyway, Real won and Barca lost AGAIN (to Oviedo), which makes me very happy! GOOD LUCK to Real Madrid and Chelsea for next week's CL games (cards are on their way boys!) Oh and GOOD LUCK too to Valencia (who won today) - but I don't think they need me to wish them luck really - they have already beaten Lazio, imho! :)
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