Sam Parker rounds up the latest La Liga action, as Raul’s season ends with a vital goal and Getafe edge out Sevilla in a seven-goal thriller.
WINS FOR REAL AND BARCA
Barca remain a point clear at the top after beating Xerez 3-1 at the Nou Camp. With their minds clearly on their Champions League semi-final with Inter, it was a lack-lustre display from the Champions, but enough to overcome the bottom club, who ended the game with nine men.
It had looked like it could be a hiding as goals from Jeffren Suarez and Thierry Henry put Barca two up inside 25 minutes. But Mario Bermejo reduced the arrears with his 11th of the season, to set up a nervy final hour of the match. Zlatan Ibrahimovic finally made things safe for Barca, before Xerez ended the game down to nine after Matias Alustiza and Fabian Orellana were dismissed in stoppage time.
Real Madrid also produced a nervy performance in their 2-1 victory over Zaragoza. All the talk had been over outgoing players, with Christophe Metzelder securing a move to Schalke and Guti almost finalising a move to Dubai.
However, the headlines were made by another likely outgoing player, as Raul came off the bench, scored a goal and then went off with ankle ligament damage to end his season and most likely his Real Madrid career.
It looked as though the points would be going to Madrid when Matteo Contini was sent off for throwing an elbow at Gonzalo Higuain, but Zaragoza sprung a surprise as Adrian Colunga danced through the Madrid defence to net an equaliser.
It looked as though Real might have thrown away their chance at the title again, before the forgotten Kaka made his first important contribution of the season to score a vital winner.
DOES ANYBODY WANT FOURTH?
Another frustrating round for the sides chasing fourth place as neither Mallorca nor Sevilla could record victories. Mallorca dropped an unlikely two points, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man Malaga.
Malaga played the entire second half a man light, when Milan Stepanov was sent off for a professional foul and giving away a penalty. Gonzalo Castro failed to convert, and that looked as though that could be crucial when Victor Obinna gave the visitors the lead. But Aritz Aduriz levelled Mallorca to give them a share of the spoils.
It gave them an extra point over Sevilla as it turned out, after they were defeated in a 4-3 thriller at Getafe.
The game swung like a pendulum, as both sides looked to take the points to boost their respective European ambitions. Adrian Gonzalez gave Getafe the lead, before a quick-fire double from Luis Fabiano and Fredi Kanoute reversed the score-line in Sevilla’s favour.
Pedro Leon then equalised, but parity lasted only three minutes, as Fabiano put Sevilla back in front. Manu made the scores 3-3 before Fredi Kanoute made his second contribution of the match – a sending off for his second bookable offence.
Getafe went on to secure a winner deep into stoppage time, with Dani Parejo picking himself up to score a twice-taken penalty and lift them up to seventh.
These results have given Villarreal further hope of muscling their way into the reckoning, especially since they overcame a tight game against Racing Santander.
Sergio Canales added to his growing reputation by opening the scoring for Racing, but Villarreal managed to turn things around in the final 20 minutes thanks to strikes from Diego Godin and Nilmar, putting them only four points off Mallorca.
VALLADOLID AND TENERIFE HAVE MIXED FORTUNES IN SURVIVAL SCRAP
With Zaragoza losing and Malaga drawing, there was room for Tenerife to really turn the screw down the bottom, but they were trumped by the ever-unpredictable Atletico Madrid.
Eduardo Salvio announced his arrival in Spain with his first goals in his first start, scoring twice in the first half. Javi Martinez got one back for Tenerife to give them hope, but Sergio Aguero secured the points with Atletico’s third.
Valladolid, on the other hand, boosted their hopes, as they moved level on points with Tenerife and, more importantly, two points away from safety by defeating Sporting Gijon 2-0.
Gijon now sit only five points away from the relegation zone after a bad run of results but it still took Valladolid until the final ten minutes to secure the points, with Manucho and Javier Baraja scoring either side of a bad tempered spat between Francisco Maldonado of Sporting and Valladolid’s Asier Del Horno, which saw both men dismissed.
AND THE REST…
Athletic Bilbao’s dreams of Champions League or European football at all look almost doomed, as they could only draw 0-0 with Osasuna. The result moves Osasuna to essential safety, but Athletic are six points off fourth and now sit in eighth position.
Valencia overcame Deportivo La Coruna 1-0 in a dour game at the Mestalla stadium. David Villa’s penalty was enough to liven a dull game, which also saw Ruben Baraja pick up two bookings in second half stoppage time, and subsequently, a red.
Espanyol beat Almeria 1-0, which lifted them up to 11th and has completely eased their relegation fears. Luis Garcia scored the only goal of the game, though they also saw Nicolas Pareja dismissed deep into stoppage time.