A 200th league goal from captain Raul Gonzalez helped Real Madrid overcome Espanyol 2-1 on Saturday as they took the first step towards erasing the painful memory of their Champions League exit.
Raul's 72nd minute penalty moved Real eight points clear at the top of the Spanish first division.
"Normally you have faith in your players and the team as a whole although it was difficult for us after we went behind," said Real coach Bernd Schuster, who was under pressure after the midweek European exit at the hands of Roma.
"The psychological factor was really important today especially after Wednesday and we showed a lot of character. I didn't see the penalty incident, but they tell me it was [a penalty]," he said.
Three days ago Real were dumped out of Europe at their fortress Santiago Bernabeu and there was an air of tension, especially when Real old boy Valdo put Espanyol ahead.
Gonzalo Higuain equalized shortly before halftime and fittingly Raul, who made his Real debut back in 1994, netted the winner to bring up his double century in the league.
It was a 13th goal this season for Raul who is having his best season for years and is only 16 goals behind the club's all-time top-scorer Alfredo Di Stefano.
The result was also a shot in the arm for Schuster, who had to listen to intense speculation about his future following the Roma debacle.
Espanyol, who defeated Real earlier in the season, stay fifth after the loss. Real's city neighbors Atletico Madrid could not capitalize, however, losing 2-1 at Real Zaragoza.
Atletico, who beat Barcelona 4-2 last weekend, went ahead through Portuguese winger Simao. But a Pablo Tebar own-goal and a Diego Milito penalty turned the game on its head.
Atletico stay fourth but will rue the missed chance to move level on points with third-placed Villarreal.
For new Zaragoza coach Manolo Villanova it was the perfect debut as he bids to lift the club away from the relegation dogfight.
Real manager Schuster showed his anger with three changes from the starting line-up against Roma with Michael Salgado, Fabio Cannavaro and Fernando Gago making way for Higuain, Miguel Torres and Marcelo.
Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas reached another landmark with his 300th league appearance, having made his debut in 1999.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
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