Real Madrid came out of their recent slump to defeat Sevilla 3-1 on Sunday and stretch their lead at the top of the Spanish first division to six points.
Villarreal, 3-0 conquerors of Atletico Madrid, are in second place while Barcelona are a point further back in third.
Barca's 3-2 slip against Real Betis on Saturday presented Real with a perfect opportunity to take a giant step towards retaining their title and the champions grasped it with both hands.
PHOTO :AP
"It was a complete game from my team from defense right through to the attack," said Real coach Bernd Schuster.
"Everyone played to their top level tonight and for that reason I don't want to single out individuals for praise," he said. "After the bad luck against Valencia we have won an important game and we just have to continue what we are doing to win the title and not look back."
Gabriel Heinze's first league goal for Real put the hosts ahead as early as the seventh minute only for Frederic Kanoute to level the scores on 37 minutes.
However, captain Raul Gonzalez scored minutes later for his 290th Real goal to make him the club's joint second all-time top scorer along with Carlos Santillana and he is hunting Alfredo di Stefano's mark of 307.
Gonzalo Higuain added a third as Real ended a sequence of two successive league defeats.
Sevilla lost ground in their quest for a Champions League place and are five points behind Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander who are fourth and fifth respectively.
"It was an open game with both teams going for it," said Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez. "Real had more chances than us, although we had opportunities ourselves, and I think the second goal was the key."
Unfashionable Racing continue to dream of Champions League soccer after Sunday's 3-0 win at rivals Espanyol moved them level on points with fourth-placed Atletico.
"We are delighted with the win and above all how we won," said Racing coach Marcelinho Garcia. "We have taken an important step but not a decisive one. We just have to concentrate on trying to win next Sunday's match."
After losing 3-2 at home to Valencia, Real were keen to put on a good show at the Santiago Bernabeu -- recently confirmed as the venue for the 2010 Champions League final.
Pepe was injured on international duty with Portugal so Heinze moved into central defense.
Sevilla had a full-strength team with Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano, who has openly admitted that he would relish a summer move to Real, particularly keen to impress.
Real took a seventh minute lead with Wesley Sneijder's terrific set-piece was bundled in by Heinze.
Raul was twice denied by Andres Palop but Kanoute volleyed home an equalizer on 37 minutes.
But Sevilla then switched off and a minute later Raul showed neat control before smashing the ball home to put the hosts back in front. Higuain then put the game to bed allowing Real to relax.
After beating Barcelona in the cup and Real in the league last weekend Valencia came back down to earth with a demoralizing 3-0 home defeat to Real Mallorca.
Spanish international Daniel Guiza scored a double to inflict an eighth home defeat on Valencia.
Real Zaragoza, who qualified for the UEFA Cup last season, are also having a torrid season and are fourth from bottom following a 2-1 defeat by fellow strugglers Valladolid.
Deportivo La Coruna moved four points clear of the relegation zone with a 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Real Murcia.
Levante have propped up the 20-strong table virtually the entire season and and fell to their 21st defeat of the campaign with a 2-1 loss at Almeria. They are now 14 points from safety with just 24 points left to play for.
Major League Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly US$17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” court documents filed on Tuesday said. The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning in about November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he
US skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she sustained an abrasion on her left hip and that something “stabbed” her when she crashed during her second run of an Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom race on Saturday, doing a flip and sliding into the protective fencing. Shiffrin stayed down on the edge of the course for quite some time as the ski patrol attended to her. She was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point, I just
CLASH OF MANAGERS: Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Russell Martin of Southampton accused each other of disrespect, while both were booked Southampton on Friday were denied a priceless victory by a controversial decision as they drew with hosts Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 in the Premier League. Kaoru Mitoma spectacularly headed Brighton into a first-half lead and Flynn Downes hammered home an equalizer an hour in. Minutes later teammate Cameron Archer converted a cross from Saints substitute Ryan Fraser. A video assistant referee check of more than four minutes eventually decided that Archer was onside, but then penalized Adam Armstrong, who was offside, but did not touch the ball, for interfering with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. “I find it hard to accept,” Southampton manager Russell Martin
Mary McGee, a female racing pioneer and subject profiled in an Oscar-contending documentary, Motorcycle Mary, has died, her family said. She was 87. “McGee’s unparalleled achievements in off-road racing and motorcycle racing have inspired generations of athletes that followed in her footsteps,” her family said in a statement. The family said McGee died of complications from a stroke at her home in Gardnerville, Nevada, on Wednesday, the day before the release of the short documentary Motorcycle Mary, on ESPN’s YouTube channel. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was an executive producer on the film, which became available globally on Thursday. Its premiere
RSS