First games from La Liga

1-1: Real Madrid deserved much more

The Whites, much superior to their rivals, had to overcome even the posts against Valencia who clung on thanks to Alves and who only had one chance on target

Three months later, almost 100 days, 99 to be exact, the Liga returned to the Santiago Bernabeu. The return of the Liga saw Real Madrid held to a draw despite being far superior to their opponents. The Whites had almost 20 clear opportunities to win the encounter, 11 corners and a clear penalty that was not awarded by referee Delgado Ferreiro. Higuaín put the home team ahead and Jonas, in the closing minutes of the first half, equalised with what proved to be Pellegrino’s team’s only shot on goal. In the second half there were more and more opportunities for the Whites, who came across an inspired Alves and even the crossbar from a Higuaín header. The start to a season is always difficult, but this Real Madrid team, the same squad that won 100 points and scored 121 goals last season, showed clear signs of their pride and wining mentality.

With suffocating pressure up front and plenty of balance in the midfield, Real Madrid was the first team to fire a warning shot, doing so on two occasions barely inside the first five minutes, both shots coming from the forwards. Cristiano Ronaldo was the first to shoot in the second minute, and Di María did the same two minutes later, before setting up Higuaín to put the Whites ahead on the scoreboard. The Argentine’s precise pass was made the most of by his fellow countryman who, in the right position, controlled the ball, and after three attempts, beat Alves. Higuaín scored Real Madrid’s first official goal of the season and only needed 9 minutes to do so.

Nothing changed after the goal. Real Madrid and Valencia shared possession of the ball but the hosts were the only team to convert the possession into opportunities. Xabi Alonso from outside the area in minute 23, Özil, who struck badly with his right foot in minute 34, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who attempted a volley and a poor clearance Alves in minute 39, all had chances to score the second goal. However, the best opportunity fell to Coentrão. A spectacular one-two between Higuaín and CR7 and the Portuguese player’s inviting pass left his fellow countryman in front of the visiting goalkeeper. His shot was cleared by Alves, who put the ball behind for a corner. 

Everything seemed to point towards Real Madrid heading to the dressing rooms with an advantage on the scoreboard, but bad luck had other designs and with four minutes remaining in the first half. A free-kick taken by Tino Costa and Jonas stole a march on Casillas to beat him with a header. It was the visitors only shot on target and after the play both Pepe and the Madrid captain had to be attended to, after clashing in the air with teammate Xabi Alonso. Both received knocks, although the defender was the worse off of the two, ending the first half with a bandage around his head and had to be substituted by Albiol when the game got underway after the break. 

A rush of opportunities after the break

Real Madrid was the dominant team in the second half. The Whites were dangerous and Valencia defended as they could and attempted to surprise the Whites on the counter attack. The opportunities kept coming and Mourinho, courageous and attacking, gambled by adding more cutting edge to the team. Benzema replaced Lass in minute 60, and from that moment the hosts had ten clear opportunities to score their second goal. Higuaín had the clearest of the opportunities, but his header met the crossbar after beating Alves minute 65. 

Real Madrid was a force to be reckoned with. Özil once again came across an inspired Alves in minute 66, Benzema was off target in front of goal in minute 67 and this was the case for another ten opportunities. Even Di María claimed a clear penalty. The Argentine, was knocked down by his fellow countryman Gago, fell down injured and had to be replaced immediately by Callejón, who could have given his team victory but whose great left-footed shot was brilliantly stopped by the Valencia goalkeeper in minute 82. More and more opportunities came until the final whistle, bringing to an end an undeserved draw for a team that has showed clear signs of their pride and wining mentality. The Whites return to action on Thursday at the Camp Nou, with the Spanish Super Cup up for grabs.

Source: realmadrid.com

Barcelona 5-1 Real Sociedad

Villa returns with a goal as Blaugrana batter Basques

The Catalans' campaign could not have got off to a better start, with the forward putting the seal on a scintillating team performance with a fine strike shortly after coming on

The Tito Vilanova era at Camp Nou began in fine style as Barcelona romped to a 5-1 win over Real Sociedad in their Primera Division season opener on Sunday night.

While Real Madrid stumbled to an 1-1 draw against Valencia earlier in the day, the Blaugrana's new boss picked up where predecessor Pep Guardiola left off, dominating their beleaguered Basque opponents from start to finish during an emphatic victory. 

Carles Puyol headed Barca in front after four minutes, only for Gonzalo 'Chori' Castro to restore parity with an opportunistic finish moments later. But then Lionel Messi took over, scoring a pair of poacher's efforts in the 11th and 16th minutes to give the Catalans a lead they would never relinquish.

Pedro added the fourth just before half-time and Barca's perfect beginning to the season was completed by the return of David Villa from injury, with the Spain international marking his comeback with the home side's fifth and final goal, six minutes from the end.

Vilanova was not the only debutant for Barca, as Jordi Alba, the €14 million signing from Valencia, was handed a start at left-back. One of Sociedad’s new recruits, Castro, began up front, but fellow summer signings Carlos Vela and Jose Angel both had to settle for a place on the bench.

It took the Catalans only four minutes to break the deadlock, though the goal came, for them, in somewhat unconventional fashion, with a corner from Xavi being thumped in by the head of Puyol.

Sociedad were straight back down the pitch, with Castro coming within inches of connecting with a dangerous centre from Xabi Prieto at the far post. However, the ball did find its way to the former moments later - and he took full advantage.

Asier Illarramendi slipped a clever pass just in front of Dani Alves, putting Castro through on goal and he had the time to take a touch before burying his finish high into the roof of the net.

But just as Sociedad were able to hit back right after conceding, so too did Barcelona, who regained the lead within two minutes of the restart.

Messi’s uncharacteristically poor touch allowed a decent cross from Cristian Tello to get away from him, but Pedro worked the rebound back to the Argentine, who wriggled through his markers and slotted home.

Messi’s predatory instincts came to the fore again moments later, the forward reacting quickest to a Tello centre to drill the Blaugrana into a 3-1 lead, all after 16 minutes.

With a two-goal cushion, the hosts settled into their typical monopolisation of possession, suffocating Sociedad in their own half with large periods of metronomic passing.

A sublime combination between Messi and Cesc Fabregas carved the visitors apart, with only the legs of Claudio Bravo denying the Argentine his hat-trick.

Sociedad only threatened intermittently on the counter, but an audacious lob from the halfway line by Gorka Elustondo would force Victor Valdes into a safety-first palm over the bar.

However, Barcelona were always in control and with four minutes to go until half-time, they added a fourth in emphatic and enthralling fashion.

Messi, Xavi and Fabregas were all involved in a build-up that split Sociedad in two, with the ball worked wide to Tello, who centred to Pedro to stroke into the far corner.

Sociedad set up for a damage-limitation exercise in the second half, though Antoine Griezmann snatched at an early opening as he fired wide from a good position.

However, the focus was always at the other end of the pitch and an outstanding one-touch sequence between Messi and Pedro ended with the former blasting his finish into the side netting when he should have hit the target.

Xavi was next to try his luck, letting loose from 20 yards out with a strong arm from Bravo denying him a goal of his own.

The home fans were in jubilant spirits, which were kicked up a notch by the introduction of Villa for Pedro with a quarter of an hour to go, the Spain striker making his long-awaited return from the fractured tibia he suffered last December.

And Villa did not miss a beat, finishing a mazy run from Iniesta with aplomb in the 84th minute to round off a picture-perfect start to the new season for Barcelona, who will now go into their midweek Spanish Supercopa clash with great rivals Real Madrid brimming with belief.

Source: goal.com

Atletico Madrid 4-2 Valencia

Falcao and Adrian run riot but Costa's injury-time strike gives Unai Emery's side hope in return

In the first leg of the Europa League semi-final tie, the hosts dominated throughout but suffered a late goal that gives life to the visitors, who showed little over 90 minutes

Atletico Madrid have one foot into the final of the Europa League after dominating Valencia 4-2 in their semi-final first leg at Vicente Calderon.

Three second half goals gave Atleti a commanding position after the visitors drew level late in the first half, but a late header from Ricard Costa handed Los Che a precious second away goal, and makes the return match at Mestalla a less daunting task.

In the first 10 minutes, the home side had little trouble invading the visiting box, firing two dangerous efforts at Diego Alves, who stopped both Diego and Adrian Lopez with fine saves.

Seven minutes later, however, Alves couldn't continue his heroics. Radamel Falcao found the net with a simple header from close range after Adil Rami could not stop Arda Turan, who beat the France defender at the bye-line with his pace. His ball across hit Jordi Alba before finding the head of the Colombian, who finished with ease. 

With the match appearing to head into the break at 1-0, Valencia struck somewhat against the run of play. From a corner Rami made contact, heading the ball down to the far post, where Jonas pounced to tap it in, sending the away fans into a frenzy. 

The home support would get their chance to celebrate again, however, as their side enjoyed a superb start to the second half. 

In the 48th minute, poor defending saw a free kick from Diego find Miranda inside the heart of the box, where the Brazilian headed past Alves with a simple header. 

It took just six minutes for Atleti's third. Adrian took the ball from Mehmet Topal, flew past Victor Ruiz at the edge of the area before firing into the left side of the net, bagging his seventh goal of the competition. 

The game was getting away from Valencia at this stage, and Atletico almost registered their fourth with 25 minutes remaining. 

Adrian fired a powerful effort from outside the box that was saved low by Alves, with Turan hitting the rebound on goal, but Alves was again there to stop the effort and prevent the visitors from more embarrassment. 

But Atletico Madrid eventually grabbed goal number four on 77 minutes after a fine solo effort from Falcao. The former Porto man dribbled past Ruiz and Jeremy Mathieu at the corner of the box, before cutting inside and drilling the ball into the upper-right corner.

Yet Atletico were to be deflated due to the concession of a late goal. In injury time Ricardo Costa headed home a late cross inside the box in added time, and put a different complexion on the second leg next week.

Sporting Lisbon 2-1 Athletic Bilbao

Capel nets winner as Portuguese side come from behind to take precious lead into second leg

A fortuitous opener from Jon Aurtenetxe put Marcelo Bielsa's side ahead, but the hosts fought back and turned the match on its head with two quickfire strikes

Sporting Lisbon came back from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over Athletic Biblao, and edge towards the Europa League final.

After chasing the game for much of the first period, Jon Aurtenetxe put the Basque side ahead just after the break, but Emiliano Insua got his side level, before Diego Capel completed the turnaround.

It was the hosts who had the better of the early proceedings. Marat Izmailov had already sent a limp effort wide of the target when Insua forced a fantastic save from Gorka Iraizoz with a ferocious free kick.

The early assault of the Bilbao goal continued when Andre Martins pulled the ball across the face of goal, finding an unmarked Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who could only send his shot wide, when he should have struck the back of the net.

In the end, however, Marcelo Bielsa's men were almost gifted the opener. Markel Susaeta swung in a corner straight to the unmarked Fernando Llorente, who could only head over from a matter of yards.

After a frantic opening, the match trailed off as the first half wore on. Susaeta tried in vain to break the deadlock, dragging an effort wide when from just outside the area, before Ander Herrera tried to fool Rui Patricio with a looping effort which the Sporting 'keeper gathered easily.

Bilbao had now come into the encounter after a slow start, but they failed to make it count, with another tame Susaeta effort rolling kindly into Patricio's arms. 

At the other end, the hosts were still threatening, particularly on the break. Joao Pereira struck the outside of the post from a break-neck counter-attack, before Van Wolfswinkel struck wide once more with a powerful effort.

With the last kick of the opening period, Ricardo Sa Pinto's men should have gone in ahead.

Capel launched a break from an Athletic corner, but when the ball came to Insua, who had rocketed forward from the back, the former Galatasaray man lost his footing, letting the opportunity slip away.

Sporting came out from the break in close pursuit of the opening goal. Pereira sent in a cross from the right which appeared to strike Fernando Amorebieta on the arm, only for the referee to wave away frantic Portuguese appeals.

The decision proved to be decisive. Seconds later, a Susaeta free kick fell took an unlucky deflection off Insua into Aurtenetxe's path, and the 20-year-old kept his cool to tuck the ball past Patricio and grab his side a vital away goal.

Soon after, another Susaeta set piece caused mayhem in the Sporting box. Anderson Polga sent a poor clearance into straight to Amorebieta, who drove a shot against the woodwork with Patricio stranded.

The Basque club had now taken control of the contest, and were able to pass the ball leisurely in the midfield, with the hosts visibly down-heartened by falling behind.

Another free kick was deflected straight to Iker Muniain, who miscued his volley and failed to threaten the 'keeper, before Patricio was forced to scramble across the face of goal to deal with a looping Susaeta header.

Despite the visitors' domination, Sporting should have been back on level terms with 20 minutes left to play. 

Izmailov sent in a great cross which Van Wolfswinkel could only nod wide when he should have buried it.

The miss only served to fire the hosts on. Shortly afterwards, Capel crossed the right, and a tame clearance fell to Insua who rocketed into the box ahead of Susaeta and headed the ball into the far corner.

That was just the beginning. Seconds later, Capel collected the ball 20 yards from goal, and sent a pile-driver into the bottom corner, past the sprawling Iraizoz. 

Van Wolfswinkel squandered another opportunity, lifting a left-footed effort over the bar, thanks in part to a brave challenge, before Andre Carrillo flashed an effort narrowly wide.

In the end, however, the Portuguese outfit were made to settle for a one-goal lead, which Bilboa, having netted an away goal, will fancy their chances of overturning in a week's time.

Source: goal.com

La Liga Report

Zaragoza 1-4 Barcelona

Messi reaches 60 goals for the season with double against 10-man hosts

Pep Guardiola's men pulled off a come from behind victory to earn all three points against the relegation strugglers, who played half the game with only 10 players

Lionel Messi grabbed his 59th and 60th competitive goals of the season as Barcelona labored to a flattering 4-1 victory over 10-man Zaragoza at La Romareda to close the gap on Primera Division leader Real Madrid to just three points.

Despite missing a penalty just six minutes previously, Carlos Aranda gave the home team the lead on the half-hour mark. However, Carles Puyol equalized on 36 minutes before Messi put Pep Guardiola's men in front just three minutes later as Zaragoza were forced to play the whole of the second-half with 10 players after Abraham Minero's sending off for two bookings.

Messi scored a late penalty with four minutes to go before Pedro grabbed a fourth as Barcelona wrapped up their 10th successive La Liga win.

The Aragons made a positive start to proceedings and should have taken the lead in the fifth minute. Ruben Micael found himself clear on the left side of the Barca box and was able to square the ball to Aranda, only for the striker to inexplicably hit the ball in the wrong direction, sending his effort away from goal.

The Blaugrana struggled to create chances in the early stages and were given an almighty fright when Victor Valdes brought down Angel Lafita in the box to give away a penalty on 23 minutes, just seconds after Aranda had struck the post. The striker was the man to step up to take the spot kick but his tame effort was parried away by Valdes.

Despite the disappointment of his penalty miss, it was Aranda who grabbed the opening goal of the game on the half hour mark. Pablo Alvarez's through ball seemed to catch the Barca defense out as Aranda raced clear of Javier Mascherano. The Spanish striker's initial effort was poor as Valdes blocked the ball but he managed to head the rebound into the net.

However, Barca was level just six minutes later and had some nightmare goalkeeping from Roberto to thank. The former Benfica shot stopper spilled Cesc Fabregas' corner allowing Puyol to poke the ball home from 12 yards out.

The Catalans then completed an amazing three minute turnaround when they took the lead on 39 minutes. Hitting Zaragoza on the counterattack, Alexis Sanchez' cross-field pass found Messi who sidestepped Paulo da Silva before thrashing the ball into the top corner from 15 yards out for his 59th goal of the season in all competitions.

Just before the break, the home side's evening went from bad to worse when they were reduced to 10 men. Abraham Minero, who has already been booked, earned his second yellow of the evening for tripping Alexis after the Chilean had sped past him on the right wing.

Barcelona looked far from convincing in the early stages of the second half but could have extended its lead on 63 minutes. Alexis received a pass from Messi before showing some quick feet to get the better of Javier Paredes and slamming a low effort goal-wards from 15 yards out that was brilliantly tipped around the post by Roberto.

The visitors then put the result beyond doubt on 86 minutes after Paredes brought down Alexis in the box. Messi stepped up to slam the ball past a helpless Roberto to score his 60th of the season, before Pedro made it 4-1 in injury time following the Argentine's assist.

Guardiola's side entertains Getafe on Tuesday evening in La Liga while Zaragoza face a tricky away trip to Sevilla two days later.

Real Madrid 0-0 Valencia

Gap at La Liga summit now four points as Guaita produces heroics in visiting goal to earn battling draw

Mourinho’s side was held to an entertaining goalless draw at the Bernabeu where both teams struck the woodwork in a truly compelling match.

Real Madrid dropped points for the third time at the Santiago Bernabeu this season against a determined Valencia side as they shared the spoils in a thrilling goalless draw.

Vincente Guaita ensured the Los Blancos failed to re-establish their six point lead over Barcelona at the summit of La Liga table as the Valencia stopper denied Karim Benzema with a miraculous double save late on.

Earlier Cristiano Ronaldo had struck the post, while Tino Costa and Ricardo Costa were also denied by the woodwork with neither side able to find the winning goal.

Having already threatened Guaita with an instantaneous shot on the turn Ronaldo beat the Valencia stopper with a rasping drive. He set himself superbly only to see the ball hammer back off the upright as Los Blancos started on the front foot, before Sofiane Feghouli came close with effort that flashed wide of the target.

In a frantic opening Madrid reasserted its dominance and a superb move led to Ronaldo led to another sight of Guaita’s goal. Mesut Ozil’s beautiful through ball found Benzema whose back heel gave the Portuguese international a chance to test Guaita.

Valencia then burst back into the match as Marcelo’s loose ball invited Tino Costa to drive towards goal. Iker Casillas parried the shot away presenting Ricardo Costa with a glorious chance but he inexplicably hit the post with his header from six yards out.  

And Casillas needed to be alert again when Feghouli wriggled free in the penalty area before finding Pablo Patti. The Argentinean’s first time effort was kept out by the Spaniard’s strong hand as, incredibly, the match remained goalless at halftime.

Jose Mourinho introduced Angel Di Maria at the break and the Argentinean had an immediate impact threading the ball through to Ronaldo. The former Manchester United ace dragged the  ball onto his left foot before bringing out a fingertip save from Guaita, all within 27 seconds of the restart.

With the game becoming subdued Tino Costa lined up an audacious effort from 25 yards out that he connected with superbly. The shape of the shot saw the ball crash back off the crossbar as the intensity of the match suddenly increased once again.

Chaos erupted in an otherwise controlled affair as tempers flared from both teams, but the chances were at a premium in the second half until Benzema’s first time pass suddenly set Ronaldo clear. But the Portugal international clipped his own heel as he looked to set himself in incredible circumstances.

Valencia came close next as Jeremy Mathieu struck an effort across goal that narrowly missed Casillas’ far post as both side’s were creating opportunities.

Guaita then proved to be an immovable object as he turned Di Maria’s effort over with a flying stop before incredibly denying Benzema with a truly stunning double save as Madrid failed to find a way through.

The match finished in frantic fashion as Los Blancos’ search for a winner gifted first Pablo Hernandez and then Jordi Alba a sight of goal but neither player was able to find the back of the net.

Benzema had a glorious chance to become a hero deep in injury time but his goal bound effort was hacked clear off the line by desperate defending from Valencia who hung on to secure an incredible point.

Europa League - Quarter - Finals

Europa League Quarter - Finals

Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona yesterday.

Swansea City 0 - 1 Manchester City.

Early Chicharito strike keeps Red Devils within five points of leaders City

The Mexican star struck early against the Premier League new boys to give Sir Alex's Ferguson's men the spoils in a hard-fought encounter

Manchester United moved back to within five points of Premier League leaders Manchester City after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.

Javier Hernandez's 11th minute strike gave the visitors all three points, with the Mexican slotting home after Ryan Giggs played him clean through after Angel Rangel’s defensive error.

Swansea started in brave fashion in front of their home fans, opting for a 4-3-3 formation against the reigning champions, who welcomed Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs back to the starting line-up.

But just over 10 minutes into the game, Rangel saw his slack pass intercepted at the edge of his own area, allowing Giggs, playing for the first time in his home nation, to surge into the box and square for Chicharito, who calmly lifted his effort into the net from close-range.

It was a tense 90 minutes in Wales, with both sides carving out a host of chances early on. Scott Sinclair was guilty of the worst miss of the match when he allowed a cut-back to slip through his legs with the goal gaping in front of him, as the hosts squandered a glorious chance to equalise.

Swansea, who were defending an unbeaten home record in the league this season, pressed hard for a share of the spoils in the second half, with Danny Graham in particular looking a big threat to David de Gea’s goal.

But United’s rearguard, which saw Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand partnered together once more, held firm against the pressure from the Swans, and the visitors saw a handful of chances to make the points secure go begging towards the end.

Wayne Rooney came close with two efforts in quick succession and Nani curled an effort just wide of the far post after a late, twisting run.

With only one minute left on the clock, Phil Jones saw a rasping drive rattle against the post after a counter-attack which had displayed a quality of football largely lacking for much of the game.

While a second goal may have made Ferguson’s time on the touchline a little more comfortable, in the end, the clash was settled by Hernandez's early strike, with the Mexican showing just how crucial his clinical finishing could be to United's title chances this season.

The win keeps the Red Devils on the tailcoats of fierce rivals City, who had cemented their place at the top of the pile with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United earlier on Saturday.

Source: goal.com

Real win thriller in Valencia

Real Madrid went back on top of La Liga with a thrilling 3-2 win at fellow title-chasers Valencia.

After Barcelona’s 4-0 win at home to Real Zaragoza briefly put the defending champions top on goal difference - and with Los Che knowing a win would put them a point behind the Liga leaders - Madrid almost played the perfect tactical game as goals from Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos put them 2-0 up.

Former Real striker Roberto Soldado pulled one back for the hosts soon after Ramos’s goal, but that was swiftly followed by yet another strike from Cristiano Ronaldo - his 14th in La Liga this season - after Valencia keeper Diego Alves went walkabout.

But the night was not done as Soldado snatched a poacher’s second, setting up a grandstand finale that saw Real hold on - just, as Aritz Aduritz fired straight at Iker Casillas, while Soldado had another sublime finish ruled out for offside and hit the bar in the final seconds.

The victory puts Madrid three points clear of Barca, with Valencia in third four points behind Jose Mourinho’s side.

Both sides set out a relatively defensive stall, with Valencia operating with lone ex-Madrid striker Roberto Soldado and the visitors throwing in Lassana Diarra to congest the midfield as Cristiano Ronaldo played more as a winger.

Having been told by boss Unai Emery to “stay at home until Monday” if they were not convinced they could beat Real, Los Che started brilliantly, attacking with vigour but kick off as Tino Costa smacked an effort just wide.

In reality though Valencia had left most of their creative players on the bench, with Aduriz, Pablo Piatti and Jonas - who scored twice for Brazil against Egypt - strangely absent, as if somehow they lacked the hunger for victory even if they did boast the ability.

Real regrouped quickly enough and, with Sami Khedira elected as the attacking element of the three-man central midfield, they started to get forward with regularity as the Germany international half-volleyed wide after a Xabi Alonso free-kick created havoc in the box.

Karim Benzema, preferred to Gonzalo Higuain as the lone striker, drilled a low shot just wide after Ronaldo’s diving header was blocked, while Khedira miscontrolled after Alonso played him through again, Real now in charge of proceedings.

And they took a deserved lead on 20 minutes, thanks to quick thinking from Alonso, who lobbed a free-kick from halfway for Benzema to chase: the France striker, who has scored seven Liga goals all at home this season, broke his away duck with a delicate flick-volley combination that rasped past Diego Alves and in.

Two minutes later Real thought they had doubled the lead when Benzema lashed a ferocious finish into the roof of the net, but the ex-Stuttgart midfielder had strayed offside, while Ronaldo - sporting an early-90s style ‘step’ haircut - had a shot deflected by David Albelda off the post and wide.

Ronaldo, until then relatively quiet by his strutting standards, was finding more space and should have doubled his side’s lead after a deft through-ball from Benzema sent him scuttling clear: Alves was equal to his finish, spreading himself to keep out the attempted chip.

There were no changes from Valencia at half-time but they again started well, with Jeremy Mathieu driving a wicked low ball across the face of ball that somehow flew through the lunging Soldado.

That was about it for a good 20 minutes though as the match descended into a fit of histrionics, diving, shoving and gamesman-type attempts to get players sent off, with Jordi Alba the main culprit as he repeatedly tried to con the unflappable referee into showing Mesut Ozil a second yellow.

Valencia were the greater irritant in that respect, although six of the eight yellow cards were shown to Real players.

The match seemed to be drifting into ennui but, on 72 minutes, a Madrid corner saw Ramos rise imperiously to power a header in off the post to put his team 2-0 up.

It also sparked the hosts into life, with Emery bringing on Pablo Hernandez, who immediately raced through to force a superb save from Casillas - his first of the night. It was in vain though as Soldado drilled home the rebound, showing exceptional technique to meet the spinning ball first-time and guide it through a sea of players from a tight angle.

Within four minutes the two-goal lead had been restored, thanks in part to Alves’s rush of blood but also the brilliance of Ronaldo: the Brazil keeper raced out to clear a loose ball, losing out to Ronaldo who controlled an dragged in the finish from a tight angle.

But Valencia came back again and Soldado again put in a masterful finish, flicking the ball across Casillas and in after a clever low ball from Pablo.

It was 3-2 with seven minutes left and Los Che threw everything at Real to find a leveller, Soldado having one disallowed for offside - a shame for the purist as it was a wonderful first-time finish - and Aduriz firing straight at Casillas with Mathieu begging for the pass.

It was kitchen sink time and the real drama came in the fifth minute of stoppage time as Tino’s corner was rattled against the bar by Soldado, with Ronaldo blocking the rebound on the line with his chest.

Convinced it was a handball, Valencia surrounded the referee both then and seconds later at the final whistle, but it appeared to strike the former World Player of the Year on the chest and Madrid clung on for a superb victory.

Source: eurosport.com

Barcelona's Gerard Pique after 4-0 win over Real Zaragoza: We must continue picking up three points each week

The champions' stopper has emphasised the importance of maintaining their winning run, to give themselves the best chance of catching up with Real Madrid at the summit of La Liga

Following Barcelona's 4-0 victory over Real Zaragoza on Saturday, defender Gerard Piquesays it is imperative that his side carry on picking up points to keep up the pressure on Primera Division rivals Real Madrid.

The former Manchester United man scored the opening goal in what proved to be a convincing win for the Blaugrana, and he wants to see their ruthless streak sustained for the rest of the season.

"There are the games where the ball can be taken advantage of, especially when we have rivals closeby," Pique said after the match according to AS. "Today we have begun pressuring more and we have created more chances."

Pique then proceeded to discuss their forthcoming fixtures, which sees them travel to AC Milan in the Champions League, and Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season in the league, but is confident that they can come through unscathed.

"It is a complicated month, with many important games in the league such as against Real Madrid, and we want to stay top of our Champions League group," he continued. "But we have the quality to overcome it."

However, when quizzed on what he felt would be the outcome of Jose Mourinho's side's clash with Valencia, the 24-year-old preferred to put the onus back onto his team.

"We have to focus on ourselves and keep on adding three [points] out of three, because there will come a time when every game is like a final."

Barcelona temporarily go top of La Liga, but await Real's result with Valencia.

Source: goal.com