Beckham at peace as Real crush Barca

AT MANCHESTER UNITED David Beckham became a 21st century icon.

Old Trafford provided him with profile, adulation and wealth beyond his dreams. What it did not give the England captain was the one thing he really craved. Only in Madrid could Beckham prove he is far more than a glorified clothes horse.

Deep in the bowels of Barcelona's imposing Nou Camp stadium on Saturday night, Beckham could finally feel at peace.

For the past 20 years, Real Madrid's team of all-stars have headed south to face their fiercest rivals. None of them returned victorious.

Beckham has done it at the first attempt. And at no stage was he overshadowed by the unquestioned talent in the white shirts around him.

"I had a lot of things to prove when I first came to Spain," he admitted. "I wanted to show people I wasn't just signed to sell shirts.

"Sometimes it's hard to prove you are just a normal person and I was worried about how the other players would accept me. More than anything, I want their respect. I have worked hard, not just on the football side but also in the way I am towards other people and I honestly feel accepted now.

"To be part of a side containing so many great players that wins at the Nou Camp for the first time in 20 years ranks alongside anything I have ever achieved in the game."

While the debate rages over whether Beckham is missed at Old Trafford and the narrow consensus is that he is within six months of his move to La Liga, he has already proved himself to be an essential component of the most expensive team ever assembled.

"There were people who said I wasn't good enough to play in Spain but I believe my game has gone up another level since I moved here," he said.

"In truth, I think I had to. The Spanish league is incredibly tough. The physical and technical demands are huge and there are not many times when you don't come off the field with a large number of bruises."

Despite the fervent backing of 95,000 fans, a Barcelona side packed with defensive midfielders looked terrified as they began against Real Madrid's "Galacticos" and it was no surprise when Roberto Carlos fired the visitors into the lead on 37 minutes.

Ronaldo bagged a second goal against his former club in the 74rd minute and Patrick Kluivert's header seven minutes from time could not rescue the home side.

Elsewhere in La Liga, defender Joan Capdevila gave Deportivo their first win in four outings against Malaga and made sure they stayed in touch at the top when he headed in the only goal of the game midway through the second half while John Aloisi scored twice for Osasuna in their 3-2 win over Celta Vigo. Atlético de Madrid beat Espanyol 2-0 last night.

In Italy, Juventus coach Marcello Lippi rejected talk of a crisis after watching his side slump to their third consecutive defeat with a 2-0 loss against Lazio on Saturday.

The result made it three losses in a row for the Italian champions, who were also beaten 3-1 by Serie A challengers Inter Milan and 2-0 by Champion League rivals Galatasaray during the last seven days.

"This isn't a crisis. Only seven days ago, I was being asked whether my team was unbeatable," Lippi said. "The team is a bit below-par now. That's no reason to write us off."

Juventus remain third in Serie A on 26 points, four points behind leaders AC Milan, who beat Empoli 1-0 earlier on Saturday.

Italy striker Christian Vieri quickly regained his form by scoring a goal in each half as Inter held on for a 2-1 victory over winless Perugia. Vieri opened the scoring on 25 minutes, slotting home from inside the box.

After the restart Perugia poured forward but were caught out 10 minutes from time when Cruz once again fed Vieri, who fired home.

Perugia's Giovanni Tedesco slid home a consolation goal two minutes from time.

In last night's game, second half goals from Totti, Mancini and Cassano powered Roma to a comfortable 3-0 win over Chievo.

Meanwhile Martin O'Neill's worst fears were realised yesterday when Jackie McNamara was ruled out of the Champions League clash against Lyon.

The good news that the versatile Scotland international had not suffered a dislocated shoulder were quickly tempered by fears that he had still sustained significant ligament damage. He was rushed to hospital after colliding with Fernando Pasquinelli in the latter stages of the 2-0 win over Livingston.

McNamara has now joined the suspended Alan Thompson and the injured Didier Agathe on the sidelines and is facing a lengthy lay-off.

Stuttgart's preparations for their Champions League clash with Manchester United were hampered by a disappointing goalless draw with Hamburg in the Bundesliga while Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich played out a 1-1 draw.