Van Nistelrooy bags four as Real thump Osasuna
The former Manchester United attacker took his tally to 13 in 15 matches in all competitions.
Osasuna’s misery was compounded when a fan threw a cigarette lighter at Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas although the Spanish international was not seriously hurt.
Fabio Capello’s side moved onto 20 points, three behind leaders Barcelona who took top spot with a 3-1 win over Real Zaragoza.
Gabriel Milito gave Zaragoza a 17th minute lead but Ronaldinho equalised after 31 minutes. He put Barca ahead with four minutes left before Javier Saviola ensured the win in the last minute.
There was bad news for Barca as Argentina winger Lionel Messi suffered a suspected broken foot.
Former leaders Sevilla were held 0-0 at Racing Santander.
On Saturday, Valencia conceded a last-minute equaliser as they drew 1-1 with struggling Athletic Bilbao.
Fernando Morientes gave Valencia the lead just before half-time but they were stunned by Fernando Llorente’s 90th-minute leveller.
Earlier on Saturday, Atletico Madrid beat Villarreal 3-1.
In Italy, substitute Julio Cruz’s last-minute goal sank Parma as Intern Milan rejoined Palermo at the top of Serie A.
Parma looked to have secured a point after Igor Budan’s 25th minute goal had cancelled out Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s opener.
But Inter struck in injury time for a dramatic triumph.
Palermo enjoyed a 3-0 home win over Torino yesterday. Eugenio Corini’s close-range effort put Palermo ahead close to half time, before David Di Michele’s cool finish extended the Sicilian side’s advantage.
Brazilian striker Amauri’s angled shot 11 minutes from the end ensured a fifth successive league victory for Palermo.
Roma are third on 23 points after their 2-1 win at AC Milan on Saturday, Francesco Totti scoring twice.
Fourth-placed Siena went down 1-0 at home to bottom club Reggina and remain on 16 points, alongside Atalanta, Catania and Livorno.
Catania edged Livorno 3-2 while Atalanta lost 3-1 at Fiorentina on Saturday.
Tommaso Rocchi and Stefano Mauri both scored twice in Lazio’s 5-0 thrashing of Udinese.
Messina, were denied victory in the third minute of stoppage time, Daniele Conti’s attempted cross looping over keeper Marco Storari to snatch a 2-2 draw for visitors Cagliari.
Ascoli lost 1-0 at home to Empoli and Chievo lost 3-0 at Sampdoria.
Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved scored both goals as Juventus maintained their push for a swift return to Serie A with a 2-0 home victory against Pescara on Saturday in Serie B.
In Germany Stuttgart replaced Werder Bremen at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-1 comeback win over Hannover yesterday.
Stuttgart are top of the table for the first time since October 2004, leading Bremen and Schalke by one point. Reigning champions Bayern Munich are four points back in fourth.
In France, goalkeeper Jeremie Janot played a starring role as St Etienne snatched a last gasp equaliser to share the spoils in a 2-2 draw at Nantes.
Deep into stoppage time, Janot sprinted up the pitch for a corner.
The ball fell to him and Janot dragged the ball away from three defenders.
The ball fell to Vincent Hognon who shot into the net for a dramatic leveller.
The pressure is intensifying on Paris St Germain coach Guy Lacombe after the big-spending giants limped to a 1-1 draw at Le Mans.
Ivory Coast forward Bonaventure Kalou gave PSG the lead on 11 minutes but Chiguy Lucau levelled things on 38 minutes.
It leaves PSG just six points above Ligue 1’s relegation zone.
Lens were held 0-0 at home by Rennes. Toulouse beat second-bottom Sedan 3-1.
Surprise-package Nancy dropped to third on goal difference after a 2-0 reverse at Lorient while Sochaux were held 0-0 at Nice.
On Friday, Lyon had their centre-backs to thank for salvaging a 2-1 home win against plucky Valenciennes.
Steve Savidan gave the visitors an unlikely lead on the break. Lyon were on the brink of a shock second defeat in a row.
But on 85 minutes, Cris rose at the back post to send a header over Valenciennes keeper Nicolas Penneteau.
Just a minute later, Sebastien Squillaci scored with his back to goal. Lyon had not lost two matches in a row since 2002.
Dutch champions PSV went top of the Eredivisie on Sunday with a 1-0 win over previous leaders Ajax.
It was a sweet return for PSV boss Ronald Koeman whose successful spell as Ajax coach ended early in 2005.
Timmy Simons scored after 61 minutes.
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