A Real setback for Madrid and Barca
Barcelona fans’ fury at their side’s collapse last week was replaced by hope as the sides above them dropped points away from home.
Real Madrid went a goal up against Mallorca at the end of the first half through Wesley Sneijder, but in the end they were fortunate to come away with a point after Sergio Ramos was sent off for the second time in five weeks.
For Madrid coach Bernd Schuster the red card was the turning point that cost them the win, but referee Dauden Ibanez did Madrid a big favour earlier by ruling out a goal by Mallorca full-back Fernando Navarro that looked perfectly valid. Mallorca also felt they should have had a penalty after Fabio Cannavaro handled in the area.
Luis Fabiano’s 22nd goal of the season was the key to Sevilla’s win against Villarreal, sealed with a Fredy Kanouté penalty three minutes from time.
Last season’s UEFA Cup winners are still in with a chance of making the Champions League, especially after Racing’s 3-1 home defeat by Deportivo, but Atletico Madrid continue in fourth spot after a 6-3 win against Almeria.
Two down in the first five minutes, Almeria fought back to 2-2 and then 3-3 in the first half. But they also went down to nine men and the speed and trickery of Simao Sabrosa and Sergio Aguero proved too much for them after the interval.
So it was all set for Barcelona after a troubled week in which Ronaldinho was ruled out for the rest of the season with a muscle problem, and his brother and agent Roberto Assis was pictured in Italy with Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani.
For Frank Rijkaard it was a confrontation with a potential successor in Michael Laudrup, a Camp Nou legend from playing days with Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team, and now coach at Getafe.
Laudrup’s side has impressed this season with its organisation and discipline and so it proved again, despite a first half in which he had three players injured and was forced to use all his substitutes.
Inevitably Barcelona started to press their opponents hard, hitting the woodwork first through Giovani and then through Eidur Gudjohnsen, both on as substitutes as Rijkaard sought to take advantage of tiring opponents. They dominated the play, but still they couldn’t score and Getafe held out for a 0-0 draw that leaves Barca still in third place on goal difference behind Villarreal and leaves their supporters more frustrated than ever at another chance missed to close the gap with Real Madrid.
AT THE top Bayern Munich continue to enjoy a nine-point lead, coming back to win 3-1 against Bochum yesterday after conceding a goal in the first five minutes.
In the race for Champions League qualification, Bayer Leverkusen suffered a setback to go with their midweek UEFA Cup defeat by Zenit St Petersburg.
Borussia Dortmund scored twice in the final two minutes to win 2-1 yesterday while wins for Schalke 04, Werder Bremen and Hamburg, who are now third after their 1-0 defeat at Stuttgart, saw those sides push Bayer out of the European qualification spots.
A CRUSHING 6-0 win against Estrela Amadora took Porto to their third consecutive title and number 16 under the direction of their president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa.
Accusations against Pinto da Costa of match-fixing in 2004 cast a cloud over the celebrations, but this has been a season of total dominance in the league.
With five matches left Porto are now 18 points clear of Vitoria Guimaraes, with the two Lisbon giants, Benfica and Sporting, currently placed third and fifth.
It is a special triumph for their 61-year-old coach Jesualdo Ferreira, without a title to his name until two years ago when he was poached from neighbouring club Boavista.
A CRUSHING 6-0 win against Estrela Amadora took Porto to their third consecutive title and number 16 under the direction of their president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa.
Accusations against Pinto da Costa of match-fixing in 2004 cast a cloud over the celebrations, but this has been a season of total dominance in the league.
With five matches left Porto are now 18 points clear of Vitoria Guimaraes, with the two Lisbon giants, Benfica and Sporting, currently placed third and fifth.
It is a special triumph for their 61-year-old coach Jesualdo Ferreira, without a title to his name until two years ago when he was poached from neighbouring club Boavista.
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