Real tops Espanyol to keep pace
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Sergio Ramos and Kaka scored in the first 30 minutes and Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 3-0 on Saturday at the Bernabeu to remain five points behind La Liga leader Barcelona.
Ramos scored just five minutes into the match and Kaka doubled the lead in the 30th minute. Gonzalo Higuain added the third goal in the 90th minute as Madrid maintained pace with Barcelona, which beat Getafe 2-1 despite playing the last 65 minutes down a man.
Real, playing without suspended star Cristiano Ronaldo, wasted no time opening the scoring when Esteban Granero delivered a pass to Ramos, who converted with header from the center of the area to the bottom-left corner.
Kaka followed 25 minutes later with a right-footed shot from the right edge of the six-yard box to the bottom-left corner, and Real was in cruise control for the remainder of the match.
Espanyol barely threatened, and only stayed in the game through the magic of goalie Carlos Kameni. Kaka sneaked a shot by Kameni in the 58th but it bounced off the left post.
Higuain solved Kameni in the closing seconds, converting his 12th to cap the impressive win for Real.
Barcelona remained unbeaten through 21 matches, including 17 wins, as Lionel Messi bagged his La Liga-leading 16th goal of the season.
Messi scored in the seventh minute and, although Gerard Pique was sent off in the 25th, Xavi scored in the 67th to allow Barcelona - which went down to nine men in stoppage time after Rafael Marquez was ejected and gave away a penalty - to sail to the whistle.
Also Saturday, third-place Valencia maintained pace with the top two clubs, as David Villa scored his 15th goal of the season in a 2-0 win over Valladolid.
On Sunday, Athletic Bilbao hosts Xerez, Almeria hosts Sporting Gijon, Malaga hosts Deportivo, Osasuna hosts Tenerife, Mallorca hosts Villarreal, Real Zaragoza hosts Sevilla, and Racing hosts Atletico Madrid. |
