An early goal led FC Barcelona to 1-0 city
derby victory over Espanyol on Saturday while Madrid came from behind to
draw with Real Betis.
The lone goal of the match came early on in the tenth minute through
Portuguese playmaker Deco, who continued his fine showing since signing
for the Catalans from FC Porto over the summer.
The win lifted Barcelona to a five-point lead over Valencia at the top
of the table. The champions take on Sevilla tomorrow.
Ricardo Oliveira had given Betis a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute and it
appeared as if Madrid could be headed for yet another humiliating defeat.
However, Madrid showed a bit of resiliency.
In the 66th minute, Ronaldo, who has had problems finding his form this
season, got an equaliser to earn a point for Madrid and boost them to
tenth in the league on just ten points. The match featured nine yellow
cards, six of which were issued to Betis.
Deportivo La Coruña were 2-1 winners at home against Getafe, boosting
the Galicians up to fourth in the table despite a goal difference of -3.
Coming off of a 1-0 victory at Real Madrid in their last league game,
Deportivo took a 1-0 lead 17 minutes into the game when Sérgio struck
from distance. Then, in the second half, Víctor headed past the Getafe
goalkeeper to make it 2-0 to the team from the north.
Getafe added a stoppage time goal through striker Mario on a free kick,
but it was not enough for the promoted side. |
