Mon, Mar 13, 2006 - Page 19 News List

Blues jump higher in standings

AP , LONDON

Hearts was held 0-0 at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Rangers is third on 52 points, six fewer than Hearts and a Champions League qualifying spot. Celtic, which travels to Hibernian today, leads the league on 70 points.

In other games, Dundee United beat Livingston 3-1, Motherwell was a 3-1 winner over Falkirk, and Dunfermline hung on for a 1-0 win against Aberdeen.

Substitute Ronaldo missed a last-minute penalty and Real Madrid drew 0-0 on its Spanish league visit to Valencia on Saturday.

Ronaldo, who had appeared in the 62nd minute after being dropped for the second straight league game, delivered a weak shot which goalkeeper Santiago Canizares saved easily.

"It was bad luck for me, the team and the fans. It's a shame because they were three very important points," Ronaldo told radio station Cadena SER.

The result at Mestalla stadium continued Valencia and Madrid's poor recent form and left leader FC Barcelona with the chance to extend its advantage to 12 points by winning on its visit to Osasuna on Sunday.

Valencia is unbeaten in 16 matches although it has drawn its last three. Madrid, shaken by club president Florentino Perez's resignation and its midweek Champions League elimination by Arsenal, has gained one point from its last two league games.

Both sides stayed level on points but Valencia rose above Madrid into second place by virtue of head-to-head results.

Somber music sounded briefly from the loudspeakers just before kickoff to mark the second anniversary of the Madrid train bombings which killed 191 people.

In other 27th-round games, 10-man Espanyol beat Celta Vigo 2-0, while Real Sociedad beat Deportivo La Coruna 1-0

FC Barcelona leads the league with 61 points, followed by Valencia and Madrid with 52 each. Osasuna is next with 46, one more than Celta.

Sociedad rose to 14th place with 28 points. Deportivo, which hasn't won in six home games, stayed eighth with 40 points.

Adriano ended his 10-match scoreless streak with a 40th-minute header, and Inter Milan beat Sampdoria 1-0 Saturday to move within one point of second-place AC Milan in the Serie A.

Inter has 62 points in 29 matches. Juventus, which leads the standings with 73 points, hosts AC Milan at Stadio delle Alpi today.

Adriano, who had already hit the post in the 26th minute, collected the rebound from his own shot that hit the crossbar to score at the San Siro.

The Brazil striker came off a two-match suspension to be Inter's best player in a team containing Luis Figo and Dejan Stankovic.

Adriano has 13 goals this season -- 10 behind the league leading scorer Luca Toni of Fiorentina.

Erjon Bogdani scored with an 87th-minute header and Siena beat last-place Treviso 1-0.

The home win lifted the Tuscan team into the upper half of the table, two points behind Sampdoria.

Treviso's winless streak is now at 14 games to leave it with 15 points. Siena has 35 points.

This story has been viewed 2151 times.
TOP top