Gonzalo Higuain scored late for Real Madrid to edge Espanyol 4-3 and move atop the Spanish league on Saturday for 24 hours at least.
Madrid rallied after suffering a scare in the first half when Espanyol striker Walter Pandiani scored three goals in a 3-1 lead.
Ruud van Nistelrooy scored Madrid's first goal with his 21st of the season, and Raul Gonzalez and substitute Jose Antonio Reyes scored after the interval in Madrid's fifth straight victory at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
"I'm happy because I liked the character of my team, the will they showed to fight back. Today's was a real feat because we were playing a very good team," coach Fabio Capello told news agency Efe.
Espanyol's defeat came four days before it faces Sevilla in the UEFA Cup final in Glasgow, Scotland.
In Saturday's late game, Sevilla maintained its title bid by beating Recreativo Huelva 2-1. Midfielder Enzo Maresca shot the first goal in the 13th minute, with striker Luis Fabiano converting an 81st-minute penalty.
FC Barcelona could reclaim top spot if they beat Real Betis yesterday. Madrid, aiming to end a four-year drought without a major trophy, have 66 points. Barcelona had 65 ahead of yesterday's match, one more than Sevilla.
Madrid and Sevilla have four games to play, while Barcelona have five.
Madrid lacked suspended David Beckham, who picked up his 10th yellow card of the season in last weekend's win over Sevilla and has just four games left before he joins the Los Angeles Galaxy in August.
Robinho also missed the match through suspension, while Capello recalled left back Roberto Carlos.
Before Saturday's game, Madrid's honorary president Alfredo Di Stefano presented defender Fabio Cannavaro with his awards for world and European player of the year.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two