A 200th league goal from captain Raul Gonzalez helped Real Madrid overcome Espanyol 2-1 on Saturday as they took the first step towards erasing the painful memory of their Champions League exit.
Raul's 72nd minute penalty moved Real eight points clear at the top of the Spanish first division.
"Normally you have faith in your players and the team as a whole although it was difficult for us after we went behind," said Real coach Bernd Schuster, who was under pressure after the midweek European exit at the hands of Roma.
"The psychological factor was really important today especially after Wednesday and we showed a lot of character. I didn't see the penalty incident, but they tell me it was [a penalty]," he said.
Three days ago Real were dumped out of Europe at their fortress Santiago Bernabeu and there was an air of tension, especially when Real old boy Valdo put Espanyol ahead.
Gonzalo Higuain equalized shortly before halftime and fittingly Raul, who made his Real debut back in 1994, netted the winner to bring up his double century in the league.
It was a 13th goal this season for Raul who is having his best season for years and is only 16 goals behind the club's all-time top-scorer Alfredo Di Stefano.
The result was also a shot in the arm for Schuster, who had to listen to intense speculation about his future following the Roma debacle.
Espanyol, who defeated Real earlier in the season, stay fifth after the loss. Real's city neighbors Atletico Madrid could not capitalize, however, losing 2-1 at Real Zaragoza.
Atletico, who beat Barcelona 4-2 last weekend, went ahead through Portuguese winger Simao. But a Pablo Tebar own-goal and a Diego Milito penalty turned the game on its head.
Atletico stay fourth but will rue the missed chance to move level on points with third-placed Villarreal.
For new Zaragoza coach Manolo Villanova it was the perfect debut as he bids to lift the club away from the relegation dogfight.
Real manager Schuster showed his anger with three changes from the starting line-up against Roma with Michael Salgado, Fabio Cannavaro and Fernando Gago making way for Higuain, Miguel Torres and Marcelo.
Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas reached another landmark with his 300th league appearance, having made his debut in 1999.
Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday claimed the overall Vuelta a Espana lead while Jay Vine earned the stage 10 victory for his second triumph of the race. Two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard overhauled Torstein Traen’s lead to head the general classification by 26 seconds from the Norwegian, with Joao Almeida third and trailing the Dane by 38 seconds. Vine put in an unmatchable performance on the final climb to finish ahead of Spanish Movistar riders Pablo Castrillo and Javier Romo. “Back in red, I’m happy with it, it’s a beautiful jersey,” Vingegaard said. “I’m happy with how the day went,
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
RIVALRY: Carlos Alcaraz lost his previous two matches against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, in the Australian Open quarter-finals this year and Paris Olympics final last year Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday dazzled at the US Open to make the semi-finals before Novak Djokovic of Serbia danced his way through to book a New York showdown with the Spaniard that would mark the latest chapter in their generational rivalry. Former champion Alcaraz produced yet another entertaining display at Flushing Meadows to dismantle 20th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 at a sunbathed Arthur Ashe Stadium, securing his place in the last four without dropping a set this year. “Sometimes I play a shot that I should not play in that moment, but it’s the way I love
New Zealand stayed firm at their Eden Park fortress to claim an attritional 24-17 win over South Africa in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two rugby sides yesterday. Under pressure after conceding a first-ever defeat on Argentine soil against the Pumas two weeks ago, the All Blacks responded with a performance of grit and discipline to stretch their unbeaten run at their Auckland stronghold to 51 matches. Two well-taken tries by Emoni Narawa and Will Jordan set up a 14-3 lead at halftime before Quinn Tupaea grabbed a third five-pointer for the hosts 13 minutes from time. Well-held for most of
RSS