Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain scored as Real Madrid beat
Racing Santander 2-0 to ensure it stayed tied with Barcelona at the
top of the Spanish league on Sunday ahead of their match next
weekend.
Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute,
firing his 18th goal of the season past Fabio Coltorti after being
tripped as he broke into the area.
Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez sent Higuain clear on Coltorti in
the 76th to score his 24th of the season.
Madrid and Barcelona both have 77 points but Madrid is ahead
on goal difference heading into Saturday's game between Spain's two
biggest clubs at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
"I don't think there's a favorite," Madrid coach Manuel
Pellegrini said after Madrid won for the 12th straight game. "The
two teams are playing well, picking up a lot of victories, and in
those types of games whoever makes the least mistakes wins. I'm
sure we can win."
Earlier, David Villa's two late goals helped Valencia beat
Osasuna 3-0 and kept his club clear in third. Valencia, which has
56 points with eight games left, was the only team with a
mathematical chance of catching Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Madrid was without Kaka (groin) and suspended regulars Xabi
Alonso and Sergio Ramos at El Sardinero Stadium, where golf great
Seve Ballesteros was in the stands to watch Madrid labor to victory
in what was a largely uninspiring match.
"It wasn't a brilliant game," defender Raul Albiol said, "but
the important thing was to win."
Sergio Canales, playing against Madrid for the first time
since agreeing to join the Spanish giant from next season, nearly
scored against his future club in the 16th. Goalkeeper Iker
Casillas came out of his goal to clear his lines following a
Santander move started by Canales, who had the ball land to him but
whose long-range shot shaved the post.
Jose Moraton tripped Ronaldo as the forward came flying into
the area to set up the opener - Ronaldo's third penalty scored this
season.
A physical game continued with neither side able to breach
the other's area, but Guti's entry for Esteban Granero in the 61st
gave Madrid some inspiration.
"We weren't brilliant offensively but we had chances,"
Pellegrini said. "Guti's entrance was important. At the start of
the second half we lost control of the ball and we got it back with
him."
Higuain collected a well-flighted pass and slid his finish
into the net. Higuain and Ronaldo have scored more than half of the
club's 83 goals this campaign.
Guti latched onto a loose ball in the 81st but his high shot
hit the crossbar, while Ronaldo volleyed Higuain's pass over the
bar in the 86th with Coltorti beaten.
Madrid is looking to break a three-game losing streak against
Barcelona, which posted a record 6-2 win at the Bernabeu last year
and was a 1-0 winner earlier this season.
At Mestalla Stadium, Joaquin Sanchez opened the scoring in
the 48th after getting a slight touch to Juanma Mata's center to
trickle the ball past goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez.
Villa, who struggled with his touch for most of the game,
guided Pablo Hernandez's cross past Lopez in the 90th then the
Osasuna goalkeeper tripped Villa for an injury-time penalty, which
he netted for his 20th goal of the season.
Pierre Webo's 88th-minute equalizer earned Mallorca a 1-1
draw at Almeria to remain fourth, on goal difference over Sevilla,
which beat Tenerife on Saturday to climb to 48 points. Kalu Uche
headed in the opener after five minutes.
Atletico Madrid maintained its hopes of European football
with a convincing 3-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna with Juanito
Gutierrez, Diego Forlan and Tiago all scoring in the Spanish
capital. Atletico is 10th with 40 points, while Deportivo's fourth
straight defeat left it eighth with 42 points.
Valladolid's relegation worries continued following a 2-0
defeat to Villarreal, while last-place Xerez maintained its hopes
of staying up with a 2-2 draw at Sporting Gijon.
"The truth is that we're coming up with numbers better suited
to the second division," Valladolid coach Onesimo Sanchez said.
Valladolid is only one point ahead of Xerez after the
last-place club stretched its unbeaten run to four games.
"We'll have to do the impossible to save ourselves," Xerez
coach Nestor Gorosito said.
Also, Pablo Osvaldo canceled out Manu Del Moral's 28th-minute
opener with a looping shot in the 50th as Espanyol rallied to draw
1-1 at Getafe.
Zaragoza beat Malaga 2-0 on Saturday.
