Real Madrid at Top of Primera Liga
Barcelona and Sevilla Drop below Bernabeu team in Title Challenge
Real Madrid's challenge for the Spanish Primera Liga title continued with victory over Espanyol, their fourth successive win, to move ahead of Barcelona and Sevilla.
Real Madrid with their fourth successive win have climbed to the top of the Spanish Primera Liga. In a seven goal thriller at the Bernabeu Stadium, Real showed determination to turn around a 1-3 half-time deficit to take all three points to move above Barcelona and Sevilla who have been battling it out for the title through most of the season. Their hold on the top spot may be short lived as Barcelona play their game against Royal Betis today. However, with four matches remaining, they have stated their intention to be involved in the challenge for the title right to the death.
Real Madrid having won their previous three games against Valencia (h) 2 – 1, Athletico Bilbao (a) 4 – 1 and Sevilla (h) 3 – 2 have swept aside two of the top four sides in the league in their late challenge for the title.
They were facing UEFA Cup finalists, Espanyol who are comfortable in mid-table but Real found themselves two goals down after sixteen minutes. Although Ruud van Nistlerooy who has scored five goals in the last three games, pulled one back after half an hour, they went further behind four minutes later when Walter Pandini completed his hat-trick.
Into the second half and two goals in eight minutes from Raul and former Arsenal star, Jose Antonio Reyes levelled the game with thirty minutes remaining. Just when it looked that Real were going two miss the opportunity to take top spot, Gonzalo Higuain scored a ninetieth minute winner.
The other UEFA Cup finalist, Sevilla, who have been in contention at the top of the table through the season kept up their challenge with a 2-1 win over Recreativo Huelva and are in third place, two points behind Real Madrid and one behind Barcelona who have their game in hand and a superior goal difference so a draw would re-instate them at the head of the table.
Sevilla and Espanyol contest the UEFA Cup Final in Glasgow on Wednesday evening at Hampden Park. Such has been Sevilla’s determination to retain the UEFA Cup which they won last year by defeating Middlesbrough in the Final, that they have sacrificed vital points in the League race by sending out weakened teams when they rested star players prior to the important European games.
Four games remain to determine the title race which will go on into mid-June with a break for international football at the end of May and early June. All three teams will be maintain their interest right through to the last day.
