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On Saturday, two matches of the 37th round of the Spanish championship were played. In a fierce match, Sevilla's Betis footballers won 3-2 against Zaragoza at home for a place in next year's UEFA Champions League, while the Madrid derby ended goalless.
In the match in Seville, Zaragoza's footballers took the lead when Brazilian Savio scored a penalty in the middle of the first half. In the second half, Betis scored three goals: Spain's national team defender Juanito headed Joaquin's cross into the goal, later Ricardo Oliveira scored his 22nd goal of the season with a close-range shot, and in the 81st minute Fernando made it 3-1.
Although Zaragoza's goalkeeper softened the result with a goal in the fourth minute of added time, that was all the guests could do.
This victory allowed Sevilla's club to secure a ticket to next year's UEFA Europa League tournament and hope for their opponents' failures to secure a place in the prestigious UEFA Champions League.
In the other Saturday match - the Madrid derby - a tough battle took place at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Both teams did not fight for anything anymore ("Real" had already secured a place in the UEFA Champions League, while "Atletico" is seven points away from the sixth place, which guarantees a spot in the UEFA Europa League next season), and it was clear on the field: opportunities to score a goal were very rare.
Although Real dominated the match, Michael Owen missed a good chance to score in the second half, while Atletico's best chances at the end of the match were not taken by Spain's striker Fernando Torres.
In the second half, much applause was received by the club's star Luis Figo when the coach sent him onto the field after a substitution. The reaction of the 75,000 fans was because it was believed to be Figo's last match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. There have been rumors for some time that Figo will leave the Royal club in the summer, as he has been spending more time on the bench than on the field.
Saturday's results:
Sevilla 3 - 2 Zaragoza 35' [0 - 1] Savio 52' [1 - 1] Juanito 68' [2 - 1] Ricardo Oliveira 81' [3 - 1] Fernando 90' [3 - 2] Oscar
Madrid 0 - 0 Madrid
