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Today, three out of seven matches of the 32nd round of the Spanish championship ("La Liga") were played. Here are brief overviews of these matches.
1 - 3
2' [0 - 1]
31' [0 - 2]
66' [1 - 2]
85' [1 - 3]
After this victory, "Barcelona" regained hope to still fight for the Spanish champions title this year - after 31 matches, they are 8 points behind the leading "Real", with a clash between these two clubs ahead. The match was dominated by "Barcelona", who played without four players due to various reasons. Catalan coach Frank Rijkaard made an interesting tactical decision - allowed defenders Philip Cocu and Gerard to play in the defense. However, this decision seemed to work - in the second minute of the match, Javier Saviola led the visitors forward. Later, the most productive player of the team, Brazilian Ronaldinho, doubled the score, marking his 13th goal in this year's Spanish championship. However, in the 54th minute, receiving a second yellow card, he was forced to leave the field. Not even ten minutes later, Oscar scored with his head after a corner, revitalizing his team's hopes. Despite being reduced to ten players, "Barcelona" players did not seem shaken and proved it by the end of the match, when young Iniesta, who came on as a substitute, calmly defeated the "Valladolid" goalkeeper from about 11 meters with his left foot, securing the victory for the Catalan club. This was the first goal of the 19-year-old Spaniard in this year's Spanish championship.
3 - 1
32' [1 - 0]
44' [1 - 1]
45' [2 - 1]
50' [3 - 1]
In this match, a small sensation was recorded - the 8th-placed "Malaga" defeated the 5th-placed "Atletico" club from the capital. After this victory, "Malaga" moved up to the 6th position, which guarantees a place in next year's UEFA Cup. Playing at home, the "Malaga" team continued their successful series of home matches - in the last five matches, they won four times and drew once. Worth mentioning is that before the end of this match, the young "Atletico" star Fernando Torres also received a second yellow card and left the field, catching the eye of several top European clubs.
0 - 0
Throughout the first half, the referee did not control the game - there were several fouls and altercations on the field, but no cards were shown. In the 76th minute, "Sevilla" player Gallardo was fouled in the penalty area, but the referee not only did not award a penalty kick but also showed Gallardo a yellow card. About five minutes later, "Sevilla" had a great opportunity to score, but the ball went wide of the empty goal. In the following minute, the referee in his own way repaid the visiting team - one of the "Celta" players was fouled in the penalty area, but the referee remained silent. Both teams played tactical football until about ten minutes before the end of the match and then started playing open football. Both teams had plenty of chances to score. In the 87th minute, after returning from an injury, Savo Milošević could have put his team ahead, but "Sevilla" goalkeeper made a great save from a header shot from about 10 meters. These draws are very unfavorable for the "Celta" players who, with 6 rounds left until the end of the championship, are in 18th place, trailing the 17th-placed "Mallorca" players by three points.
