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Unexpected results were recorded in two matches played on Saturday in the 31st round of the Spanish Championship ("La Liga"): the tournament's outsider "Numancia" defeated Madrid's "Atletico", who are fighting for a place in the UEFA Champions League, and Bilbao's "Athletic" unexpectedly easily beat San Sebastian's "Real Sociedad" 3-0 at home.
"Numancia", currently in the 20th place of the tournament table, once again proved to everyone that the winner of the matches in "La Liga" is never clear before the match: by fiercely defending and managing to score one goal, they celebrated a victory at home against the much stronger Madrid's "Atletico" club. An interesting fact is that the author of the only goal, Toche, has represented "Atletico" in the past.
In the match at the "San Mames" stadium in Bilbao, the hosts started pressing their opponents from the very first seconds and had many opportunities, but the goalkeeper of "Real Sociedad", Asier Riesgo, reliably defended his goal. However, the advantage of "Athletic" materialized on the field in the 35th minute when the goal was scored by the famous target man of European football clubs, Santiago Ezquerro. In the second half, the advantage was doubled with a left-foot penalty shot by Yeste, so Tiko's goal in extra time did not matter much.
Awaiting "El Clasico"
As the "El Clasico" approaches, the starting lineups of both teams are becoming clear. On Saturday, "Real" coach Wanderley Luxemburgo stated that they will play with three attackers against "Barcelona": "I don't like the fact that journalists found out my plans during training, but I won't lie - Owen, Ronaldo, and Raul will start in the lineup."
This decision by the coach means that the Portuguese Luis Figo will have to watch the match from the bench, but the coach said he understands if Figo gets upset: "He is a great player, but it was very important for me that Owen played. Because of that, I had to sacrifice Zidane, Raul, or Figo in the starting lineup. I will understand if Figo is upset."
On the opposite side, optimistic moods prevail, as "Barcelona" announced that Ronaldinho and Carles Puyol participated in the team's training on Saturday and whether they will play in the starting lineup is their own decision: "Players have to decide themselves about playing in the starting lineup, especially in Puyol's case."
Reminder that "El Clasico" will take place on Sunday at 20:00 Lithuanian time. Vilnius residents can watch the match on a big screen at Karolina Bowling (more information at www.kegliai.lt).
Saturday's Results
- 1 - 0 Madrid
- 3 - 0 San Sebastian
85' [1 - 0] Toche
35' [1 - 0] Santiago Ezquerro
73' [2 - 0] Yeste
90' [3 - 0] Tiko
