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On Saturday, three matches of the 27th round of the Spanish championship were played. Taking advantage of the opportunity to distance themselves from the pursuers, the leader "Barcelona" defeated "Osasuna" with a minimum advantage, increasing their lead over second-placed Madrid "Real" to 8 points, as the latter played a draw with "Valencia" away.
In memory of the late coach Rinus Michels, the players of "Barcelona" played with black armbands and dominated the match from the beginning. The only and winning goal was scored in the 40th minute by the most productive player of the championship, Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o.
An interesting match took place in Valencia, where the local team defending the champions' title played against "Real". The hosts started the match more successfully and took the lead in the 15th minute after a precise shot by P.Aimar from the penalty area.
The missed goal seemed to revive the Madrid team, and after twelve minutes the score became equal when, after a pass from J.Guti, Ronaldo dribbled past the goalkeeper S.Canizares and confused the defender, sending the ball into empty goal.
The second half started more powerfully for "Valencia", but the home team failed to utilize the numerous opportunities created: Mista, Aimar, and R.Ayala were close to scoring. "Real" had opportunities to snatch victory at the end of the match, but the goalkeeper saved a shot from Ronaldo, while J.Portillo and A.Celades missed the target.
The hosts finally created a dangerous moment in the last minute of the match, but they were unsuccessful as the ball hit the crossbar after a header by Aimar above I.Casillas. The beautiful match ended in a draw, which is not beneficial to either team.
In the other matches of the day, Madrid "Atletico" achieved victory by unexpectedly crushing "Sevilla" at home with a convincing result. The goals for the winners were scored by Salva, F.Torres, and A.Lopez.
