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"Real" from Madrid refuses to give up in the fight for the title of Spanish champions and on Saturday, in a tough battle, managed to defeat "Villarreal" 2-1, even though the Royal club ended the match with only nine players. In the 39th minute, Juan Roman Riquelme converted a controversial penalty from eleven meters, but in the 70th minute, just a few minutes after "Villarreal" had a great opportunity to double their lead, Brazilian Ronaldo leveled the score, scoring his fourth goal in the last three games. After two minutes, Argentine Walter Samuel was forced to leave the field after receiving a second yellow card, but two minutes later, Michel Salgado put the Royal club ahead. Despite French Zinedine Zidane losing control in the 89th minute and receiving a red card along with Alvarez representing "Villarreal," "Real" managed to hold on to a favorable result. It is worth mentioning that "Real" star Luis Figo has started on the bench for the third consecutive game. This time, the Portuguese appeared on the field in the 77th minute, replacing English striker Michael Owen. Following this victory, "Real" reduced the gap from "Barcelona" to three points, but on Sunday, the Catalan superclub will try to restore their advantage in the match against "Malaga." In the only other Saturday match, Pamplona's "Osasuna" narrowly defeated Madrid's "Atletico" club at home, a loss that could prove costly in the fight for a spot in next year's UEFA Cup. The only goal of the match was scored by John Aloisi at the beginning of the game. Saturday's results: Madrid 2 - 1 39' [0 - 1] Juan Roman Riquelme 69' [1 - 1] Ronaldo 74' [2 - 1] Michel Salgado 79' W.Samuel ("Real") sent off for a second yellow card 89' Zinedine Zidane ("Real") and Alvarez ("Villarreal") sent off Pamplona 1 - 0 Madrid 4' [1 - 0] John Aloisi 82' Cuellar ("Osasuna") sent off for a second yellow card."
