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During the 13th round of the Spanish Championship matches held on Saturday, one of the most titled clubs in Spanish history, but currently at the bottom of the league table - Bilbao "Athletic," won their second victory. In other Saturday matches, "Valencia" defeated Vigo "Celta," who are in third place, 2-0 and climbed to fourth position.
On Saturday, the Basques narrowly defeated "Mallorca" by one goal in the away match. The only goal of the match was scored by defender Luis Prieto in the 12th minute of the second half. This was only the second victory for the Basque club this season and the first after changing the coach a couple of weeks ago - the highly experienced Javier Clemente took over the team's coaching, previously managing the Spanish national team.
In the late evening match in Valencia, fans witnessed two very different halves: in the first half, "Valencia" rarely threatened the visitors' goal and only excellent defense and reliable goalkeeper S. Canizares prevented dangerous attacks from "Celta." However, during the break, the home team's coach Quique Sanchez Flores made the right decisions - adjusted the playing scheme a bit and substituted forward Mista with attacking midfielder Pablo Aimar - allowing them to take the initiative. "Valencia," gaining a gameplay advantage, scored two goals in four minutes. The first goal was scored by Spanish national team forward David Villa, who received a pass from Miguel Angel Angulo who came onto the field as a substitute, and the second goal was soon added by the defender-defensive midfielder Fabio Aurelio, with a header into the goal from a penalty kick awarded for a foul on Spanish national team midfielder Vicente.
In this match, "Valencia" played with many "missing": the Spanish national team defender Carlos Marchena could not play in defense due to a red card received in the match against "Cadiz," and another defender David Navarro had not yet recovered from his injury. In addition, the team's captain, left attacking midfielder Vicente, had to play on the right side, as the right midfielder Rufete was suspended for two matches by the coach's decision for displaying anger after being substituted last week. One of the team's leaders, Spanish national team midfielder Ruben Baraja, who has not yet recovered from injury, was not even included in the matchday squad. Worth noting, in the 84th minute, former Dutch national team forward Patrick Kluivert appeared on the field, recovering from injury. This was the fourth consecutive match where the forward appeared on the field at the end of the game.
League Table
Saturday's Results
0 - 1
57' [0 - 1] Luis Prieto
2 - 0 Vigo
73' [1 - 0] David Villa
79' [2 - 0] Fabio Aurelio
Top Goalscorers
1. Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona) - 11 goals;
2-3. David Villa (Valencia) - 8;
2-3. Ronaldinho (Barcelona) - 8;
4. Ronaldo (Real) - 7;
5. Fernando Baiano (Celta) - 6;
6-7. Nene (Alaves) - 5;
6-7. Raul (Real) - 5.
