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On Sunday, the 13th round matches of the Spanish championship ("La Liga") were played. Two goals right at the end of the match allowed Madrid's "Real" to snatch a draw in the match against local "Real Sociedad" in San Sebastián. Meanwhile, the reigning champions "Barcelona" continue to dominate, this time crushing "Racing Santander" 4-1 at home, and the season's surprise team, Pamplona's "Osasuna," defeated Vitoria's "Alaves" 3-2 at home. Victories were also achieved by the clubs "Villarreal," Madrid's "Getafe," and "Sevilla."
In San Sebastián, Madrid's "Real" narrowly escaped defeat against local "Real Sociedad." The hosts had the opportunity to take the lead in the second minute, but Nihat's shot was off target. In the first half, "Real" had several chances to score, but "Real Sociedad" goalkeeper and the goal frame denied them. At the end of the first half, Brazilian Roberto Carlos brought down forward Oscar de Paula in his penalty area, resulting in a penalty awarded by the referee. Xavier Prieto, who stepped up to take it, scored accurately from the eleven meters mark, marking the third goal from a penalty spot for him this season.
The second half began more intensely, and the hosts could have doubled their lead on multiple occasions. However, once again the saying "what goes around comes around" proved true as Oscar de Paula doubled the advantage shortly after, being in the right place to score following his initial attempt which was parried by Iker Casillas. The situation worsened for "Real" in the 72nd minute, as young defender Sergio Ramos received a second yellow card for a rough challenge on Xavier Prieto. However, just 10 minutes before the end of the match, a second yellow card was given to "Real Sociedad" representative Gaizka Garitano. "Real" took advantage of this and miraculously equalized - after a dangerous attack on the hosts' goal, David Beckham and Julio Baptista earned a corner. Lifted into the air, the hosts' goalkeeper failed to clear the ball properly and defender Raul Bravo, who had just entered the pitch, sent the ball into the net. In the ensuing attack, there was real chaos near the "Real Sociedad" goalpost: defenders failed to clear a long pass from David Beckham, the hosts' goalkeeper Riesgo fumbled the ball, and Zinedine Zidane struck the ball powerfully and accurately. Demonstrating great character, the Madrid "Real" players earned their first draw this season and now stand in sixth place in the league table.
In the first half of the match that took place in Pamplona, there were no goals, but in the second half played 12 minutes forward, "Alaves" players broke the deadlock with a precise shot by Brazilian Nene. However, this only spurred on the players of Pamplona, who scored three goals in a row without reply: in the 60th minute, Serbian Savo Milošević found the net, and then he earned a penalty in the 70th minute, which was successfully converted by Francisco Punal, followed by Moha scoring after a long pass in the 84th minute. Australian John Aloisi gave the visiting team hope by scoring in the 90th minute, but "Osasuna" maintained their lead until the referee's final whistle, extending their streak of consecutive home victories to seven - "Osasuna" won all games played at home this season except for one draw against "Rennes" in the UEFA Cup.
Another particularly noteworthy match took place in La Coruña, where local "Deportivo" fell 0-2 to "Villarreal" footballers. Among the ranks of the guests, who are playing in the UEFA Champions League this year, the team's leader Juan Román Riquelme made an appearance on the field after injury. The Argentine showed his importance to the "Yellow Submarine" this year by scoring the first goal and significantly contributing to the second, scored by his compatriot Juan Pablo Sorín.
Another highly anticipated match was held in Madrid, where the "second" teams of Madrid and Barcelona, "Atletico" and "Espanyol," faced each other. The intense match ended in a 1-1 draw. The hosts took the lead in the eighth minute when Peter Luccin scored a fantastic long-range shot from outside the penalty area into the top corner. However, the visitors quickly equalized - just three minutes later, defender Daniel Jarque found the net after a corner kick. Although both teams had opportunities to score, the result remained unchanged, and both teams settled for a draw.
Atletico Madrid just narrowly beat Espanyol 1-0 after a back and forth battle. The hosts took the lead in the eighth minute when Peter Luccin scored a superb strike from outside the penalty area, but just three minutes later, defender Daniel Jarque equalized. While both teams had chances to score, the result remained 1-1, and the match ended in a draw. The victory over "Zaragoza" was a decisive one, secured by "Sevilla" in a 2-0 away win. In the 37th minute of the match, "Zaragoza" defender Cesar received a red card for a last-ditch foul on Frederic Kanoute, but the visitors failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage in the first half. However, early in the second half, on the second attempt, the on-loan Javier Saviola scored for Sevilla, and in extra time, after a counterattack, Daniel Alves doubled the lead by scoring from a shot repelled by the goalkeeper Luis Fabiano. A little earlier, the Brazilian Luis Fabiano failed to send the ball into the empty net.
In the Spanish league, the reigning champions "Barcelona" players thrashed "Racing Santander" 4-1. The "Barca" team could have taken the lead just four minutes into the game when referee awarded a penalty for a foul on Rafael Marquez, but the Brazilian Ronaldinho saw his spot-kick saved by "Racing Santander" goalkeeper Dudu Aouate. In the middle of the first half, Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o showed why he is considered one of the best forwards in the world, receiving the ball in midfield, beating three opponents, and sending the ball into the far corner of the goal.
At the beginning of the second half, young prodigy Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the season in the Spanish league after a pass from S. Eto'o, and shortly after, Ronaldinho earned another penalty. Ronaldinho stepped up to take it, and this time he didn't make any mistakes - striking the ball powerfully into the far corner of the net, leaving D. Aouate with no chance. In the middle of the second half, left-back Sylvinho scored his first goal of the season after evading two defenders in the penalty area. Shortly after, "Racing Santander" had an opportunity to reduce the deficit when Mexican Rafael Marquez handled the ball in his penalty area. Javi Casquero successfully converted the penalty and scored a consolation goal for the visitors.
After the match, "Barcelona" sits in first place due to a better goal difference than Pamplona's "Osasuna."
Goalscorers:
1. Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona) - 12 goals;
2. Ronaldinho (Barcelona) - 9;
3. David Villa (Valencia) - 8;
4. Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - 7;
5-6. Fernando Baiano (Celta Vigo) - 6;
5-6. Nene (Alaves) - 6.
