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On Sunday, victories were achieved in the 29th round of the Spanish championship ("La Liga") by "Sevilla" and "Valencia", who are fighting for a place in the Champions League, while Madrid's "Real" secured a victory and prevented "Barcelona" from increasing their lead to 14 points.
In the matches held in the Balearic Islands, "Sevilla" claimed a minimal victory. The only goal, scored by the team's leader Julio Baptista from an 11-meter penalty, was enough for the win.
Defending champions "Valencia" also claimed an easy victory at home, defeating "Getafe" 3-1. Goals for the hosts were scored by midfielder Francisco Rufete and forwards trying to regain their form Mista and Italian Marco Di Vaio. Valencia's team is still without injured midfielder Vicente and defender Curro Torres, while Ruben Baraja, one of the team leaders who recently suffered an injury, will be out for at least another month. After this victory, "Valencia" moved up one spot in the league table and shares the 5th place with "Sevilla" and "Espanyol".
Athletic Bilbao also secured an easy victory at home, defeating Levante 3-1.
Intriguing matches took place in Soria, where local team "Numancia" lost to higher-ranked "Racing" after a fierce battle. The visitors equalized twice but eventually turned the result in their favor in the 54th minute and did not let the victory slip away.
League leaders "Barcelona" were denied a 14-point lead by Madrid's "Real", who defeated "Malaga" with a minimal result at home. The only goal of the match was scored by Brazilian Roberto Carlos in the 61st minute, sending the ball into the net with a long-range shot after a pass from fellow Brazilian Ronaldo.
The last Sunday match took place in Zaragoza, where the local team played a goalless draw with Madrid's "Atletico". Both teams, known for their defensive football, had few attacking opportunities, and Spain national team striker Fernando Torres, celebrating his 21st birthday, only managed to strike at Zaragoza's goal once throughout the game.
The match between "Villarreal" and Pamplona's "Osasuna" will be played later due to the rescheduled UEFA Europa League match between "Villarreal" and Bucharest's "Steaua".
League Table
Sunday Results
Sevilla 3 - 1 Valencia
31' [1 - 0] Francisco Rufete
36' [2 - 0] Marco Di Vaio
63' [3 - 0] Mista
75' [3 - 1] Mariano Pernia
Real Madrid 1 - 0 Malaga
61' [1 - 0] Roberto Carlos
Numancia 2 - 3 Racing
5' [1 - 0] Pablo Sanz
24' [1 - 1] Mario Regueiro
40' [2 - 1] Francisco Tarantino
45' [2 - 2] David Aganzo
54' [2 - 3] Javier Arizmendi
Valencia 3 - 1 Levante
12' [1 - 0] Fernando Llorente
52' [2 - 0] Fernando Llorente
73' [2 - 1] Juanma
87' [3 - 1] Ismael Urzaiz
Atletico Madrid 0 - 0 Zaragoza
Top Scorers of the League:
1. Samuel Eto'o ("Barcelona") - 18 goals;
2. Diego Forlan ("Villarreal") - 17;
3-4. Fernando Torres (Madrid "Atletico") - 15;
3-4. Ricardo Oliveira (Sevilla's "Betis") - 15;
5. Julio Baptista ("Sevilla") - 14;
6. Nihat (San Sebastian "Real Sociedad") - 13 (Note: due to injury, will not play in this season);
7-8. Juan Roman Riquelme ("Villarreal") - 12;
7-8. Ronaldo (Madrid "Real") - 12;
9-11. Ismael Urzaiz ("Athletic Bilbao") - 11;
9-11. Maxi Rodriguez (Barcelona's "Espanyol") - 11;
9-11. Luis Garcia Fernandez ("Mallorca") - 11;
