No Real threat now

A victory at struggling Levante next week would guarantee the Catalans a 17th league championship since they also have the advantage of a better record in head-to-head clashes with Real.

Barca lead the standings on 81 points while Real, who crushed Racing Santander 5-0 on Saturday but look to be heading for a second successive season without a major trophy, have 75.

Sevilla stay a distant third on 58 points despite their 1-0 defeat at city rivals Real Betis on Saturday while Villarreal are level on points in fourth after a 2-0 win at Malaga.

Espanyol moved up to fifth on 56 points and condemned opponents Numancia to relegation with a 3-0 win at Montjuic.

Albacete boosted their faint hopes of avoiding the drop when they ended an eight-match losing run with a 3-1 victory at home to fellow strugglers Levante, who sacked coach Bernd Schuster after last week’s 1-0 defeat by visitors Malaga. They are now eight points behind Levante, who occupy the last place above the drop zone with nine points to play for.

Valencia, who needed to beat Barca to join the race for the Champions League places, looked as though they might prove to be awkward opponents for the league leaders in the opening minutes.

Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar created early problems for the visitors’ Defence with his twisting runs from midfield and Brazilian defender Fabio Aurelio shaved the post with a curling free kick. But Barca saw off their opponents with two devastating strikes from Ronaldinho and Eto’O in the space of two minutes.

World Player of the Year Ronaldinho grabbed the first when he sent a 20-metre rocket-shot fizzing into the top corner after fellow Brazilian Juliano Belletti had clipped the ball across the area from the right.

Valencia were still reeling from the blow when Eto’O hit them with a second goal.

Racing on to a delicate through pass from Ronaldinho, the African Player of the Year cut inside Fabio Aurelio and steered the ball past goalkeeper Andres Palop into the far corner for his 23rd goal of the season.

Frank Rijkaard’s side could have stretched their lead before the break but Palop did well to stop another Ronaldinho shot and French midfielder Ludovic Giuly wasted a chance when he sliced wide of the post after Eto’O had stormed into the area.

(Reuters)

Stain on Roberto Carlos’ shirt

MADRID: REAL Madrid fullback Roberto Carlos has been shown presenting his shirt to the former leader of the club’s radical group of Ultra Sur fans following his side’s victory over Racing Santander on Saturday.

Spanish daily El Pais published photographs on Monday of the Brazilian international giving Jose Luis Ochaita his shirt and said that it was to be used in a raffle to raise funds to subsidise trips made by the group’s members to away matches.

Ochaita was banned from stadiums for three years in 1998 for trying to attack the referee in a Real Madrid-Barcelona basketball game and was among eight Ultras Sur arrested in Germany in the same year for displaying Nazi flags and swastikas prior to a Champions League match. Members of the Ultra Sur have been involved in incidents of racist abuse at the Bernabeu on several occasions this season.

The club was fined $12,550 after television pictures showed members of the group insulting visiting black players and making Nazi salutes in a Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen in November.

The group unfurled a large banner criticising immigration during the match, although El Pais said it was later removed by a security official from the club. (Reuters)