Real win but league remains out of grasp

“The best thing was the result. It was very important to win and the players tried in every possible way,” Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo said. “In the first half we were very nervous, we didn’t know whether to go forward or backward. In the second half we tried and could have scored two or three more goals.”

Also yesterday, defending champions Valencia downed Getafe 3-1 to move into fifth place, Sevilla beat lowly Mallorca 1-0, Athletic Bilbao downed Levante 3-1, and Racing Santander edged last-place Numancia 3-2. In yesterday’s late game, Atletico Madrid drew 0-0 at Zaragoza and stayed in eighth place.

Barcelona, who defeated Deportivo la Coruna 1-0 on Saturday, lead the league with 68 points, followed by Madrid with 57. Real Betis are in third place with 48 points.

Villarreal, who beat Steaua Bucharest 2-0 yesterday to reach the UEFA Cup quarterfinals, are in fourth place with 47 points and a game in hand. Valencia, Espanyol and Sevilla follow with 46 points each. On Saturday, Betis beat Albacete 2-1, and Espanyol drew 2-2 with Real Sociedad.

Madrid, who were without suspended Thomas Gravesen, were unable to penetrate Malaga’s tightly-packed defense in an uneventful first half, leading to whistles as it left the field at the interval.

Carlos broke the deadlock in the 61st when he drove a low shot past Arnau from the edge of the area, and then ran to the side of the field and gestured and shouted at Madrid fans to get behind their team.