Ronaldo strikes, Real stay clear

Ronaldo struck with a controversial penalty and a dazzling shimmy to help take Real Madrid five points clear with a 4-2 win away to Espanyol...

Ronaldo struck with a controversial penalty and a dazzling shimmy to help take Real Madrid five points clear with a 4-2 win away to Espanyol on Saturday. Real’s victory, which also featured goals from Roberto Carlos and Raul Bravo, gave them some vital breathing space in their title battle with Valencia, who were beaten 1-0 at home to resurgent Barcelona.

With the Champions League set to resume next week, Real lead the standings with 56 points from 25 games, followed by Valencia on 51.

Deportivo Coruna’s hopes of making it a three-way fight for the championship suffered a blow when they were held to a goalless draw away to Atletico Madrid, leaving them third on 50 points.

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Barcelona’s fifth successive league win took them further clear in the race for the fourth Champions League qualification place with 43 points.

Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad, who will join Real Madrid and Deportivo in Champions League action next week, both suffered morale-sapping defeats.

Celta, who remain in relegation trouble, went down 2-0 at home to Malaga, while mid-table Sociedad were beaten 1-0 at Sevilla. Real, who needed a controversial last-minute penalty to claim a 1-1 draw against Valencia last week, once again enjoyed the benefit of the doubt in the area when Raul went down with his back to goal midway through the first half. There appeared to be little contact between Raul and the goalkeeper.

Day after PM Modi’s visit to the town, Manipur’s Churachandpur sees violent protest

India9 hr ago

Protests in Manipur's Churachandpur turned violent as two men were arrested for damaging decorations for PM Modi's visit. The crowd demanded their release and attempted to storm the police station. The men were eventually released after a bail hearing. The incident occurred after a clash between locals and police on Thursday, but the situation had calmed down before Saturday's visit.

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