La Coruna, Apr 07: Deportivo Coruna have displaced Real Sociedad from second spot in the Spanish first division after coming from behind to claim a 2-1 win against the Basque side.

The 2-1 victory in front of a 30,000 crowd on Sunday (April 7) at their Riazor stadium allowed Deportivo to oust Real Sociedad from second place on goal difference. Sociedad's Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci issued an early warning when his powerful 20-metre drive swerved just wide of the post on three minutes. Deportivo looked dangerous on the break and winger Roy Makaay kept his Dutch compatriot Sander Westerveld busy in the first quarter. But it was a lightning counter-attack that gave Sociedad the lead on 16 minutes when Nihat outpaced the Depor defence to pounce on a long ball from defender Aitor Lopez Rekarte.


The Turkish striker controlled neatly with his toe before rounding keeper Jose Molina and then stroking the ball into the open goal from just inside the area.


The early setback sparked Depor into action and they began to take control of the game midway through the half. But it was not until just before the break that Javier Irureta's side managed to level the scores after they were awarded a controversial free kick when midfielder Lionel Scaloni appeared to slip just outside the area.


Mauro Silva touched the ball to substitute Joan Capdevila and the defender fired a rasping drive into the far corner that left Sander Westerveld rooted to the spot.


The first half action was not over, however, as two minutes later Sociedad were awarded a penalty after Scaloni was adjudged to have brought down Zuhaitz Gurrutxaga in the area.


Serbian striker Darko Kovacevic stepped up to take the spot kick, but only succeeded in slamming his shot against the bar. Depor were forced to change their line-up in the second half after injuries to Tristan and Makaay, but the entry of attacking midfielder Juan Carlos Valeron upset Sociedad's defensive formation.



Winger Fran took full advantage of the disruption to score the winner seven minutes from time after a neat move also involving Sergio Gonzalez and Valeron.


Captain Fran cut in from the left wing before firing off a a shot from the edge of the area which deflected off a defender and past a helpless Westerveld into the net to secure three valuable points for the home side.


The 2-1 victory plays into the hands of leaders Real Madrid who stretch their lead at the top of the table to six points after a 3-2 victory on Saturday (April 5) against neighbours Rayo Vallecano.


Match summary: Deportivo Coruna 2 - Joan Capdevila 44, Fran 83 Real Sociedad 1 - Nihat Kahveci 16 Half time: 1-1 Attendance: 30,000


Results of Spanish first division soccer matches over the weekend: Alaves 0 Real Mallorca 0 Athletic Bilbao 1 Atletico Madrid 0 Deportivo Coruna 2 Real Sociedad 1 Osasuna 0 Malaga 1 Racing Santander 1 Sevilla 0 Valladolid 0 Recreativo Huelva 1

Played on Saturday: Espanyol 0 Celta Vigo 0 Real Betis 2 Valencia 0 Real Madrid 3 Rayo Vallecano 1 Villarreal 2 Barcelona 0


Standings after Sunday (April 6): P W D L F A Pts 1. Real Madrid 28 17 9 2 64 27 60 2. Deportivo Coruna 28 16 6 6 45 30 54 3. Real Sociedad 28 15 9 4 48 36 54 4. Valencia 28 13 8 7 42 23 47 5. Celta Vigo 28 13 6 9 33 24 45 6. Real Betis 28 11 8 9 39 38 41 7. Atletico Madrid 28 10 9 9 38 34 39 8. Sevilla 28 10 9 9 24 21 39 9. Barcelona 28 9 9 10 44 36 36 10. Athletic Bilbao 28 10 6 12 40 46 36 11. Real Mallorca 28 10 6 12 30 42 36 12. Malaga 28 8 11 9 35 33 35 13. Villarreal 28 9 8 11 29 33 35 14. Valladolid 28 9 5 14 27 32 32 15. Racing Santander 28 10 2 16 34 43 32 16. Espanyol 28 8 7 13 29 36 31 17. Osasuna 28 7 9 12 27 35 30 18. Alaves 28 7 9 12 31 50 30 19. Recreativo Huelva 28 6 9 13 27 49 27 20. Rayo Vallecano 28 7 5 16 25 43 26


Bureau Report