- News>
- Football
Sociedad at advantage as Real Madrid ties with Celta Vigo
Madrid, Jun 01: Real Madrid handed the advantage to Real Sociedad in the race for the Spanish title after being held to a 1-1 home draw by Celta Vigo.
Madrid, Jun 01: Real Madrid handed the advantage to Real Sociedad in the race for the Spanish title after being held to a 1-1 home draw by Celta Vigo.
Real dominated for long periods on Saturday (May 31) at their Bernabeu Santiago Bernabeu stadium but could not take advantage against a tactically astute Celta who packed their midfield to restrict the home side's attacking options. Celta goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero was called into action early in the match as he reacted quickly to a freekick by Real's captain Fernando Hierro which deflected past the wall. Luck was definitely on Real's side as they kept pressing with no effect. Zinedine Zidane dictaded the rythm but after a powerful shot by Roberto Carlos, Raul's final touch hit the post. It was Celta who cashed in on one of their few attacking opportunities. Russian midfielder Alexander Mostovoi collected a cross from Angel and headed inside the near post of Real's goalkeeper Iker Casillas 10 minutes before halftime.
Spain's international striker Raul Gonzalez missed a great opportunity to level the score when he failed to hit the target with a header after a pass from Portuguese winger Luis Figo.
Ronaldo, who was tightly marked in the first half, tried to run past Cavallero after the break but the Celta goalkeeper managed to push the ball away for a corner, while the Brazilian claimed he was brought down.
Figo curled a freekick that clipped the top of the crossbar as Real stepped up a gear. They finally drew level when Raul met met Michel Salgado's curling cross with an expert glancing header on 68 minutes.
The home side continued to pour forward but Cavallero once again intervened to block a freekick by Figo. In injury time, Raul missed a golden opportunity to secure three points for Real as he headed out of target.
The 1-1 draw means that with just two games left after this weekend's fixtures, Real are level on points with Sociedad but the Basque side stay top with a better head-to-head record and have yet to play this weekend.
Sociedad now have the chance to go three points clear when they face last season's champions Valencia in their tricky home game at Anoeta on Sunday (June 1).
Celta, meanwhile, trail their Galician neighbours by a further eight points and can lose fourth place and slip in the race for a Champions League berth if Valencia beat Sociedad.
Deportivo Coruna, who still have a slim chance of taking the title, are six points adrift in third ahead of their weekend fixture at home to Atletico Madrid, also on Sunday (June 1).
Match summary: Real Madrid 1 - Raul 68 Celta Vigo 1 - Alexander Mostovoi 35 Halftime: 0-1 Attendance: 73,000
Sunday's matches (kickoffs 1700 GMT unless stated): Alaves v Real Betis Barcelona v Malaga (1730) Deportivo Coruna v Atletico Madrid (1600) Racing Santander v Espanyol (1845) Real Mallorca v Rayo Vallecano Real Sociedad v Valencia (1900) Sevilla v Recreativo Huelva (1800) Valladolid v Osasuna Villarreal v Athletic Bilbao
Standings after Saturday (May 31): P W D L F A Pts 1. Real Sociedad 35 21 9 5 65 41 72 2. Real Madrid 36 20 12 4 79 41 72 3. Deportivo Coruna 35 20 6 9 60 41 66 4. Celta Vigo 36 16 10 10 42 32 58 5. Valencia 35 16 8 11 51 31 56 6. Athletic Bilbao 35 14 9 12 58 55 51 7. Atletico Madrid 35 12 11 12 49 46 47 8. Sevilla 35 12 11 12 35 33 47 9. Barcelona 35 12 11 12 56 45 47 10. Real Mallorca 35 13 8 14 46 54 47 11. Real Betis 35 11 12 12 47 50 45 12. Malaga 35 10 13 12 40 44 43 13. Villarreal 35 11 10 14 40 46 43 14. Espanyol 35 10 12 13 43 45 42 15. Valladolid 35 11 9 15 34 37 42 16. Racing Santander 35 12 5 18 45 55 41 17. Osasuna 35 9 11 15 31 44 38 18. Alaves 35 8 10 17 35 62 34 19. Recreativo Huelva 35 8 10 17 34 59 34 20. Rayo Vallecano 35 7 9 19 30 59 30 Note: teams on same points are ranked according to head-to-head results and then goal difference.
Bureau Report
Real dominated for long periods on Saturday (May 31) at their Bernabeu Santiago Bernabeu stadium but could not take advantage against a tactically astute Celta who packed their midfield to restrict the home side's attacking options. Celta goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero was called into action early in the match as he reacted quickly to a freekick by Real's captain Fernando Hierro which deflected past the wall. Luck was definitely on Real's side as they kept pressing with no effect. Zinedine Zidane dictaded the rythm but after a powerful shot by Roberto Carlos, Raul's final touch hit the post. It was Celta who cashed in on one of their few attacking opportunities. Russian midfielder Alexander Mostovoi collected a cross from Angel and headed inside the near post of Real's goalkeeper Iker Casillas 10 minutes before halftime.
Spain's international striker Raul Gonzalez missed a great opportunity to level the score when he failed to hit the target with a header after a pass from Portuguese winger Luis Figo.
Ronaldo, who was tightly marked in the first half, tried to run past Cavallero after the break but the Celta goalkeeper managed to push the ball away for a corner, while the Brazilian claimed he was brought down.
Figo curled a freekick that clipped the top of the crossbar as Real stepped up a gear. They finally drew level when Raul met met Michel Salgado's curling cross with an expert glancing header on 68 minutes.
The home side continued to pour forward but Cavallero once again intervened to block a freekick by Figo. In injury time, Raul missed a golden opportunity to secure three points for Real as he headed out of target.
The 1-1 draw means that with just two games left after this weekend's fixtures, Real are level on points with Sociedad but the Basque side stay top with a better head-to-head record and have yet to play this weekend.
Sociedad now have the chance to go three points clear when they face last season's champions Valencia in their tricky home game at Anoeta on Sunday (June 1).
Celta, meanwhile, trail their Galician neighbours by a further eight points and can lose fourth place and slip in the race for a Champions League berth if Valencia beat Sociedad.
Deportivo Coruna, who still have a slim chance of taking the title, are six points adrift in third ahead of their weekend fixture at home to Atletico Madrid, also on Sunday (June 1).
Match summary: Real Madrid 1 - Raul 68 Celta Vigo 1 - Alexander Mostovoi 35 Halftime: 0-1 Attendance: 73,000
Sunday's matches (kickoffs 1700 GMT unless stated): Alaves v Real Betis Barcelona v Malaga (1730) Deportivo Coruna v Atletico Madrid (1600) Racing Santander v Espanyol (1845) Real Mallorca v Rayo Vallecano Real Sociedad v Valencia (1900) Sevilla v Recreativo Huelva (1800) Valladolid v Osasuna Villarreal v Athletic Bilbao
Standings after Saturday (May 31): P W D L F A Pts 1. Real Sociedad 35 21 9 5 65 41 72 2. Real Madrid 36 20 12 4 79 41 72 3. Deportivo Coruna 35 20 6 9 60 41 66 4. Celta Vigo 36 16 10 10 42 32 58 5. Valencia 35 16 8 11 51 31 56 6. Athletic Bilbao 35 14 9 12 58 55 51 7. Atletico Madrid 35 12 11 12 49 46 47 8. Sevilla 35 12 11 12 35 33 47 9. Barcelona 35 12 11 12 56 45 47 10. Real Mallorca 35 13 8 14 46 54 47 11. Real Betis 35 11 12 12 47 50 45 12. Malaga 35 10 13 12 40 44 43 13. Villarreal 35 11 10 14 40 46 43 14. Espanyol 35 10 12 13 43 45 42 15. Valladolid 35 11 9 15 34 37 42 16. Racing Santander 35 12 5 18 45 55 41 17. Osasuna 35 9 11 15 31 44 38 18. Alaves 35 8 10 17 35 62 34 19. Recreativo Huelva 35 8 10 17 34 59 34 20. Rayo Vallecano 35 7 9 19 30 59 30 Note: teams on same points are ranked according to head-to-head results and then goal difference.
Bureau Report