03/12/2006
Ronaldo's goal lifts Real Madrid over Athletic Bilbao
Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos scored a goal
each Sunday to give Real Madrid a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in the
Spanish league.
Ronaldo raced through the opposing defense in the 65th minute and scored
with a great solo effort to make it 1-1. The Brazil striker also had
three other solid chances to score.
Roberto Carlos the scored the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute with
a carefully placed shot off a back-pass from Michel Salgado.
Bilbao took the lead in the 35th off a free kick by defender Luis Prieto,
though replays showed the last player to touch the ball was midfielder
Igor Gabilondo.
The win was Madrid's fourth straight and put the team in second place
with 29 points, one less than FC Barcelona. Sevilla, which lost to
Espanyol 2-1 but could have taken over first place with a win, is next
with 28 points.
Later Sunday, Zaragoza plays Osasuna.
Ronaldo and David Beckham came on as second-half substitutes for Madrid,
and Ruud van Nistelrooy nearly scored off a long header from Beckham in
the 55th. The Dutchman later had a goal disallowed for offsides.
Bilbao midfielder Pablo Orbaiz was taken off on a stretcher in the 56th
minute at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and defender Andoni Iraola
nearly equalized with two minutes left.
Bilbao, which this week appointed Jose Manuel "Mane" Esnal to succeed
fired coach Felix Sarriugarte, had striker Aritz Aduriz ejected for
elbowing Mahamadou Diarra in the face in the 74th.
Raul Tamudo and Luis Garcia scored a goal each to give Espanyol a 2-1
win over Sevilla.
Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute gave his team the lead in the 27th
minute from the penalty spot, scoring his 10th league goal of the season,
and right back Daniel Alves nearly added another with a spectacular
overhead kick with his back to goal.
Tamudo, who earned a yellow card in the first half for falling in the
penalty area, equalized in the 68th after controlling the ball, flicking
it behind himself to fool the defense and side-footing his shot into the
net.
Luis Garcia then scored the game-winning goal in 80th from a cross by
Ivan de la Pena.
Espanyol midfielder Albert Riera was red-carded in the 83rd for a tackle
into Alves' knee.
Defending champion FC Barcelona leads the standings with 30 points,
followed by Sevilla with 29. Real Madrid, which has 26 points, hosts
Athletic Bilbao later Sunday, while Zaragoza plays Osasuna.
Also, it was: Real Sociedad 0, Getafe 0; Villarreal 2, Gimnastic
Tarragona 0; Mallorca 2, Celta Vigo 2; and Deportivo La Coruna 0, Racing
Santander 0.
Villarreal striker Diego Forlan had a goal disallowed for offsides in
the seventh minute, but defender Fabricio Fuentes headed in a goal in
the 24th from a cross by Juan Roman Riquelme.
Guillermo Franco scored from a well-timed forward pass by Ruben "Cani"
Gracia in the 29th minute.
Mallorca midfielder Jonas Gutierrez scored in the sixth minute after
striking a perfectly timed cross from midfielder Bosko Jankovic on the
left wing.
Jankovic neatly sidestepped two defenders and hit a powerful 20-meter (yard)
shot tight on the right post into goal in the 52nd.
Fernando Baiano pulled a goal back for Celta in the 57th minute with a
long-range shot that goalkeeper Antonio Prats just managed to touch but
could not stop.
Jesus Pereda equalized when he converted a penalty for Celta in the 85th
minute.
Real Sociedad goalkeeper Claudio Bravo made an acrobatic save in the
73rd minute.
