Thaindian News

Madrid, Sep 27 (DPA) Real Madrid and Barcelona both made it five wins out of five Saturday and share top spot with 15 points each.
Real, who beat Tenerife 3-0 at home, are top on goal difference, having conceded one goal less than Barca, who won 2-0 in Malaga. This is the first time that the big two have both won their first five games.

Sevilla, however, are refusing to allow the twin giants to enjoy another two-horse race. They are third on 12 points after a 4-0 romp at Athletic Bilbao.

Saturday’s late game was an eventful 2-2 draw between Valencia and Atletico Madrid, who seem to be finally emerging from their crisis.

In Malaga, Barca coach Josep Guardiola was planning to give Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gerard Pique a rest. However, both had to come off the bench because of muscle injuries sustained by Thierry Henry and Dmytro Chyrynskiy - and both immediately scored.

Ibrahimovic came on for Henry and 10 minutes later made it 1-0 on a pass from Lionel Messi, despite a suspicion of offside.

In sensational form this season, Pique needed only four minutes on the field to make his mark. In the 59th minute he made it 2-0 by poking in one of Xavi’s classy free-kicks.

“It’s a shame when a team-mate gets injured,” Pique said, “but it is a good feeling to have won again.”

Veteran Malaga forward Albert Luque was sent off at the end for the horrible foul on Dani Alves.

Guardiola said his team had “again demonstrated many things” and that Saturday was “one of the days when I most want to congratulate my team.”

Earlier Saturday, Real had beaten Tenerife 3-0 at home, with two second-half goals from Karim Benzema and one from supersub Kaka.

Real general director Jorge Valdano was full of praise for Benzema after the Tenerife win.

“He has scored three goals in five games… We should not forget that he is 20 years old,” Valdano said. “We needed to be patient with him.”

Valdano called Kaka “an out-of-the-ordinary player. He gives the team a stamp of quality. He has a great change of rhythm, and he gives us more options in front of goal.”

Coach Manuel Pellegrini admitted that the team “played very baldy in the first half” but blamed it on overwork. “We are playing too many matches right now,” he said.

Real looked slow and sluggish in the first half and were whistled off the Bernabeu field at half-time with the score 0-0.

Pellegrini decided to bring Kaka off the substitutes’ bench, and the hosts immediately improved.

Three minutes into the second half, Benzema made it 1-0 with a clever header on a centre from the fit-again Xabi Alonso.

In the 58th minute, Benzema took advantage of a ridiculous error by Tenerife defender Manolo Martinez to make it 2-0.

Even so, the islanders did not give up, and Omar Ramos hit a Real post. But in the 77th minute Kaka made it 3-0 with one of his trademark long-range drives - and the game was effectively over.

Sevilla, meanwhile, were cruising to a 4-0 win at Athletic Bilbao, who were crippled by the sending-off of Spain defender Fernando Amorebieta.

Sevilla’s goals were put away by Renato, Alvaro Negredo, Frederic Kanoute and Jesus Navas.

Manolo Jimenez’ talented team have won their last four matches and are now third, three points behind Real and Barca.

In Saturday’s late game, Sergio Aguero gave Atletico Madrid an early lead in Valencia, only for Pablo Hernandez and David Villa to turn the tables for the hosts.

Villa is now league top scorer with six goals. However, he left Mestalla an angry man because - the same as against Sporting Gijon a week earlier - Valencia conceded another late equaliser, as Maxi Rodriguez made it 2-2 for Atletico.

The disappointing draw leaves defensively frail Valencia in fifth place - one point behind Bilbao - with 8 points.