The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
Atletico Madrid held to 0-0 draw at Malaga, wastes chance to close on Barcelona in Spain
BARCELONA, Spain - Atletico Madrid squandered a chance to reduce the gap with Spanish leader Barcelona to single digits after being held to a 0-0 draw at Malaga on Sunday, while Real Sociedad and Real Betis dueled to a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Atletico started well and bossed the first half hour of play at La Rosaleda Stadium, when pressure applied by strike pair Radamel Falcao and Diego Costa led to Arda Turan's and Cristian Rodriguez's long-range attempts.
But after a frenetic first half, the defences reduced the match to an ugly stalemate for most of the final 45 minutes.
Malaga was never able to find its flow in attack and was limited to defenders Martin Demichelis and Weligton going close with headers from set-pieces.
By not winning, Atletico likely let escape its last chance to add some drama to the title race, with Barcelona reeling after two losses to Real Madrid this week and focusing on its last-16 Champions League series with AC Milan in which it needs to come back from a 2-0 deficit.
Atletico trails Barcelona, which lost 2-1 at Madrid on Saturday, by 11 points in second place with 12 rounds to go.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone, however, was content to take away a point four days after his team sealed its place in the Copa del Rey final against Madrid by eliminating Sevilla.
"My team dominated the game," Simeone said. "We just lacked making that final pass to convert our 90 minutes of good play into a goal."
Malaga stayed in fourth place, one point ahead of Valencia and clinging to Spain's final Champions League spot for next season. It also faces a key Champions League game against FC Porto in two weeks in which it must overturn a 1-0 loss in the first leg.
Anoeta stadium was treated to one of the most entertaining games so far this season, as Sociedad and Betis put on a tireless display of attacking football that featured a double by Betis' Dorlan Pabon and five goals in a 17-minute span before ending in a deserved point for each.
Only seconds after Sociedad's Imanol Agirretxe had hit the post, Jorge Molina capped a counterattack on the other end to give Betis the lead on the half-hour mark.
Pabon doubled the visitors' advantage in the 49th by taking advantage of a defensive mistake to convert Benat Etxebarria's lobbed pass.
Yet instead of folding, Sociedad responded in fine fashion and the game quickly became a shootout.
Carlos Vela scored his 12th goal of the season for Sociedad two minutes later, and the Mexico forward then crossed for Inigo Martinez to head Sociedad level in the 56th.
The Basque side then went ahead for the first time in the 62nd when Xabi Prieto converted a penalty in the "Paneka" chipped style after Angel Lopez had cut off a pass in the box with his arm.
But Pabon struck for a second time in the 66th when the Colombia forward ran onto substitute Ruben Castro's pass and deftly slotted it beyond Bravo.
"It was a spectacular game to be savored with swings in the score, lots of goals and chances for more," said Molina. "We played a great match against a rival that plays very much like we do."
Sociedad extended its undefeated run to eight games and held onto sixth place, right in front of Betis.
Elsewhere, Tomer Hemed's last-gasp header gave Mallorca a 2-1 win in stoppage time at Granada, breaking an eight-game winless run for the relegation-threatened club.
Hemed muscled by his marker to reach Giovani dos Santos' corner, with Granada goalkeeper Antonio "Tono" Rodriguez getting a hand on the ball but not enough to keep it from crossing the line. It was the Israeli striker's eighth goal of the season and his first since November.
Manuel "Nolito" Agudo opened the scoring for Granada in the eighth minute, only for Mallorca forward Alejandro Alfaro to level five minutes later from a cross by Dos Santos.
Mallorca's first victory under new coach Gregorio Manzano lifted it four points from safety. Granada is three points from the drop.
"These points reinforce our morale and give us strength," said Manzano. "We still need many more points. I wish today's win had been worth eight instead of just three. But this win means a lot for the team and our fans."
In Barcelona, Espanyol's home winning run was ended at five games after it was held to a 0-0 draw by Valladolid, keeping both teams in the middle of the table.
Later, Real Sociedad hosts Real Betis.
Getafe eased by Real Zaragoza 2-0 on Friday. Also on Saturday, Levante drew 2-2 at Valencia, Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 at Osasuna, and last-place Deportivo La Coruna drew 0-0 with Rayo Vallecano.
Sevilla hosts Celta Vigo on Monday.
More Soccer
- Back to Top
- Return to Soccer
More Soccer
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Santos accepts offers from Barcelona and Real Madrid for Neymar; player deciding where to play
05/24/2013 11:27 PM 0Poll
Most Popular Soccer
- Growing pains for local PDL squad
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel to attend all-German Champions League final in Wembley
- FC Seoul, Buriram United, Al Shabab, Al Ahli advance to Asian Champions League quarterfinals
- Star-studded Guangzhou wary of A-League champs the Mariners in 2nd round opener
- American gets call from Canada, awaits approval from FIFA brass
- Animal crackers: Walter the orangutan, tapir, 2 otters opt for Dortmund over Bayern in final
- Thai club Buriram, UAE's Al Shabab into Asian Champions League knockout stage
- Cruz Azul, America to meet in Mexican Clausura final
- Spanish court orders Atletico Madrid pay media company $13 million owed over TV rights
- Fan violence worries are high ahead of Italian Cup final and Rome derby between Roma and Lazio
- Growing pains for local PDL squad
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel to attend all-German Champions League final in Wembley
- American gets call from Canada, awaits approval from FIFA brass
- Esteghlal, Guangzhou open 2nd round with away wins in Asian Champions League
- Beckham a true pro from start to finish, detractors be danged
- Star-studded Guangzhou wary of A-League champs the Mariners in 2nd round opener
- Animal crackers: Walter the orangutan, tapir, 2 otters opt for Dortmund over Bayern in final
- New Zealand forward Marco Rojas to join Bundesliga's Stuttgart from Melbourne Victory
- Sydney FC and Del Piero to play friendly against Sagan Tosu in Japan on July 24
- A-League's Adelaide United hires Spaniard Josep Gombau as head coach
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Police: Utah soccer referee dies, after player's punch sends him into a coma
- Utah teen charged with homicide by assault in death of soccer referee who died after punch
- Football Association says Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has not appealed his 10-match ban
- Family of Utah soccer referee who died holds vigil; calls on players to control tempers
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel to attend all-German Champions League final in Wembley
- David Beckham's life after football will see him remain a global figure in the sport he loves
- Utah referee in coma after being punched by teen player
- Barca's collapse signifies end of era
- Growing pains for local PDL squad
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel to attend all-German Champions League final in Wembley
- Utah referee critically hurt by punch to face from teen upset about call during soccer game
- Ronaldinho boosts chances to make Confed Cup team after great performance in Copa Libertadores
- Eintracht Braunschweig is promoted to Bundesliga after 28 years
- Man United hires Everton's David Moyes to replace Alex Ferguson on 6-year contract
- Growing pains for local PDL squad
Ads by Google












You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.