Horrors at home for Valencia against Real
MADRID: Real Madrid consolidated its lead of the Spanish first division by thrashing hapless Valencia 5-1 on Wednesday, equaling the the heaviest home loss in the Mediterranean side's history.
"We were very superior from the first minute. There were moments when I don't think we could play any better and that was reflected in the scoreline," commented Real coach Bernd Schuster.
"But I'm not going to get carried away. We've got a difficult series of games coming up and I'm now going to start thinking about Sevilla on Saturday," added the German.
The emphatic victory gives Real a four-point lead at the top of La Liga, although third-placed Barcelona has a game in hand and can halve its bitter rival's advantage if it wins at Valladolid on Thursday.
Real took only 45 seconds to take the lead when Raul picked his spot to push the ball past Valencia goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand from the edge of the area, after Robinho had danced around four defenders.
Ruud van Nistelrooy added Real's second after 24 minutes when Raul headed on a long ball forward and the Dutch striker cheekily chipped over the stranded Hildebrand.
Five minutes later, Sergio Ramos latched onto a pass from Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez and hammered the ball low and hard just inside Hildebrand's right post.
Van Nistelrooy added a fourth for Real before the break when he stabbed home a Robinho pass after 36 minutes.
Real relaxed after half time and Miguel Angel Angulo got one back for Valencia after 58 minutes but the goal only served as a wake up call and Robinho got Real's fifth goal six minutes later.
Valencia's miserable night didn't end there and, nine minutes from time, Raul Albiol was sent off for a blatant obstruction of Robinho.
"This was a painful result but at least I've fulfilled my dream of coaching in the first division," said Valencia's caretaker coach Oscar Fernandez.
Fernandez stepped into the breech after the sacking of Quique Flores on Monday and ahead of new coach Ronald Koeman taking over on Friday.
Not since it suffered a similar defeat by Barcelona in the 1932-33 season has Valencia been so badly beaten and the result will give Koeman plenty to ponder on his arrival.
Earlier on Wednesday, PSV Eindhoven confirmed that the former Barcelona hero would be leaving it to join the Spanish club.
Villarreal moved up to second place with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat of bottom club Levante on Wednesday.
Mexican striker Guille Franco opened the scoring after just three minutes with an easy shot from the edge of the six-yard box after Levante defender Bruno Cirillo had failed to clear a Marcos Senna free kick.
Villarreal then quickly extended its lead with Giuseppe Rossi scoring from the penalty spot after Cirillo was judged to have brought down Santi Cazorla.
The defeat means Levante extends its club-record losing streak to eight games and remains firmly stuck to the foot of the Spanish first division with just one point.
AFP
(China Daily 11/02/2007 page24)
