Valencia defeats Madrid 2-0, goes top of Spanish league
MADRID, Spain (AP)— Brazilian substitute Ricardo Oliveira netted his first league goal for Valencia on Saturday as his team downed a disappointing Real Madrid 2-0 and moved to the top of the Spanish league.
Striker Miguel Angel "Mista" Ferrer also scored in a deserved victory which brought the champion's first league defeat of the season.
The win lifted Valencia above Deportivo de La Coruna, which lost its 100 percent record this season with a 3-2 defeat at Osasuna.
In other fifth-round games, Real Sociedad was beaten 1-0 at Athletic de Bilbao, while Celta de Vigo defeated Valladolid 3-2.
Valencia has 13 points, one more than Deportivo. Madrid stays on 10 points, above fourth-place Osasuna on goal difference.
On Sunday, it's: Atletico de Madrid vs. FC Barcelona; Racing de Santander vs. Villarreal; Zaragoza vs. Real Betis; Espanyol vs. Malaga; Albacete vs. Mallorca; and Sevilla vs. Murcia.
Madrid, lacking injured striker Raul Gonzalez and Ivan Helguera, hardly troubled goalkeeper Santiago Canizares in its first match of the season against a potential title rival.
Valencia began at a gallop and took the lead after five minutes when Mista clipped home Jorge Lopez's low cross while Madrid defender Francisco Pavon collided with goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
The home side suffered a blow on the half hour when Argentine forward Pablo Aimar, who had began the game in sparkling form, was replaced by its summer signing from Santos, Oliveira.
Yet Madrid failed to respond, with only Luis Figo - making his 100th appearance for the club - and defender Raul Bravo coming close before the interval.
Valencia remained in control and extended its lead in the 72nd minute when Oliveira lashed the ball home from close range after Madrid had failed to clear successive shots by the Brazilian himself and midfielder Ruben Baraja.
Valencia's win was achieved without both its first-choice central defenders. Argentine Mauricio Pellegrino has a dislocated right shoulder, while compatriot Roberto Ayala, who has not played this season, was left on the bench even though he agreed a new contract on Thursday.
Carlos Queiroz, who tasted his first league defeat as Madrid coach, will hope for an improvement when his team visits FC Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Deportivo, which had only conceded one goal this season, never recovered from a devastating spell in which Osasuna netted three times in five minutes.
Midfielder Patxi Punal converted a 21st-minute penalty, awarded after a reckless tackle by right back Hector Berenguel, and striker Ivan Rosado added a second a minute later. Hector then added to his woes by putting through his own-goal in the 26th minute.
Deportivo striker Alberto Luque reduced the deficit in the 28th minute and Uruguayan Walter Pandiani, the league's leading scorer, kept up his goal-a-game record this season by netting for Deportivo in injury time for his fifth goal of the season.
Deportivo's defeat came three days before it plays its first home game of the Champions League on Tuesday against PSV Eindhoven.
Sociedad also lost its unbeaten record this season when it fell at Basque archrival Bilbao to a late goal by Roberto "Tiko" Martinez.
Tiko, a former Spanish international, swept the ball majestically home in the 81st minute from the edge of the area as Bilbao gained its second win of the season.
The encounter, which came three days before Sociedad visits Galatasaray in the Champions League, proved characteristically fierce, with the referee showing 12 yellow cards.
Celta gained its first league win of the season by fighting back from a two- goal deficit against Valladolid.
Valladolid's Kinshasa-born striker Ariza Makakula struck into the fifth and 50th minutes, only for forward Jesuli Mora, Serbia and Montenegro striker Savo Milosevic and Russian midfielder Alexander Mostovoi to turn the tables.
The victory puts Celta in good heart ahead of its home game against European champion AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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si vis pacem para bellum
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well, we've got ronaldo
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