Real Madrid top after easy win in Zaragoza
19 May 2012, 19:24 | Category: News | 181 hits.

Real Madrid went to the top of the Spanish Liga on Sunday, albeit for just a couple of hours, with an easy 3-1 win away to bottom team Zaragoza.

Mesut Oezil, Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria scored the goals for Jose Mourinho's team, who are now one point above Barcelona.

Barca will recover top spot if, as expected, they beat Real Sociedad at home later on Sunday.

Real dominated from start to finish against Zaragoza, a team woefully short of security, confidence and morale.

Oezil opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a calm left-foot low shot, after having being well set up by left-back Marcelo.

One minute before half time Ronaldo made it 2-0 with one of his trademark free-kicks, which veteran keeper Leo Franco didn't even move to stop. Ronaldo now has 18 goals to his name, three more than Barca's Lionel Messi.

Real came out for the second half determined to finish the game off, and they did so within three minutes with a third goal. Xabi Alonso played Di Maria through perfectly, and the Argentine winger made it 3-0 with a clever left-foot lob.

In the 53rd minute Real defender Ricardo Carvalho pulled down Nicolas Bertolo for a clear penalty, which Gabi calmly transformed to make it 3-1.

But Zaragoza never looked capable of turning the match around, and Real played out time without any serious problems at all.

Earlier on Sunday, revelation team Espanyol suffered a late collapse in Bilbao and lost 2-1 after being in the lead for 40 minutes.

In-form Argentine striker Pablo Osvualdo had given Espanyol the lead in the 33th minute with a precise shot after being played through by Joan Verdu.

But Bilbao had the whip hand from then on, forcing save after save from Espanyol keeper Carlos Kameni.

The equalizer was really just a question of time. It came 17 minutes from time, when Spain striker Fernando Llorente headed in a perfect centre from right-back Andoni Iraola.

Old San Mames was on fire and Espanyol were about to get burned. Just five minutes later midfielder David Lopez made it 2-1 with a precise free-kick into the top corner.

The late defeat leaves Espanyol in fourth place, with 28 points from 15 games. They are two points behind third-placed Villarreal, who surprisingly lost 1-0 away to nine-man Getafe on Saturday.

Villarreal, in turn, are seven points behind Barcelonaand eight behind Real.

Another team to score a home comeback win on Sunday, in addition to Bilbao, were Hercules, who thrashed lowly Malaga 4-1. Sebastian Fernandez gave Malaga an early lead, only for Hercules to turn the tables with goals from Royston Drenthe, Abraham Paz, Kiko Femenia and David Trezeguet.

Racing Santander, meanwhile, won 1-0 away to Mallorca thanks to a solitary strike from veteran Oscar Serrano.

Sunday's other early game was a 1-1 draw between strugglers Sporting Gijon and Levante.

Gijon are second from bottom with 11 points, two more than Zaragoza. Then come Malaga and Almeria on 13, then Levante and Osasuna on 15.