MADRID, 6 January 2005 — A Zinedine Zidane penalty gave Real Madrid an incredible 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad in a frantic seven-minute mini-match at the Bernabeu yesterday.
The French midfielder scored the crucial goal after Ronaldo had been brought down in the area four minutes into a game that had to be completed 24 days after the original fixture was abandoned because of a bomb scare.
The result means that Real Madrid move up into third place in the table, level on points with second-placed Valencia and 10 adrift of league leaders Barcelona.
The game marked a wonderful debut for Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who was appointed as Real coach after the club unexpectedly sacked his predecessor Mariano Garcia Remon last week.
Brazilian Luxemburgo must be one of the few coaches in footballing history to take charge of a team mid-way through a match and guide them to a morale-boosting victory.
The second round of the game began with a goal kick for Sociedad but they quickly lost control of the ball and it was Real, roared on by 15,000 fans who had been given free access to the stadium, who piled on the pressure.
Striker Fernando Morientes, given a rare start ahead of England’s Michael Owen, had a couple of half chances in the first two minutes, but it was a hopeful hoof forward from midfielder Guti that helped decide the game.
Ronaldo managed to control the ball, raced into the area, produced two quickfire step-overs and was brought down by full back Mikel Labaka. Referee Vicente Lizondo Cortes had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Zidane sent keeper Asier Riesgo the wrong way to score the winner.
Chelsea Go Seven Points Clear, as Spurs Fume
In London, Chelsea went seven points clear at the top of the Premier League on Tuesday after Didier Drogba scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough and champions Arsenal could only scrape a 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
Chelsea, chasing their first league title for 50 years, also gained ground on third-placed Manchester United, who were held to a highly controversial 0-0 home draw by Tottenham Hotspur. United keeper Roy Carroll fumbled a 90th minute long-range shot from Spurs midfielder Pedro Mendes, television pictures showed the ball had crossed the line by about a meter but Carroll scooped the ball back out and no goal was awarded. Everton beat Portsmouth 2-1 and Bolton Wanderers registered their first win since October by beating Birmingham City by the same scoreline, with both games decided in the 90th minute.
Chelsea’s fifth consecutive win since the week before Christmas left them top on 55 points, followed by Arsenal (48), United (44) and Everton (43).
Drogba, the club’s record signing when he joined from Olympique Marseille for 24 million pounds ($46.04 million) in July, struck twice in the opening 17 minutes to move Chelsea closer to glory in their centenary year.
The Ivory Coast striker muscled past Gareth Southgate to score his first in the 15th minute and then beat Boro’s experienced central defender again in the air two minutes later to head home a Frank Lampard free kick.
Chelsea kept pressing for a third after the break but the match had already been won and the damage done to the title hopes of both their immediate rivals.
Chelsea assistant manager Steve Clarke told Sky Sports News: “We’re seven points clear but we’re only focused on what we’re doing.
“We knew that over the Christmas and new year period we needed 12 points and we knew that would put pressure on other teams -- that’s what we’ve done.”
Over at Highbury, Manchester City made the breakthrough after 31 minutes with a superb shot from 25 metres by winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, watched from the stands by his stepfather Ian Wright, Arsenal’s all-time top scorer.
Sweden midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg spared Arsenal’s blushes, and a first home league defeat since May 2003, by heading an equaliser with 15 minutes left.
“Overall, I feel unlucky not to have won this game,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “But Man City played well and gave everything...sometimes you have a draw like that.”
United fared no better than Arsenal in their pursuit of Chelsea with a draw that immediately sparked fresh calls for technology to be used in football.
Alex Ferguson’s side dominated possession and created chances but were effectively blocked by a well-disciplined Spurs side who have now won five and drawn two of their last seven games under new Dutch boss Martin Jol.
However, the hosts only avoided almost certain defeat when match officials failed to spot the consequences of Carroll’s fumble.
Shown a reply of the incident, Jol said: “This is amazing...I’m pleased with the point but we should have had three.
“I could understand it ...if it was maybe a couple of centimeters (over the line), but this is two foot...you can understand it, but it’s still a disgrace.”
Ferguson backed Jol’s call for more technology in the game, saying: “It could have won the game for them.”
Everton, playing hours after the six-million-pound capture of striker James Beattie from Southampton, ended a run of two consecutive defeats with their late win at Goodison Park, courtesy of Leon Osman’s last-minute strike.
Kevin Nolan did the same for Bolton as Sam Allardyce’s men finally returned to their winning ways at Birmingham.
