Real Madrid maintain seven point lead in La Liga

MADRID: Real Madrid are again seven points clear at the top of the Spanish Liga after beating luckless Zaragoza 2-0.
 
The late win Sunday keeps intact Real's 100-percent home record and leaves them seven points ahead of Barcelona, who won 2-0 Saturday at Mallorca.

Real have 44 points from 18 games, while Barca have 37.

As so often this season, Bernd Schuster's team did not play well but came through with stellar performances from keeper Iker Casillas, winger Robinho and striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
 
Casillas kept lively Zaragoza at bay with several sharp saves. In the 60th minute he was finally beaten - but Ricardo Oliveira's shot came back off the post.

Six minutes later, Van Nistelrooy headed the hosts ahead on a Robinho cross from the right.

It was Real's first real chance of the match, which had a distinct sense of deja vu about it. In the 76th minute, with Zaragoza pouring forward for the equalizer, Robinho made it 2-0 by culminating a quick counter with a low drive.

Zaragoza slunk away from the Bernabeu moaning about their bad luck and lack of punch.

"We should really have taken the lead," Oliveira told Cadena SER. "It was amazing that we didn't score here this evening."
 
"They put us under a lot of pressure," Casillas said. "But we did well to keep the game under control."
 
The harsh defeat leaves Zaragoza in 10th place and increases the pressure on embattled coach Victor Ferandez.

Earlier Sunday, Atletico Madrid cruised into third with a 3-0 win at troubled Deportivo Coruna. The impressive win leaves Atletico with 34 points from 18 games.

They are two points behind third-place Espanyol, who thrashed fifth-place Villarreal 3-0 on Saturday.

Atletico's South American strike pair of Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero was on song in La Coruna. Forlan broke the deadlock in the 40th minute with a left-foot shot on a pass from Antonio Lopez.

In the 53rd minute, Aguero made it 2-0 after skipping Romario-style through a flat Deportivo defence. In the 65th minute, Jose Manuel Jurado headed in Atleti's third goal after the local defence had failed to clear a corner from Simao Sabrosa.
 
The latest defeat puts Deportivo second from bottom with just 17 points - and leaves coach Miguel Angel Lotina in jeopardy. Surprise package Racing Santander, meanwhile, were moving up to sixth with a 1-0 defeat of Athletic Bilbao on a goal from Mohamed Tchite.

The tight win leaves Santander two points above crisis club Valencia, who were held to a goalless draw by crosstown rivals Levante.
 
The tense stalemate was watched by Valencia's new midfielder Ever Banega, signed Saturday from Argentine giants Boca Juniors.
 
Valencia was crippled by the sending-off of late substitute Nikola Zigic for an ugly foul on Jose Serrano. The draw is not much use to either side. Levante remain adrift at the bottom with just eight points.

Sevilla moved up to eighth, one point behind Valencia, by thrashing local rivals Betis 3-0 in Sunday's late game.
 
League top scorer Luis Fabiano netted twice for Sevilla in the first half, taking his tally to 12. Betis defender Damia Abella made it 3-0 on the hour by deflecting a Daniel Alves free-kick into his own goal.

The heavy defeat leaves Betis third from bottom with 18 points, just one point above Deportivo. Then come Bilbao on 19 points. Almeria have 20 after a 1-1 draw at Recreativo Huelva, who have 21.

Level with Almeria on 20 points are Osasuna, who lost 2-0 in Murcia. Level with Huelva on 21 are Getafe, who crashed 3-0 at home to lively Valladolid.