 |
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||||
|
Van Gaal faces sack Barcelona loses 2-0 at Celta; Madrid ties at BilbaoPosted: Sunday January 26, 2003 1:42 PMUpdated: Sunday January 26, 2003 5:34 PM MADRID, Spain (AP) -- FC Barcelona coach Louis van Gaal looked in imminent danger of dismissal Sunday as his team lost 2-0 at Celta de Vigo at the Spanish league's halfway mark. With the Dutchman reportedly coming close to being fired last weekend after the Catalan team's home defeat against Valencia, the latest loss may be the last straw for club president Joan Gaspart, who was watching the game from the stands. The defeat was Barcelona's eighth in the league from 19 games this season, leaving it in 12th place in the 20-team division. The club lies 20 points behind league leader Real Sociedad and stands just three points off the relegation zone. Barcelona vice president Francesc Closa was quoted by local news agency Efe as saying that any decision on van Gaal's future would not be taken until Monday. "Taking decisions in the heat of the moment is a mistake. We prefer to wait until tomorrow and analyze together with the board of directors what is best for Barcelona," Closa said. In another game Sunday, Brazilian star Ronaldo netted his eighth goal of the season as Real Madrid drew 1-1 with struggling Athletic de Bilbao. Bilbao left back Asier del Horno equalized 13 minutes later to leave second-place Madrid five points behind Sociedad. Elsewhere, a 33rd-minute goal by Argentine forward Pablo Aimar earned defending champion Valencia a 1-0 win over Sevilla while Deportivo de La Coruna slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Espanyol. Other results were: Real Betis 2, Villarreal 1; Valladolid 1, Alaves 3; Osasuna 3, Racing de Santander 1; Recreativo de Huelva 2, Rayo Vallecano 1; and Malaga 1, Mallorca 0. League leader Real Sociedad has 43 points with Madrid on 38. Valencia is next with 35 points, two more than Betis. Deportivo drops to fifth with 32. Van Gaal selected an attack-minded team and his players responded by playing a good first half, even though it survived two scares. A mistake in the 24th minute by Barcelona goalkeeper Roberto Bonano led to forward Jesuli Mora hitting the post. Nine minutes later, the Argentine redeemed himself as he saved a weak penalty by compatriot Gustavo Lopez. The reprieve spurred Barcelona on and midfielder Xavi Hernandez hit the post in the 37th minute, with Marc Overmars and Javier Saviola then forcing Celta goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero into saves. But in the 48th minute, Jesuli was set free by a pass from French midfielder Peter Luccin before rounding Bonano and firing into the roof of the net. Van Gaal's plight grew deeper 25 minutes later when Brazilian left back Sylvinho launched a fierce volley from the left of the penalty area which gave Bonano no chance. Barcelona struggled for the rest of the match although it had cause to rue its luck when Overmars powered a shot onto Cavallero's right post with four minutes remaining. Ronaldo had an eventful match as Madrid extended its unbeaten league run to 13 games. The striker came closest to scoring in a goalless first half when he burst past three Bilbao defenders in the 22nd minute, only for goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia to save the Brazilian's shot with his foot. In the 50th minute, Ronaldo spurned a clear chance, curling his shot wide from a Zinedine Zidane pass with only Aranzubia to beat. Seven minutes later, the star striker atoned for his miss by netting the rebound after Aranzubia had twice parried shots by striker Raul Gonzalez. Bilbao improved after the setback and del Horno leveled in the 70th minute when he swiveled to volley home a low cross by Spanish international midfielder Roberto "Tiko" Martinez. The Basque team stays in 16th place with 22 points. Aimar was Valencia's best player in his team's deserved victory over Sevilla in an encounter which pitted the teams with the best defensive records this season. The Argentine coolly netted the game-winning goal by controlling the ball with his chest and volleying home. Valencia's new signing from Rennes, French full back Anthony Reveillere, made his debut as a substitute in the closing stages. Deportivo lost ground in the title race despite a third-minute goal by league leading scorer Roy Makaay, his 13th of the season. Espanyol fought back with goals by Toni Soldevilla in the seventh minute, Roger Garcia in the 22nd minute and Angel Morales five minutes later. Betis' Brazilian international winger Denilson scored his first goals of the season in his side's 2-1 win over Villarreal. Villarreal substitute Carlos Aranda scored his side's late consolation goal. Santander's new president, former United States athlete Dimitri Piterman, saw his side lose 3-1 on his debut as half of the club's two-man coaching team. Despite being prevented from sitting on the bench by the Spanish soccer federation as he has no coaching license, Piterman bent the rules by being accredited as a photographer. He was then able to issue instructions to his players from the edge of the field. Osasuna netted through striker Ivan Rosado, and midfielders Gerardo Rivero and Alfredo Sanchez, with Santander's goal coming from defender Juanma Delgado. Last-place Recreativo battled back with goals by striker Xisco Munoz and defender Loren Moron to beat Rayo and gain only its third win of the season. The result marked a bad start for Rayo's new coach, Paraguayan Gustavo Benitez, who watched his team score after three minutes through defender Ramon de Quintana. Alaves striker Ruben Navarro netted twice as his team gained a 3-1 win at Valladolid. Yugoslav forward Dragan Ciric pulled a late goal back for Valladolid, only for Uruguayan forward Ivan Alonso to restore the deficit in the final minute. Malaga gained its first win in 10 games, thanks to Dutch midfielder Kizito Musampa who netted in the 64th minute for his eighth goal of the season. Mallorca was reduced to 10 men when defender Poli Garcia was ejected in the 31st minute. On Saturday, Real Sociedad beat Atletico de Madrid 2-1 to carry its unbeaten record to the season's halfway stage.
|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||
