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| Sunday, November 17, 2002 18:09 EST |
Sociedad, Real battle to scoreless draw
[Reuters]
MADRID -- Real Sociedad saw its lead at the top of the table narrowed to just a point after they drew 0-0 with Real Madrid in an absorbing match at the Bernabeu in the Spanish first division on Sunday.
The Basque side proved that its unbeaten record is no fluke as it dominated for long periods of the game, but it was unable to get past inspired goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Real, too, had its chances to snatch victory but with Ronaldo still looking far short of his best and Raul not getting any luck in front of goal they had to settle for a point.
Earlier, league champion Valencia missed a chance to put pressure on Sociedad after it slipped to a 1-0 defeat at struggling Osasuna.
Striker Ivan Rosado flicked a delicate header past goalkeeper Santiago Canizares after he was left unmarked following a Pablo Garcia free kick on seven minutes and Osasuna controlled the game throughout to take a deserved win.
Real Mallorca displaced Rafael Benitez's side from second place and extended its club record winning streak to seven matches when it came from behind to claim a 2-1 win at Racing Santander with goals from Ariel Ibagaza and Walter Pandiani.
Sociedad leads the standings on 22 points, one ahead of Mallorca and three in front of Valencia.
Real Betis jumped to fourth place after it came from behind to snatch a 2-1 home win over Celta Vigo thanks to late goals from Alfonso and Joaquin.
The game at the Bernabeu was played at a breathless pace though as both sides strung together a series of crisp passing moves and traded well-worked attacks.
Sociedad had the first clear chance when Javi de Pedro sent a rising shot over the bar on three minutes but Raul, returning for Real after injury and illness, went closer when he hit the post with a looping header soon after.
Dutch goalkeeper Sander Westerveld then came to the rescue for the Basque side midway through the first half as he snatched the ball from the feet of Esteban Cambiasso after the Argentine had been set free by neat passes from Ronaldo and Raul.
Not to be outdone Casillas produced superb saves to twice deny the lively Turkish forward Nihat Kahveci from giving Raynald Denoueix's side the lead before the break.
Sociedad dominated at the start of the second half as it stroked the ball around the midfield accompanied by the whistles of a Bernabeu crowd unaccustomed to seeing its side chasing shadows at its home stadium.
Vicente del Bosque threw on Zinedine Zidane and Guti in an attempt to gain control of midfield and Real immediately began to look more threatening.
Westerveld had to pull off a sharp reflex save to block a close-range header from Raul, but Sociedad quickly recovered its rhythm and came within a whisker of scoring three minutes later when Gabriel Schurrer saw his shot cleared off the line.
A muted Ronaldo was replaced by Fernando Morientes in the final stages and he went close with a bullet header on 76 minutes, but neither side was able to break the deadlock.
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