Real Madrid

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"I want to thank everyone for the support they've given me these past seven months"

Cicinho was grateful and happy after the game in Bilbao. The Brazilian went through a very hard time for seven months and he is now finally smiling again. He has returned to help his teammates win the League.





CICINHO
"This has been a very important game for us, especially for me. We are confident of winning the League. We always earn good results away from home, but we are now doing well in Madrid also. Let's hope this continues next week against Sevilla."
"I want to thank those who stood by me these past seven months; doctors, fans, family members, teammates... I feel fine and I am very happy with the team. I hope we achieve the goal of winning the League."

"We've believed we can win the League since way back when we were five or six points behind Barcelona. We never lost hope and we aren't going to do so now that we are only two points away from leadership. We are sure we can win."

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"We only think about ourselves and what we can do to win the League"

Van Nistelrooy scored two of Real Madrid's four goals tonight and Emerson was in the starting eleven. They both anaylsed the fixture after it was over.

VAN NISTELROOY
"I think about the team, not about myself. This squad is very strong and calm enough to think about one game at a time. Fixtures in this stadium are always tough and it isn't easy to score four goals against any team in this League."
"I think Cicinho played an excellent game, especially after being injured for so many months. We all congratulated him for his performance. We all work very hard during training sessions. That's the mentality we have."



"We must remain calm because we still have to play six more games and that's quite a lot. We are in good form and having a great momentum, but we must remain calm if we want to continue this way."

"We are in a good spot to try to win the title and we must continue this way. Today for us was like a final and playing in Bilbao is always hard. The next six games will be the most important fixtures for us this season. The game at home against Sevilla will be great."

EMERSON
"We played an excellent game in a complicated stadium. Tonight's was a very important clash for us and we did great. We used the chances we had on goal very well. We were united as a team and helped each other at all times."

"We had some problems in the first fifteen minutes, but we got over them and managed to take the three points. Sergio's goal was very important and it put us somewhat at ease."

"The game against Sevilla will also be like a final. We must win every match we have left. It won't be easy because they will all be tough. We only think about ourselves and what we can do to win. It will be possible for us to win the League if we do our part."

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"We played a quality game"

Fabio Capello gave a press conference after the game and was satisfied with his team's work. The coach gave the media the keys to their victory and congratulated his players for their good performance.





"It was a tough match because Athletic fought for every ball in the first half. They played well, but so did we. We were concentrated and we showcased our quality. Our personality shined through and that's the most important thing."
"Cicinho did very well. A week ago I said he was training well and that he was fully recovered. He's done a good job all week and he was ready to play a complicated match like tonight's. We hope not to drop points in the forthcoming games because they will be very important."

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Real Madrid is two points behind leaders Barcelona after beating title rivals Sevilla, 3-2, at the Bernabeu.

Madrid was down, 1-0, at halftime after Enzo Maresca gave Sevilla the lead with a fine strike after 42 minutes.

Ruud van Nistelrooy equalized for Madrid after 62 minutes and Brazilian Robinho put them in front with 12 minutes left, but was sent off for his wild celebrations.

Minutes later, Sevilla's Aitor Ocio was also dismissed for an incident in the penalty area, before Van Nistelrooy scored his second goal after 85 minutes.

Ernesto Chevanton made it 3-2 with a free kick late on, but Madrid held on to keep the pressure on Barcelona, who beat struggling Real Sociedad, 2-0, on Saturday.

Goals from Andres Iniesta and Samuel Eto'o gave Barcelona the win, which left Real Sociedad six points adrift of safety.

In the other game on Saturday, Valencia won, 2-1, away at Deportivo to keep alive their faint title hopes.

Hugo Viana gave Valencia the lead after 38 minutes, before Sebastian Taborda equalized after 69 minutes. David Silva's goal four minutes later gave Valencia a win that keeps it in touch with the Primera Liga's top three.

Real Zaragoza stayed in fifth after a 0-0 draw with Racing Santander, while Recreativo missed the chance to move into the UEFA Cup spots by drawing, 0-0, with Athletic Bilbao.

Guillermo Franco scored for for Villareal after 68 minutes for a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo, who stay in the relegation zone, three points adrift of Athletic Bilbao.

Gimnastic is rock bottom after a Cesar Navas own goal after 28 minutes and Mustapha Riga's 48th-minute strike gave Levante a 2-0 win.

Atletico Madrid is in the UEFA Cup spots, despite a 2-1 defeat at Espanyol.

Goals from Moha after 10 minutes and Walter Pandiani after 75 minutes put Espanyol up, 2-0, before Martin Petrov scored for Atletico Madrid in injury time.

Getafe is now only two points behind Atletico in the chase for a UEFA Cup spot, after it won 2-0 at Real Betis.

Daniel Guiza put Getafe ahead after 16 minutes and Francisco Casquero made the points safe in the 34th minute.

Osasuna is still not safe from relegation after losing, 3-1, to Real Mallorca.

Fernando Varela put Real Mallorca up, 1-0, after 37 minutes, only for Raul Garcia to equalize after 60 minutes. Gutierrez Jonas put Mallorca back in front six minutes later and Bosko Jankovic put the game beyond Osasuna nine minutes from time.

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David Beckham admits he will miss nights of high drama at Real Madrid when he leaves to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer this summer.

In a pulsating match that produced three red cards in addition to plenty of offense and near misses, Madrid emerged with a 3-2 victory rival Sevilla on Sunday at the Bernabeu.

The 32-year-old former England national team captain, who is expected to make his Galaxy debut in July after signing a five-year contract worth around $250 million, enjoyed the battle against Sevilla.

"You are always going to miss nights like this because they are special, the way the atmosphere is, the way the people are, the way the team played," Beckham said.

Beckham, who has spent four years at Madrid, also wanted to look toward the future.

"You are always going to miss something like this, but everybody moves on," he said.

One sour note for Beckham against Sevilla was the booking he received in the second half, meaning he is set to be suspended for next weekend's home match against Espanyol.

With only five games remaining this season - three at home, two away - Beckham will not have many more nights like Sunday's for the Spanish giants, but he is determined to make the most of it.

"I`m going to cherish these next five games, a few at home and then a few away," he said.

Madrid's win over Sevilla was its sixth in the last seven league matches and saw it climb above the Andalusian side into second place.

Beckham's team is only two points behind first-place Barcelona and he believes the win over Sevilla could be crucial in the quest for the title.

"(This) win was a big step toward that," said Beckham, who has yet to win a major trophy since joining Madrid in 2003. "We needed to win and every game is crucial now."

Beckham also hailed the spirit in the Madrid camp.

"We are together as a team. Even when we are losing we are coming back and winning the game," he said.

"There are no individuals (in the team). It is good, we've still got a great team. We've obviously let great players go, but we are performing and that is the way it should be."

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[abadani69]

Real Madrid snatched a last-gasp 4-3 victory over Espanyol on Saturday to go top of the Primera Liga for the first time since September.

The nine-times European champions trailed 3-1 at the interval after a 19-minute hat-trick from Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani.

But Real fought back when captain Raul netted four minutes after the restart and substitute Jose Antonio Reyes equalised eight minutes later.

Espanyol, who face fellow Spaniards Sevilla in Wednesday's UEFA Cup final in Glasgow, looked to have done enough to earn a draw until an 89th-minute strike from Gonzalo Higuain gave the hosts victory.

The Argentine striker sent the Bernabeu crowd wild when he squeezed a low shot past keeper Carlos Kameni after exchanging a sharp one-two with Reyes.

Real (66 points) lead the table by one point from Barcelona, who play their game in hand at home to struggling Real Betis on Sunday.

Sevilla, a point further back in third spot, warmed up for their UEFA Cup defence with a 2-1 win at home to Recreativo Huelva.

Italian midfielder Enzo Maresca put Sevilla in front in the 13th minute when he fired low past keeper Bertrand Laquait from the edge of the area.

Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano made it 2-0 with a well-taken penalty before midfielder Jesus Vazquez pulled one back for Recreativo with another spot kick two minutes from time.

Fabio Capello's side made the early running at the Bernabeu, pinning a largely second-string Espanyol back in their area and giving the visitors several scares.

Real though fell victim to the first of Espanyol's rapier-like counter-attacks in the 15th minute.

GUTI ROBBED

Jonatas robbed Guti in midfield, slipped the ball to Francisco Rufete on the right flank and the winger curled a superb pass behind the defence for Pandiani to defeat a helpless Iker Casillas in goal.

Real were hit by an almost identical strike 11 minutes later, the same two players carving their way through the midfield before Pandiani volleyed in at the far post.

Capello's men pulled one back through Ruud van Nistelrooy's 21st goal of the season as he fired home from close range after Roberto Carlos had flicked on a neat cross by Raul.

Pandiani struck again in the 34th minute, this time stroking the ball in from the edge of the area after Moha had bamboozled the home defence.

Real threw everything at Espanyol after the break and made it 3-2 when Raul drilled the ball under Kameni following a clever backheel from Van Nistelrooy.

Reyes then slotted into an open goal after Kameni collided with one of his defenders as he failed to claim the ball.

[abadani69]

Fabio Cannavaro praised David Beckham for his role in putting Real Madrid back into title contention.

Cannavaro admires Beckham's never-say-die attitude and believes it has been a positive influence on the rest of the Madrid team, which has won six of its last seven league matches.

"Beckham is a player I like very much both for his technique and the way he thinks," the Italian World Cup winner said. "He is a man who always wants to win, and he has transmitted that mentality to the squad."

Beckham's Madrid career looked to be over in January when coach Fabio Capello said the midfielder would not play for the club again after announcing he had agreed to join the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.

But the former England captain refused to concede his career at Madrid was finished and his determination during training camp eventually led to Capello reversing his decision and recalling Beckham to his playing squad after an absence of six matches.

Although he has missed a number of games through injury and suspension since returning to the fold, Beckham has still played an influential role in helping Madrid up to second place in the Primera Liga standings, just two points behind Barcelona.

"I think we are all much better now, not only David," Cannavaro said on his club's website. "We are all making a greater effort to win the league. We have five games left and we must win them all.

"We are in good spirits because we are having good results. This happens to every team. We must continue along the same path because it is important for us to have a good atmosphere - it makes us work better."

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Capello: "It was amazing"

The Madridista coach stressed his team's character

“I am happy because the team displayed indomitable faith in the victory. I liked the character they demonstrated and their enthusiasm to turn the game around. Today was amazing because we were up against a team that had spectacular counterattacks," said Fabio Capello in his post-match press conference.

When asked whether the team's spirit or the changes were the key to victory, Fabio Capello affirmed that “both were. Guti had a niggled hamstring during the week and needed to come out.” He pointed out that there was some confusion about Espanyol's goals, “although I was told that the first and third were offsides. They didn't take many shots, four shots and three goals, but we let them counterattack with relative ease.”
He assured that this great patch is due to all the hard work. “Luck plays an important part, but winning isn't possible without hard work. This isn't a casino where the ball turns. This is about the work of the team, the coaches, and the doctors. Sometimes the ball hits the post and doesn't go in, sometimes it hits and does go in. That's why luck is important.”



“It's times like these that we are convinced that we can win every match. That's our task. We're treating each match like a final and we can't let any points slip through our fingers. Today we got them back.”

“Euforia has always been a good thing, but euforia without work isn't good.” Capello concluded by talking about his players' fortitude: “Turning around a game like today's isn't easy. The fans really helped, and for that I thank them.”

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