Madrid, Jan 26: Real Madrid's iconic captain Raul moved to just one goal from equalling Alfredo di Stefano's club goalscoring record as Real cut Barcelona's lead at the top to 12 points with a 1-0 home win over Deportivo La Coruna. Raul appeared to use his ear to glance home Lassana Diarra's fierce 39th minute cross for his 306th goal in the famous white shirt, leaving him just one goal behind di Stefano, who famously inspired Real to five consecutive European Cup triumphs.
Raul appeared to use his ear to glance home Lassana Diarra's fierce 39th minute cross for his 306th goal in the famous white shirt, leaving him just one goal behind di Stefano, who famously inspired Real to five consecutive European Cup triumphs. Raul, 31, was taken off 20 minutes from the end as coach Juande Ramos put the team first so the former Spain international will have to wait until next week to try and get the goal.
Real moved three points clear of third-placed Sevilla, who lost 2-0 against Racing Santander, as they enacted revenge for their opening 2-1 defeat to Depor at the Riazor Stadium.
It was a fifth straight win for Ramos who has had to deal with the speculation that Arsene Wenger could replace him at the end of the season.
Barcelona have also been irked by suggestions that Real could break the bank to sign their Argentine star Lionel Messi who scored twice in the 4-1 win over Numancia on Saturday.
"I'll never leave Barca," said Messi. "I'll only leave if they throw me out. Barcelona is my home."
With Barca and Real in their custom positions of first and second the rest of the top sides appear to be fighting for the remaining two Champions League slots.
Despite playing against ten men for close to an hour Sevilla fell to a surprise 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Racing Santander.
Serbian striker Nikola Zigic, measuring in at 6ft 8in (2.05-metre), was the main danger and scored the crucial second goal at the beginning of the second half.
Zigic flopped at Valencia after a 20-million-euro move from Racing but the striker, back at Racing on loan, repaid them a little scoring his third goal in four games to down Valencia's Champions League rivals.
Sevilla now host Valencia on Thursday in a mouth watering Spanish Cup quarter-final evenly-poised after holders Valencia won the first leg 3-2.
Strugglers Mallorca shocked Valencia with a 3-1 win yesterday with Jose Jurado netting a brace.
Mallorca moved off the bottom of the table with the win and Osasuna replaced them.
Atletico Madrid are still yet to win in 2009 after a 1-1 draw at Malaga who had won four out of their last five games in the league. Elsewhere Espanyol's third coach this season, Mauricio Pochettino, saw his side draw 1-1 with Valladolid in his first match in charge.
Pochettino's next task is to eliminate local neighbours Barcelona from the Spanish Cup with the city rivals facing off at Camp Nou on Thursday in the quarter-final second leg with the first match finishing 0-0.
