Atletico Madrid continued to make life miserable for the leaders in La Liga. After Barcelona, they fought Real Madrid to a 1:1 draw, even though the draw sent them sliding back to the 7th place in the standings.
Diego Forlan opened the score in the 38th minute after a powerful shot by Sergio Aguero from the flank left Real keeper Iker Casillas short against the Uruguayan forward. But in the second half, Klaas Jan Huntelaar (pictured left) leveled the game from what appeared to many to be from an outside position with a shot on the crossbar: the referee still validated the goal. The Dutch continues his progress; his rating increased by 13.36 points in the game, putting him at 169.21 points.
The draw was used by Deportivo, who beat Racing Santander 5:3. Racing twice took the lead in the game but in the end were unable to pull it off. Ivan Riki was the MVP from Deportivo with two goals. His performance substantially increased his rating: he earned 27.36 points in the game and now has 73.56 points. The win allowed Deportivo to rise to the 5th place in the standings, pushing down Atletico.
Barcelona still sits on top, with an increased lead of 6 points. The Catalans won a 2:0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, with Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi (from a penalty) scoring. It is worth noting that Barcelona goal keeper Victor Valdez displayed the confidence that has so eluded him in the last several games. He even increased his rating by 4.70 points.
© FTBL