Fran Yeste struck 15 minutes from time to give Athletic Bilbao a crucial 1-0 win over Real Zaragoza and lift his side well clear of the Primera Liga's relegation zone.

Mid-table Zaragoza have only pride to play for but dominated much of the game and struck the woodwork three times.

But Yeste popped up late on to grab the game's only goal and put four places and three points between Bilbao and third-bottom Alaves with just two league games remaining.

The visitors might have taken the lead as early as the seventh minute when Diego Milito pounced on a loose ball in the Bilbao area but the Argentinian saw his shot saved by home goalkeeper Inaki Lafuente.

Then just a minute later, the same Zaragoza player struck a post after receiving a clever p*** from Savio.

Milito was again on the prowl in the 15th minute but again had to watch his shot come back off a post and the home side were able to clear the danger.

Bilbao finally had their first effort at goal in the 19th minute when captain Julen Guerrero fired in a shot from the edge of the area, although Zaragoza keeper Cesar dealt with it comfortably.

Zaragoza were completely outplaying their relegation-threatened hosts but couldn't seem to find the breakthrough.

Milito remained a threat and made a darting run through a number of Athletic defenders in the 23rd minute, and although he laid the ball off for Savio in space, the Brazilian forward sent the ball wide.

But Ismael Urzaiz showed the hosts were willing to fight for their top-flight survival, winning the ball just outside the Zaragoza box in the 35th minute before turning and forcing a save from Cesar with a left-footed shot.

Athletic then had a decent penalty appeal turned down, which resulted in a yellow card for Guererro after the veteran forward protested.

However, with 49 minutes gone it seemed clear it was going to be Athletic's night as the visitors hit the post for a third occasion - again Diego Milito denied, this time with a right-footed effort after a p*** from strike partner Ewerthon.

Then despite Zaragoza's dominance, Yeste secured a vital three points for Athletic.

The winning goal came from some fantastic play by substitute Fernando Llorente, who left two defenders for dead to reach the by-line and cross for Yeste to convert.

In the closing stages, Bilbao coach Javier Clemente was screaming instructions to his players, ordering them to stay back and defend their lead.

And it proved to be a wise option as Athletic held on for a victory that may well be enough to secure their top-flight status.

After hosting Betis, Alaves complete their season with an away match at mid-table Real Zaragoza betting and a home game against Deportivo La Coruna, who are chasing a UEFA Cup spot.

Meanwhile Betis moved a step closer to safety with a draw against Athletic Bilbao at the weekend which did more favours for the Andalucians than the visitors as it maintained their distance from a direct rival.

They now aim to finally ***ure their survival against Alaves.

"It is an important game for us but more so for Alaves because we still have two options more after it," said coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, whose team are still to face Mallorca and Atletico Madrid.

"We are not travelling with any fear but with the aim of maintaining our pride on the pitch against a side who are sure to battle hard in order to stay up."

Espanyol edged closer to Primera Liga survival with a 1-1 draw at Real Zaragoza wagering in a replay of the Copa del Rey final.

Zaragoza were seeking revenge for defeat in that match, and took the lead through Brazilian forward Ewerthon in only the third minute.

However, Daniel Jarque levelled the match in the 67th minute before getting himself sent off in the final seconds of the contest for a second yellow card.

Both teams were under strength, with Espanyol missing star man Ivan de la Pena, and Zaragoza down to their last 16 fit players.

Despite the patched-up nature of their side, the hosts were quickly out of the blocks.

Leonardo Ponzio fired wide after being set up by Savio Bortolini in the opening stages, before Ewerthon gave them the lead.

A neat p***ing move between Savio and Diego Milito allowed Ewerthon the space to finish with ease from close range.

Espanyol had a chance to equalise in the 25th minute when they were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position on the edge of the box.

Zaragoza goalkeeper Raul Valbuena was able to clear Luis Garcia's shot however, and the hosts were quickly on the counter-attack as Ewerthon raced downfield, using his pace to weave through the defence and get a shot away.

However, Gorka Iraizoz was able to save his shot in the Espanyol goal.

Zaragoza then went close to doubling their lead moments before half-time when Iraizoz initially fumbled a long-range effort from Diego Milito before gathering at the second attempt.

Espanyol were struggling to make an impact on the game and - aside from Garcia's free-kick - did not have a clear sight of goal in the first-half.

The second 45 minutes began in the same way, but when Espanyol finally created an opening in the 67th minute, Jarque took it to level the game.

A corner seemed to cause m*** confusion in the Zaragoza defence and Jarque took full advantage to score from close-range.

The game was an ugly affair, with very little football being played and what little rhythm the game had was constantly broken by a string of fouls.

Neither side threatened to score again as both seemed to be content to take a point from the game.

However, Espanyol did lose Jarque in injury time as he picked up a second yellow card for a rash tackle. It was the last action of the game as the referee immediately blew for full-time.

The draw leaves Espanyol five points clear of the drop zone with two games left, while Zaragoza are safe in mid-table.

Espanyol will hope to secure their Primera Liga status with at least a point when they host Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday night.

Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate is having treatment at former club Leeds United in a bid to recover from a persistent thigh injury that has dogged his season.
"Jonathan will be with us for a few weeks," said a Leeds spokesman.
The 26-year-old, who is unlikely to be selected for England's World Cup squad, has played only nine league games this season following his return from an 18-month lay-off because of a torn thigh muscle.
Woodgate had been on the verge of returning to the England squad in November before suffering a hamstring injury during a league match against Real Zaragoza spreads.

Celta Vigo hammered Real Zaragoza odds 4-0 at home in the Primera Liga on Saturday to move within two points of the Champions League places.

Two goals from Uruguayan midfielder Fabian Canobbio and one apiece for Jorge and Jesus Perera saw off a listless Zaragoza who have nothing left to play for this season.

The Galicians, who won promotion last year, are fifth with 57 points and four games to play, while fourth-placed Osasuna travel to relegation-threatened Real Mallorca on Sunday.

Leaders Barcelona can claim a second consecutive title if they win at Sevilla on Sunday and second-placed Valencia, 11 points behind, fail to beat Athletic Bilbao.

Celta midfielder Borja Oubina started the move that led to the opening goal in the 30th minute as he fed Fernando Baiano in the area only for Cesar to save at his feet.

But Canobbio picked up the loose ball to score from a tight angle and Jorge put the game beyond Zaragoza just after the restart, firing into an open net after Cesar had come out of his area and failed to clear.

Substitute striker Perera scored a near-post header from a corner for the third in the 80th minute, and a minute later Canobbio broke through to lob Cesar for his second.

Earlier on Saturday, an under-strength Villarreal clearly had their focus on next week's Champions League semi-final return against Arsenal as they slumped to a 2-0 home defeat against Real Sociedad.

OTHER PRIORITIES

Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini had made it clear before the match that turning over Arsenal's 1-0 lead on Tuesday was his priority and rested leading scorer Juan Roman Riquelme, Marcos Senna, and Juan Pablo Sorin among others.

Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan started on the bench.

A fired up Sociedad took full advantage, with Mikel Alonso left unopposed after nine minutes to drill a powerful shot at goalkeeper Sebastian Viera, who misjudged it badly as the ball skimmed off his shoulder.

Chilean winger Mark Gonzalez doubled the lead just before the half-hour, scoring his third goal in as many games with a low free kick that deflected off a foot in the wall to send Viera the wrong way.

The home side did not muster a shot on target until near the end of the first half but the introduction of Forlan after the break put the pressure on the visitors' goal for a while.

Sociedad wobbled and Forlan skewed a shot wide of the post with just the keeper to beat in the 55th minute.

But Villarreal failed to maintain the momentum and the game finished tamely with Sociedad the side more likely to add to the scores.

The defeat dropped Villarreal to ninth on 49 points after Antonio Lopez's curling free kick gave Atletico Madrid a 1-0 win over Alaves to put them eighth with 50.

Sociedad climbed away from the relegation zone and are now 12th with 38 points, after a third win in four outings, five points ahead of 18th-placed Alaves in the 20-team standings.

Real Zaragoza's betting Brazilian forward Savio says he will be leaving the club to return home at the end of the season for personal reasons.

"I want and have to return to Brazil," the 32-year-old former international told the Zaragoza website on Thursday.

"It is something I've been thinking about for some time now and it has been a difficult decision but the time has come for me to sort out the personal problems that everyone is aware of."

Savio said that the death of his father last November and the need to spend more time with his mother had prompted his decision to return to his home country after nine seasons in Europe.

The winger left Brazil when he joined Real Madrid from Flamengo in 1997 and spent five seasons at the Spanish club before joining Girondins Bordeaux.

He signed for Zaragoza in 2003 and played an important role in their victory over Real Madrid in the 2004 final of the King's Cup. He was under contract to the club until 2007.

The player said he would be happy to return to his former club Flamengo but that he had not yet signed an agreement with anyone.

Getafe coach Bernd Schuster is being linked with Real Zaragoza wagering.  Zaragoza´s Copa del Rey thrashing this week by Espanyol has heaped pressure on coach Victor Munoz and led to speculation that Schuster could replace him at the end of this season.

Getafe president Angel Torres, however, remains confident Schuster will stay: "Schuster will continue here because the four great teams already have coaches.

"Only Atletico and Real Madrid can change, but I do not believe that he is going to sign for either of them. As for the other clubs, I do not believe that they are at Getafe´s level."

Real Zaragoza betting is hoping to win the Copa del Rey for the third time in six years when it faces Espanyol on Wednesday at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Zaragoza goes into the 105th final of Spain´s knockout competition after having eliminated Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in the previous rounds. 

Coach Victor Munoz doesn´t want his players to be overconfident, though.

"If we get considered as favorite and we start to believe it, we won´t have a chance," Munoz told El Pais on Tuesday. "Besides, Espanyol is inconsistent and so it can surprise you."

Zaragoza, which won its fifth and sixth titles in 2001 and ´04, will be returning to Madrid´s stadium where it lost 4-0 in the second leg of the semifinals two months ago. But thanks to a 6-1 victory over Madrid in the first leg at La Romareda stadium, it squeezed through 6-5 on aggregate.

Munoz said he would like the thrills to continue Wednesday.

"I´d like a crazy final. With lots of goals. At first, I was accused of being defensive but I´m not," he added.

Three-time winner Espanyol has slipped into the league´s relegation zone after failing to win in five games since reaching its ninth final in March.

Espanyol coach Miguel Angel Lotina said his team can´t be discounted Wednesday, even though he acknowledged that Zaragoza´s cup run had "tremendous merit."

"The team is OK. Defensively, we´re in excellent form and our soccer has improved although not as much as I would have liked," Lotina told news agency Efe.

Zaragoza will field Argentine brothers Gabriel and Diego Milito on Wednesday.

Defender Gabriel Milito will be making his second appearance in a final, having featured in Zaragoza´s win over Madrid two years ago. His older sibling will be appearing for the first time.

"It´s something special for us. We´ll be thinking of our parents and how happy they´ll be on Wednesday night. Zaragoza deserves this cup more than anyone," said striker Diego Milito, who like Gabriel is expected to be included in Argentina´s World Cup squad.

The teams, which have never met in a final, are each expected to be followed by about 30,000 supporters in a capacity crowd of 80,000.

The winner earns a place in next season´s UEFA Cup.

Ivan Helguera has slammed Real Madrid coach Juan Roman Lopez Caro for the way he has been treated.  "The match against Arsenal was the first important game I´ve missed," said Helguera. "He said it was because I was out of form, but I know that myself and Pavon are paying for the 6-1 defeat against Real Zaragoza spreads.

"I´m being treated unfairly. But I have three years left on my contract and do not want to think about leaving. I just want to play."

On the prospect of Carlo Ancelotti joining Real next season, Helguera added: "It wouldn´t matter who came, I know I would play more than I have under Lopez Caro. Ancelotti is a good coach who takes care of his players. He´s less Italian than the others and would be good for Real."

The drama continues in La Liga play when first place team Barcelona meet up to play Racing Santander wagering Sunday April 9th LIVE at 1:00pm ET on GOLTV. Fourteenth place Racing Santander played one of their worst games last week in a scoreless draw against Zaragoza however there is still hope after Primera leaders, Barcelona, held a scoreless draw against the last place relegation candidates Malaga. So even though this match may seem like a cake walk to most Barcelona fans, it may not be after all.

Underdogs Olympique Lyon and Villarreal will attempt to overturn Milanese might on Tuesday and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Lyon travel to face AC Milan at the San Siro after a 0-0 draw in last week´s quarter-final first leg, while Villarreal play host to Inter after losing 2-1 in the Lombard capital.

Lyon, set fair for a record fifth French title, know an away goal could be decisive. That goal could come from talismanic Brazil midfielder Juninho who missed the first leg at home through suspension.

"Our opponents will be well aware of him. In tight games, he is capable of breaking the deadlock. He is certainly an additional weapon," team mate Florent Malouda said.

Milan, six-times champions and aiming for their third final in four years, will be spurred by the memory of their heart-breaking defeat on penalties by Liverpool last season and the fact they are all but out of the race for Italian honours.

Up front, Ukraine´s Andriy Shevchenko and Italy striker Filippo Inzaghi will be fresh for action after being spared in Milan´s 1-0 weekend defeat by Lecce.

Inter take their lead and winger Luis Figo to Villarreal.

The Portuguese midfielder has been training separately after injury but Inter said on Monday he would travel to Spain where his wealth of experience at Barcelona and Real Madrid will be invaluable to Roberto Mancini´s side.

With an away goal already in the bank, Villarreal can go through with a 1-0 scoreline.

They have a fine record at home, having lost only one of 17 European home games and with clean sheets in 13. This is their first Champions League campaign, however, and Inter´s experience could tell.

The Spaniards, who beat Zaragoza odds 1-0 at the weekend, will be relying on Uruguay´s Diego Forlan and former AC Milan forward Jose Mari or Mexico´s Guillermo Franco to lead the attack.

Champions League debutants Villarreal hope to turn the tables on Inter with a catenaccio-style performance when they host the Serie A side in their quarter-final, second leg on Tuesday. Quarter-final second legs LIVE on eurosport.com on Tuesday and Wednesday from 20:45cet!

Racing Santander picked up a point that will help them in their fight against relegation but were made to work hard for it by Real Zaragoza betting.

Zaragoza dominated the first half and also had the best of most of the second but failed to break down a solid Santander defence.

However, the hosts did have a chance to steal an unexpected and undeserved three points towards the end but spurned it.

Zaragoza were very quickly into their stride and carved out their first chance after nine minutes.

With some excellent skill, Savio Bortolini escaped the attentions of a pair of Racing defenders before offloading the ball to Sergio Garcia who had plenty of space.

Sergio Garcia fired a probing shot at goal but goalkeeper Dudu Aouate got hold of the shot.

Sergio Garcia again tried his luck 10 minutes later but his right-footed shot was parried by Dudu and rebounded to Diego Milito whose follow-up attempt also failed to beat the custodian.

Another daring Zaragoza raid was foiled after 28 minutes when Delio Toledo launched a surging run forward before firing in a shot that drifted just wide.

Savio was in sterling form for the visitors and the former Real Madrid man went close after 38 minutes with a long-range left-footed shot that skipped out of play just to the right of goal.

Just after half time Savio, who was easily the most active man on the pitch, had another shot at goal.

Once again the Brazilian midfielder tried to catch the keeper out with a dangerous long range shot but Dudu was equal to the task once more.

The visitors continued to make all the running and they came closer still after 57 minutes.

Ruben Cani fired in a corner and Luiz Alvaro made a good connection with his head but the ball clattered the crossbar and went out of play.

The hosts were reduced to an 11-man defence against their marauding visitors and Savio created another chance after 68 minutes when he exchanged p***es with Jose Maria Movilla and found himself one on one with the keeper but Dudu did just enough to stop the ball going into the net.

There was almost a kick in the teeth for Zaragoza as the game drifted towards the end.

Santander almost scored a goal five minutes before time with their only really dangerous move of the match.

Mauricio Pinilla received a p*** from Jonatan Valle but his shot took a deflection and went out of play.

The match had hitherto been completely dominated by Zaragoza but Racing had goalkeeper Dudu to thank for a point that keeps them five points clear of the drop zone.

Getafe have done the double over Copa del Rey finalists Real Zaragoza betting with a 2-1 win at La Romareda on Sunday.

In a game Zaragoza were desperate to win to avenge their 5-2 October humiliation against Getafe, the home side took a 33rd-minute lead through Argentina striker Diego Milito but Veljko Paunovic equalised before half-time.

After Alvaro Maior was given a straight red card for elbowing the Madrid team´s goalscorer, Zaragoza almost took the lead but Oscar Gonzalez hit the post and then Paunovic struck again.

The home side hit the woodwork a second time but ended up on the losing side.

Zaragoza, like Getafe, are in mid-table. They had warned that revenge was on their minds and they were also looking to build some momentum after last week´s 3-1 triumph at Real Sociedad.

"Last week´s win will be worth nothing if we don´t follow it up with more points at home," Zaragoza coach Victor Munoz said.

The hosts opened the scoring with a great play between Ewerthon and Milito pulling keeper Luis Garcia off his line.

He dived to try to get hold of the ball but at the last moment, Ewerthon p***ed to Milito and he took it around Garcia and slotted it into the back of the net.

Getafe did not have to wait long for the equaliser after being awarded a free-kick outside of the area.

Jaime Gavilan curled the attempt into the area where Paunovic was waiting and he headed the ball into the back of the net.

Just three minutes after the restart and Zaragoza´s Maior was punished for an elbow in the face of Paunovic.

Nevertheless, Zaragoza nearly took the lead when Gonzalez shot and hit the post. Getafe were very lucky that Zaragoza did not take the lead.

Zaragoza then found themselves trailing when Gavilan made a great run through the home defence and, at the last second, p***ed to Paunovic who sent the ball into an empty net for his second of the game.

The home side were down a man and trailing by a goal but they lost none of their determination and that was evident when, in the 69th minute, Milito received a cross from Leonardo Ponzio and headed towards goal.

The keeper just got a hand to it so that the ball hit the post and went out of play.

In the last few minutes of the game, Zaragoza tried desperately to find the equaliser.

Cani had a couple of chances in added time but in the end it was not to be.

Real Zaragoza spreads have pledged their full support for the campaign against racism in football, in an official statement on the club´s website.

"In an attempt to defend sporting values and foster respect Zaragoza will be a leader in Spanish football," the Primera Liga club said.

"We will study the problems and if possible try to re-educate those people who have attitudes as despicable as those of the racists."

The club went on to criticise the fans who directed racist abuse at Barcelona´s Samuel Eto´o during the league match between the two sides at Zaragoza´s stadium on Saturday.

The Cameroon striker tried to leave the pitch in the second half but was persuaded to stay by players and his coach Frank Rijkaard.

After being asked by the referee, the club put out an announcement on the PA system asking fans to refrain from making offensive remarks at opposition players, but the abuse of Eto´o continued till the end of the game, which Barcelona won 2-0.

"The club is energetically opposed to any type of racism that takes place in any football stadium," the statement added.

"Racism is harmful and is far from an established norm in Zaragoza.

"We are a club who have traditionally had black players in our ranks at all levels, who have always been loved and supported by the fans.

"We cannot understand the racism of fans when we have players like Alvaro, Ewerthon and (Delio) Toledo at out club.

"There is no justifiable provocation to attack a footballer for his race, religious or political beliefs, and we will do all we can to stop these incidents taking place in our stadium."

Zaragoza were fined 600 euros ($713.6) by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) last season after a section of their fans directed similar abuse at Eto´o.

Earlier this month, the club was fined a similar amount after some of their fans directed racist insults at Real Betis´s Brazilian forward Robert.

Real Zaragoza odds goalkeeper Cesar admitted to a huge sigh of relief after the club closed out Copa del Rey semifinal foe Real Madrid on Tuesday night, despite suffering a 4-0 Bernabéu lashing.

The visitors allowed three goals in the first ten minutes of the second leg and barely hung on under intense pressure for a 6-5 aggregate victory.

“It seemed to be the longest match I’ve ever played in,” shared Cesar. “I never stopped looking at the scoreboard.”

Added Zaragoza defender Gabriel Milito:

“I’ve never suffered so much on the pitch, but at least we never lost our heads.”