Zaragoza 3 - Málaga 2

Zaragoza: Juanmi; Cuartero (Yordi 62'), Paco, Aguado (Vellisca 46'), Lanna; Acuña, Marcos Vales; Juanele, Radimov (Aragón 46'), Garitano; Milosevic. 4-2-3-1.
Málaga: Contreras; Larrainzar, Bravo, Fernando Sanz, Valcarce; Rufete, Movilla, De los Santos, Musampa (Agostinho 65'); Sandro (Ruano 80'); Catanha. 4-4-1-1.

Team changes: Zaragoza: Radimov for Aragón / Málaga: Bravo, Sandro for Ruano, Darío Silva.

Goals:
0-1. 29. Rufete. After Catanha beat Aguado and laid ball back from left goal line.
1-1. 30. Marcos Vales. Juanele crossed from right and Milosevic laid ball off.
1-2. 58. Paco (own goal). Unmarked, turned Movilla's centre past Juanmi.
2-2. 85. Yordi. Took pass from right and lobbed Contreras from close up.
3-2. 90. Milosevic. Toe poked past keeper after long pass from Marcos Vales.

On a very hot evening, Zaragoza came back from behind twice to snatch a victory with almost the last kick of the match and keep their slim championship hopes alive. In the first half they saw themselves fall behind after Catanha had set Rufete up with a clever run down the left goal-line, but Marcos Vales pulled them level only a minute later after unselfish play by Milosevic. Then they went behind again after Paco tried to clear Movilla's cross from the right, but only succeeded in stabbing it past his stranded keeper. Their 25,000 fans were desolate as they saw Champions League football slipping away from their grasp after almost half the season in the top spots, with Real Madrid winning and Valencia and Alavés drawing. Five minutes from time they were down to sixth, but a long desperate ball by Marcos Vales found Yordi on the edge of the area, and the young striker, who had come on as substitute after Paco's own goal, somehow bundled the ball over the head of Contreras and in to the net. That left the scores level at two each, and it looked as if Málaga were heading towards their sixth away result in a row with that scoreline. However the draw was not enough, and Txetxu Rojo's team came forward looking for the three points. Vellisca brought a reaction save out of Contreras, and a minute from the end Marcos Vales, the best man on the night, got the ball again on the right hand side. His long cross was missed by the head of a Málaga defender, and Milosevic controlled it before poking the ball past the keeper. It was only the Yugoslavian striker's second goal in the second half of the season and his first in ten weeks, but it was one of the most important ones of the 20 he has scored during this campaign. The win sweetened the bitter pill that Rojo had dished out at the start of the match, leaving veteran defender Solana completely out of the squad on his last home match before retiring. Solana's comment was that he 'preferred to be the owner of his silence rather than the slave of his own words', and the man surely has a future in journalism ahead of him with a turn of phrase like that (for the record he was applauded by fans as he sat in the stand watching the game). In fact it was probably Rojo's last match in charge at the Romareda stadium as well, as he is almost certain to be the new manager of Athletic Bilbao next season, with Juan Manuel Lillo (manager of Tenerife last year) already signed to take over from him. As demonstrated by this incident, Rojo is not afraid to take hard decisions, and should go down well at Bilbao, the team he has supported all of his life. Málaga's manager Joaquin Peiró will be staying on next year after taking the born-again club (they were reformed a few years ago after going bankrupt) to record heights. He left out Darío Silva from the starting line up, ostensibly for a leg injury but some reports say due to a bust up with the player after he accused the club of not keeping their word on bonus payments to players. With Luque suspended for two matches after fighting with Celta's Benni McCarthy last week and Edgar still a long way from recovery, Sandro came in to give support to Catanha up front. They are now twelfth, and cannot afford to drop points next week against Racing if they are to have any hope of qualifying for the Intertoto cup (to do so Celta must finish above Mallorca, Mallorca must refuse to enter the competition in the second round, and Peiró must convince his players to cut short their holidays). At least three of their players will start theirs at the Saint Denis stadium in Paris; Fernando Sanz, Rojas and Contreras have been invited by their ex club Real Madrid to the Champions League final in 10 days time. Zaragoza could finish the league in anything from first to sixth position, depending on how results go on Friday. Their match at Valencia will undoubtedly be the match of a very busy day.

Remaining match:
Zaragoza: Valencia (A)
Málaga: Racing (H)

Alavés 2 - Numancia 2

Alavés: Herrera; Gañan, Karmona, Téllez, Torres Mestre; Astudillo, Desio (Salcedo 80'), Pablo, Ibon Begoña (Azkoitia 57'); Javi Moreno, Julio Salinas (Kodro 55'). 4-4-2.
Numancia: Nuñez; Iñaki (Jaume 85'), Muñiz, Iván Rocha, Soria; Castaño, Nagore, Pacheta, Barbu (Rivera 70'); Ojeda (Caco Morán 88'), Rubén Navarro. 4-4-2.

Team changes: Alavés: Gañan, Pablo, Ibon Begoña, Salinas for Contra, Nan Ribera, Morales, Magno / Numancia: Soria for Octavio. Report to follow.

Goals:
0-1. 33. Barbu. Ran on to long pass and lobbed keeper from outside area.
0-2. 76. Navarro. First time volley after free kick from right corner.
1-2. 77. Pablo. Powerful shot into top corner of net from left of goal.
2-2. 86. Azkoitia. First time shot through crowded goal mouth.

Following the example set by Zaragoza, Alavés also came back from behind to wrestle a point out of Numancia and keep themselves in with a chance of a Champions League spot. At the start of the day the home side were in fourth place, level on points with Zaragoza and Valencia and a point ahead of sixth place Real Madrid. The visitors were still not out of trouble, languishing near the bottom in a group of teams nervously watching the phoenix-like recovery of Betis after replacing their manager. As luck would have it, the calendar threw together Betis and Real Madrid on this day, and the way this match went was very much influenced by the events in Sevilla. At first Numancia took the initiative, desperate for a point or three to avoid having to bet everything on the last match of the season against Betis, and they went into a 0-2 lead halfway through the second half. Then when Madrid took a comfortable lead at Betis, Numancia relaxed, knowing that even if they lost against Alavés they were safe. Alavés however at that stage (and with Valencia drawing) needed at least a point to stay in touch, and they came back with everything to get two late goals. And what a relief it was for our trusty reporter not to have to repeat the 1-0 report over again this week after three similar results in a row for the Basque side! Everything has changed, right down to the 4-4-2 formation that Mané used for this match, with veteran striker Julio Salinas playing his last match in the Mendizorroza ground before retiring from first class football (well maybe....). He partnered Javi Moreno up front, and was applauded off the pitch ten minutes into the second half when Kodro came on in his place. For the record he has scored eleven goals since joining two years ago from Yokohama Mariners, and retires with 151 league goals to his credit (unless he gets another at Bilbao next week). With Contra and Morales suspended, Mané gave Raúl Gañan a rare opportunity at right back, with Pablo and Ibon Begoña returning in midfield. Numancia manager Andoni Goikoetxea, still unsure whether he will be in charge next season, only made one change, with Soria replacing suspended captain Octavio. The two teams play their football on the smallest grounds in the first division, and packing the middle of the field they are both difficult to beat. Alavés wasted two or three opportunities in the first half hour, with Salinas shooting straight at Nuñez and Begoña trying for glory with Javi Moreno unmarked in a much better position to score. They paid the price a few minutes later when Barbu beat one of the league's best keepers, Herrera, with a lob from the edge of the area. In the second half Barbu grazed the bar with a free kick and Pacheta sent a header perilously wide before Rubén Navarro connected first time with a corner to extend the lead. The 1,500 Numancia supporters went wild (they have one of the best and happiest followings in the league) as another season in the top flight was more than assured. Then Alavés put their foot to the floor and made their comeback, with late goals from Pablo and once again Azkoitia, the man whose goal beat Real Madrid last week. They are now fifth, ahead of Valencia on individual goal average, but need a big favour from their larger (and less successful) neighbours Athletic Bilbao on Friday to have a chance of the Champions League. Even if they don't make it, they will be in the UEFA competition for the first time ever, more than most of their fans could have dreamed for at the beginning of the season. Meanwhile, in a little village far away called Soria, the fairy tale has come true. They will be playing the grown ups again next season, and their travel clubs are already gearing up. It will be a pleasure to welcome them back for another year.

Remaining match:
Alavés: Bilbao (A)
Numancia: Betis (H)