Real Madrid 2 - Espanyol 2

Real Madrid: César; Michel Salgado (Geremi 72'), Hierro, Iván Campo, Karanka; Figo, Iván Helguera, Makelele, Savio (Solari 84'); Raúl, Morientes (Munitis 30'). 4-4-2.
Espanyol: Mora; Navas, Lopo, Rotchen, David García; Galca, Sergio; Velamazán (Benítez 75'), Morales (Martín Posse 56'), Roger (Arteaga 86'); Tamudo. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Madrid: César, Hierro, Karanka, Makelele, Morientes for Casillas, Roberto Carlos, Celades, Flavio Conceiçao, Solari / Espanyol: Morales for Martín Posse.

Goals:
1-0. 25. Figo. Free kick from left into top corner of stationary keeper's net.
2-0. 46. Raúl. Headed into empty net after Mora blocked Savio's shot.
2-1. 49. Rotchen. Headed past César after corner from left.
2-2. 66. Galca (penalty). After Hierro ruled to have handled in area.

A mini-revolution by manager Vicente Del Bosque did not have the desired effect, Real Madrid being held at home by Espanyol 2-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Del Bosque rested Iker Casillas and Steve McManaman after his side were eliminated from the Champions League at the semi-final stage by Bayern Munich Wednesday night, with Casillas being blamed at least in part for Bayern's goals and Macca accused by honorary president Alfredo Di Stefano of neshing out in a tackle when the second goal was scored. With Guti injured and Roberto Carlos suspended, Morientes came back in attack, with Karanka switching to left back to make room for Iván Campo. Paco Flores left Oscar, Lardín and Nishizawa back at home after they failed to make any impression when given a chance midweek in the Catalan cup semi-final, his side losing embarrassingly to third division Balaguer. Morales came in to a more defensive line up in place of Posse, and Paraguayan international Miguel Angel Benítez returned to the squad for the first time in 16 months after recovering from a knee operation which almost kept him out of football for life.

Madrid were keen to show they could bounce back after their midweek defeat, and Mora had to be at his best to keep out shots from Savio and Raúl in the opening minutes. The keeper though was caught motionless as Figo's free kick found the top corner of the net a few minutes later, presumably deciding not to waste any energy in an impossible save. With half an hour gone a disappointed Morientes limped off the field with yet another recurrence of his groin injury, and the club's medical staff decided to whisk him straight off to hospital to have the operation he has been putting off all season. On came Munitis, and he felt he should have had a penalty when Rotchen tripped him in the area, referee Pérez Burrull possibly deciding that the forward's exaggerated fall was a dive. Pérez had previously turned down another appeal earlier on when Rotchen pushed over Morientes, and he was to incur the wrath of the home players and fans later in the game when he did award a penalty to the visitors under more dubious circumstances than those two incidents.

A minute in to the second half Madrid seemed to have made it safe when the attentive Raúl headed the ball in to the empty net after Mora couldn't hold on to Savio's shot. But three minutes later Espanyol were back in the game after an unmarked Rotchen got on the end of Sergio's corner from the left. Iker's replacement César gave the home fans a heart attack when his badly directed clearance hit Tamudo, the ball trickling back just wide of the post, but the keeper made up for it with a foot first save from Velamazán. Then came the turning point of the match when the referee awarded a penalty to the visitors after the ball hit Hierro's arm from point blank range as he slid in to cut out Posse's cross. Having ruled it was a foul he was obliged to show a yellow card, and Hierro was forced to leave the field having already been shown one yellow earlier in the game. Galca stepped up to level the scores from the spot, and Madrid's heads dropped.

After that Espanyol could have won the game, with César saving from Tamudo and Sergio, and substitute Geremi cleared off the line from Posse in the last minute. The result means that Madrid have only picked up two points now in their last three league games, and their lead over Deportivo has been reduced from eleven to six points over that period. With four games to go they should still end up champions, although they go to city rivals Rayo next week missing Hierro and Iván Helguera, who picked up his tenth yellow card in this game (Pérez Burrull had to have a police escort off the pitch). Espanyol stay in tenth place, and with Celta, Villarreal and Alavés all losing they still have an outside chance of making Europe, now four points away from sixth spot. Having come out of the Bermuda triangle with a couple of points they hope it will be plain sailing from now on.