The Champions League quarter finals took place midweek, with once again three Spanish teams still in the competition. All eight clubs had previously won European titles, but the opening game between Real Madrid and Manchester United was still billed as the premature final between the two favourites. There was only one winner though, Real Madrid, with Raúl putting forward his name for European player of the year with two superb goals and Figo starting things off with a shot from an impossible angle. If they get through they could be in line for a repeat of last season's semi-final with Barcelona, who kept up their incredible unbeaten record in the competition with a 1-1 draw at Juventus. Saviola was once again their hero with a late goal.

It was another high scoring weekend in the league, with 34 goals in the ten games. There were six goals in no less than four matches, starting with a thrilling 2-4 between Barcelona and Deportivo. Saviola got the first goal almost straight from the kick off, but it was that man Roy Makaay who struck the killer blow with two goals in the second half. His 22 in the league is the second highest in Europe behind Inter Milan's Cristian Vieri. That game was followed on Sunday by the table topping clash between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid, which also finished 4-2. Two from Kovacevic and another from Nihat in the first half hour gave the Basques an unassailable lead, although Ronaldo and super-sub Portillo did make the scoreline more decent in the end. In the day's other matches, Urzaiz (Athletic), Javi Guerrero (Racing) and Mista (Valencia) all added to their tallies and joined the group on eleven goals. (16.04.03)