Madrid Archive

Madrid, Oct 25 (DPA) Spanish giants Real Madrid suffered another setback when they faced a 0-0 draw away to well-drilled Sporting Gijon.

Manuel Pellegrini’s team Saturday looked more ordered and solid than in Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat at home to AC Milan, but again lacked imagination and penetration in attack.

The draw leaves Real level at the top with Barcelona, both on 19 points. However, Barca will regain the lead if, as expected, they beat midtable Zaragoza at home Sunday.

Gijon made a lively start but without creating clear goal chances. The hosts were gradually pushed further and further back by Kaka and company but their defence kept its shape and composure.

Raul – Real’s only forward in the absence of injury victims Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain, Karim Benzema and Ruud Van Nistelrooy – almost put the whites ahead on the half hour after a goalmouth scramble.

In the 54th minute, Juan Pablo Colinas did well to save a powerful shot from Esteban Granero. And 15 minutes later the Gijon keeper got down well to a Kaka free-kick.

Real left the field with the sensation of having squandered two points rather than having gained one.

Earlier Saturday, Atletico Madrid continued their crisis with a 1-1 home draw against fifth-placed Mallorca, which had two players sent off.

Diego Forlan missed one penalty for Atletico, but then scored a second one. Borja Valero levelled for Mallorca right at the death – with the help of a blunder from teenage goalkeeper David de Gea.

As usual, Atletico left the field to the jeers of their long-suffering fans, and club president Enrique Cerezo had to endure another post-match protest.

‘We should really have won tonight,’ said Atletico left-back Antonio Lopez.

‘We cannot continue to throw points away like this.’

The disappointing draw leaves Atletico seventh from bottom, with just seven points from eight matches.

On the Atletico bench was 1996 double-winning hero Santi Dena, caretaker coach for just one match until Quique Sanchez Flores takes charge on Monday. On Friday Abel Resino was sacked by Cerezo.

Atletico made a bright start and were given a penalty in the 27th minute for a handball by Josemi, who was harshly sent off. Forlan, last season’s league top scorer, put his spot-kick wide.

It was a case of deja vu in the 54th minute, when Ivan Ramis was sent off for another handball in the area, leaving Mallorca with nine men. This time Forlan made no mistake from the spot.

But Atletico failed to build on their lead and paid the price in the 91st minute, when a nervous De Gea pushed a centre from Borja into his own goal.

Typical Atletico: a moment of clumsy misfortune which served as a metaphor for another evening of frustration.

In Saturday’s late game, third-placed Sevilla will be at home to Espanyol.

Madrid, Oct 25 (DPA) Spanish giants Real Madrid and Sevilla were both held to disappointing 0-0 draws Saturday, against Sporting Gijon and Espanyol.

The results leave Real level on top with Barcelona, both on 19 points. However, Barca will regain the lead if, as expected, they beat midtable Zaragoza at home Sunday.

Sevilla are third, on 16 points.

In Gijon, Real were more solid and stable than in Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat against AC Milan, but still lacked imagination and penetration in attack.

‘The first half was well balanced,’ according to Real coach Manuel Pellegrini.’In the second half we looked for a goal from the beginning.’

The Chilean added that he was ‘not pleased because we came here for the three points.’

Veteran Real playmaker Guti, for his part, said that ‘this team is still missing some things.’

Gijon coach Manolo Preciado said that ‘we have played against a good team and we have managed to draw.’

Prceidao’s team made a lively start but without creating clear goal chances. The hosts were gradually pushed further and further back by Kaka and company but their defence kept its shape and composure.

Raul – Real’s only forward in the absence of injury victims Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain, Karim Benzema and Ruud Van Nistelrooy – almost put the whites ahead on the half hour after a goalmouth scramble.

In the 54th minute Juan Pablo Colinas did well to save a powerful shot from Esteban Granero. And 15 minutes later the Gijon keeper got down well to a Kaka free-kick.

Real left the field with the sensation of having squandered two points rather than having gained one.

Sevilla had the same feeling later Saturday, after their goalless draw at home to Espanyol.

Espanyol had Argentine defender Nico Pareja sent off midway through the second half but managed to hang on for a point, thanks mainly to keeper Carlos Kameni.

Earlier Saturday, Atletico Madrid continued their crisis with a 1-1 home draw against fifth-placed Mallorca, which had two players sent off.

Diego Forlan missed one penalty for Atletico, but then converted a second one. Borja Valero levelled for Mallorca right at the death – with the help of a blunder from teenage goalkeeper David de Gea.

As usual, Atletico left the field to the jeers of their long-suffering fans, and club president Enrique Cerezo had to endure another post-match protest.

‘We should really have won tonight,’ said Atletico left-back Antonio Lopez.

‘We cannot continue to throw points away like this.’

The draw leaves Atletico seventh from bottom, with just seven points from eight matches.

On the Atletico bench was 1996 double-winning hero Santi Dena, caretaker coach for just one match until Quique Sanchez Flores takes charge on Monday. On Friday Abel Resino was sacked by Cerezo.

Atletico made a bright start and were given a penalty in the 27th minute for a handball by Josemi, who was harshly sent off. Forlan, last season’s league top scorer, put his spot-kick wide.

It was a case of deja vu in the 54th minute, when Ivan Ramis was sent off for another handball in the area, leaving Mallorca with nine men. This time Forlan made no mistake from the spot.

But Atletico failed to build on their lead and paid the price in the 91st minute, when a nervous De Gea pushed a centre from Borja into his own goal.

Madrid, Oct 23 (EFE) Spain’s tourism industry is forecast to end 2009 down 5.6 percent from last year’s already depressed level, its worst performance in a decade, the Alliance for Tourism Excellence, or Exceltur, said.

The crucial summer season ‘has not been at all encouraging’ and the signs of a possible recovery in 2010 are still ‘very weak’, the group said Thursday.

Although between July and September the pace of decline in tourist activity moderated slightly, that was achieved only by a steep reduction in prices.

The intense and generalized falloff in sales and tourist sector results during the summer caused many firms to come close to going under or to go into the red in the last quarter of 2009.

Hotel occupancy was 61 percent during the summer season, 10 percentage points below the figures 10 years ago and 6 points below the numbers for 2007.

Spaniards, who over the last six years travelled more and more abroad, in 2009 reduced their trips to other countries by 11 percent compared with last year.

The subsectors that suffered most during the summer season were airline companies and urban hotels tied most closely to business travel, independent travel agencies and the vacation destination establishments that are most dependent on foreign demand.

Madrid, Oct 23 (EFE) Spain’s trade deficit plunged 52.4 percent during the first eight months of this year, compared to the same period in 2008, authorities said.

The trade deficit totalled 31.91 billion euros (about $48 billion) due mainly to a steep drop in imports amid one of the worst economic slumps in the country’s history.

Imports totalled 133.65 billion euros during the January-August period, down 31.1 percent from the same period last year, while exports came in at 101.73 billion euros, off 19.8 percent from the comparable period in 2008, said the industry, tourism and trade ministry.

Spain’s trade deficit has fallen for 13 consecutive months.

The Spanish economy is currently living through its first recession since 1993, with the construction and service sectors having been especially battered by the global financial crisis.

Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union, according to figures released recently by Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, putting a damper on consumer spending and imports.

More than 3.7 million Spaniards are currently unemployed, the labour and immigration ministry said in a report earlier this month.