Spanish leader Real Madrid outlasted Valencia 3-2 in a thrilling contest to remain three points ahead of Barcelona after the Catalan side cruised to a 4-0 win over Zaragoza Saturday. Valencia marked a fast pace at Mestalla Stadium, but Madrid's individual talent and disciplined defense kept it in control in a physical contest marked by various bookings until a wild final 15 minutes. Karim Benzema, starting in place of Gonzalo Higuain in strike, latched on to Xabi Alonso's quickly taken free kick and fired it into the right side of the net to put Madrid ahead in the 20th minute. Madrid looked set to enjoy a comfortable win after defender Sergio Ramos headed Mesut Oezil's corner off the right post and into the net in the 71st, but the game instead turned into a shootout. Four minutes later striker Roberto Soldado blasted in a loose ball from outside the area to give Valencia some hope. Cristiano Ronaldo immediately responded for Madrid with his 14th goal of the season. The run of play, however, swung back in Valencia's favor when Soldado redirected Pablo Hernandez's backpass by Casillas in the 82nd. Valencia's second loss of the season left it in third place, seven points behind Madrid. Earlier, Barcelona's precision passing game kept Zaragoza on the back foot as the three-time defending champion had little trouble extending its excellent start to 20 games without a loss this season. Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi scored before halftime, with Carles Puyol forcing Zaragoza defender Maurizio Lanzaro into adding an own goal before David Villa capped the win late. Elsewhere, Borja Valero's first-half goal gave Villarreal a 1-0 win over visiting Real Betis for its third win of the season. On Sunday, Athletic Bilbao beat Sevilla 2-1 Sunday to extend its unbeaten run to eight games in the Spanish league. Earlier, Sporting Gijon rallied to beat 10-man Getafe 2-1, while Osasuna-Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad-Espanyol both ended in scoreless draws.
