Madrid make most of second chance

By Andy Hall

A Zinedine Zidane penalty after just three - or strictly speaking 87 - minutes gave Real Madrid CF a valuable 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad de Fútbol as 22,000 fans turned up at the Santiago Bernabéu to witness the remaining six minutes and 40 seconds of a match that was abandoned at 1-1 on 12 December after a bomb scare.

Morientes selected
Madrid's newly appointed coach, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, decided to tweak his side ahead of the game, opting for striker Fernando Morientes ahead of Michael Owen, who had been on the pitch when the original fixture was halted. Meanwhile, visiting coach José María Amorrortu also made changes, switching Mikel Alonso for Mikel Arteta in midfield while Aitor López Rekarte reclaimed the left-back slot from Iban Zubiaurre.

Ambition rewarded
Madrid dominated the short period of play. Just moments after a Raúl González header flashed past the post, the locals were awarded a penalty when Ronaldo, attempting a stepover in the area, was brought down by Mikel Labaka. Zidane's spot-kick, hammered low and hard into the left corner, gave goalkeeper Asier Riesgo no chance.

Top-three place
The win puts Madrid back in third place - though ten points adrift of leaders FC Barcelona - and serves as the perfect aperitif for Sunday's city derby with Club Atlético de Madrid. Real, meanwhile, would have moved into the top half of the table had they held on for a point, but instead remain eleventh, and next play Albacete Balompié on Sunday.