Atlético edge Deportivo in thriller

Maxi Rodríguez scored twice as Club Atlético de Madrid edged a five-goal thriller against RC Deportivo La Coruña at the Vicente Calderón, while Athletic Club Bilbao moved away from the relegation zone with a valuable win at home to Getafe CF.

Stunning free-kick
Atlético went into their match against sixth-placed Deportivo looking to end a winless run in the Spanish capital stretching back to October. That dismal sequence also included a six-week stretch without scoring but Maxi ended that unwanted record when he broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark. Rubén Castro restored parity shortly after half-time but Atlético have discovered resolve under Pepe Murcia and Antonio López quickly made it 2-1 with a sumptuous free-kick.

Getafe slip
Joan Capdevila had equalised on the hour mark but the home side were not to be denied as Maxi sealed the points with an acrobatic flick with full time approaching. The win moves Atlético up to eleventh, just two points behind Getafe after Bernd Schuster's side slipped to a surprise 1-0 defeat away to Athletic. Pablo Orbáiz scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot with 17 minutes remaining after Aníbal Matellán brought down Francisco Yeste.

Cádiz near landmark
Getafe therefore remain moored in a congested-looking mid-table, with seven teams separated by just seven points. Cádiz CF and Real Racing Club Santander are amongst them after playing out a 1-1 draw at the Ramón de Carranza stadium. Felipe Melo opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the second half before Raúl López equalised with Cádiz's 199th goal in the Spanish top flight. They must wait until next week to reach their double century, however.