Timely Ronaldo maintains Madrid bid

FC Barcelona's lead at the Liga summit is back to a solitary point following Real Madrid CF's dramatic 3-2 win against CA Osasuna.

Barcelona shrugged off their midweek UEFA Champions League elimination with an impressive 4-1 victory at Villarreal CF on Saturday that opened up a four-point gap over Madrid. The capital outfit responded in kind to maintain a tight battle at the top, but they were made to work for their win after Osasuna took the lead on seven minutes when Carlos Aranda seized upon a scuffed back pass.

The hosts responded with 25 minutes on the clock through Cristiano Ronaldo's low drive but found themselves behind again three minutes before half-time when Krisztián Vadócz rifled in a half-volley. The scores were level at the interval, though, thanks to Marcelo's header, and Madrid claimed a remarkable victory a minute from time courtesy of Ronaldo's second. The Portuguese international nodded in to lift his tally for his debut Liga season to 21.

The fight for the fourth and final UEFA Champions League berth is also hotting up with RCD Mallorca the current occupants thanks to a 3-1 win at Athletic Club. Sevilla FC earlier recorded a victory by the same scoreline against UEFA Europa League finalists Club Atlético de Madrid but still trail Mallorca by two points.