Madrid rallies over Sporting Gijon

Madrid was shaken into action on Saturday by David Barral's 53rd-minute goal, with Rafael Van der Vaart and Xabi Alonso scoring within two minutes of each other to put the home side ahead by the 57th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Gonzalo Higuain then scored his 20th goal of the season in the 68th as Madrid moved onto 68 points. Barcelona, which plays at Zaragoza on Sunday, is on 65 points.

Sevilla followed up its midweek Champions League exit with a 2-0 defeat at mid-table Espanyol while Pedro Leon's 86th-minute goal earned Getafe a 2-2 draw at Athletic Bilbao in a match which saw both teams finish with 10 men.

Also, Valladolid ended its three-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory at Deportivo La Coruna, last-place Xerez beat Tenerife 2-1 for a second straight win.

Juan Pablo Colinas' diving save from Higuain's long shot in the 43rd minute was the last meaningful action of a first half devoid of excitement as neither team created real scoring opportunities until Barral's opener.

The Sporting striker was played into space on the right side of the area and, using a teammate at the far post as a decoy, finally elected to fire a powerful shot past goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Barral's goal provoked a reaction from Madrid, with Van der Vaart controlling the rebound from Cristiano Ronaldo's freekick and volleying home a 55th-minute equalizer. Sporting's players claimed the Netherlands midfielder controlled the ball with his arms.

Ronaldo had a part in the second as he headed a corner kick into the path of Alonso, who was alone at the far post to guide the ball home. Ronaldo spent the next few minutes applying an ice cube to his cheek after getting knocked in the face when nodding the ball back.

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