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Ronaldinho receives the Ballon d’Or award from mother Miguelina at the Nou Camp in Barcelona on Sunday. (AP) |
Madrid: Ronaldinho produced another dazzling piece of skill to give Barcelona a 2-1 comeback win at home to Sevilla on Sunday as they notched up an 11th consecutive victory in all competitions to equal their club record.
The Brazilian, presented with the Ballon d’Or Trophy for the European Footballer of the Year by his mother Miguelina before the match, sped past three defenders to fire the winner just 12 minutes from the end of an absorbing encounter at the Nou Camp.
The Catalans matched their 50-year-old record of 11 consecutive wins set in the 1955-56 season but it was not enough to shake off the attention of surprise package Osasuna.
The victory sent the Spanish champions back to the top of the standings, level on points with high-flying Osasuna who extended their perfect home record to eight wins when they earlier beat struggling Real Mallorca 1-0 at El Sadar.
Real Madrid moved up to third after a 2-0 victory at Malaga to give new coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro a winning start in the league.
Defender Sergio Ramos, playing in midfield for the suspended David Beckham, headed in the first goal from a corner and Brazilian forward Robinho added a second four minutes later with a fierce strike after a twinkling run down the right.
Barcelona lead the table, level on 34 points from 15 games with Osasuna who are six ahead of a Real team they will meet next week at the Bernabeu.
Villarreal, Deportivo Coruna, Valencia and Celta Vigo are all tucked in close behind, a further two points adrift.
Javier Aguirre’s Osasuna got off to a dream start when Cameroon striker Webo clipped the ball over Toni Prats after the Mallorca ’keeper scuffed a clearance into his path with just five minutes on the clock.
The Navarrans dominated throughout and regularly threatened with their slickly worked counter-attacks, but despite a host of clear scoring chances they were unable to extend their lead.
In Italy, a dramatic stoppage-time winner by Adriano gave Inter Milan a 3-2 win over city rivals AC Milan in a pulsating Serie A derby on Sunday.
Inter’s victory ? their first over Milan in the league since March 2002 ? lifted them to second on 32 points ? 10 behind leaders Juventus who earlier crushed Cagliari 4-0.
Fiorentina are third, also with 32 points, after a 1-0 win over Treviso on Saturday. Milan slipped to fourth on 31 points.
Inter came out aggressively, pushing Milan into their own half, and went ahead in the 24th minute.
Milan responded by upping the tempo, reaping the reward seven minutes from half-time when Kaka won a free-kick on the edge of Inter’s area.
Milan striker Alberto Gilardino narrowly failed to connect with a Jaap Stam cross that flashed dangerously across Inter’s goal before Martins restored Inter’s lead with a poacher’s goal in the 59th minute.
Adriano fired in a powerful free-kick and Dida parried but he could not prevent Martins firing home the loose ball.
An 83rd-minute Stam header from a Pirlo free-kick briefly levelled the scores but in the first minute of stoppage time Adriano headed a corner past Dida to give Inter the three points and consign Milan to a third loss in four Serie A matches.
Elsewhere, Livorno’s excellent run continued as they beat Lazio 2-1 to consolidate fifth place on 28 points.