Madrid wins La Liga as Reyes sparks late rally

Soccer Betting Lines

06/17/2007 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Antonio Reyes came on as a second- half substitute and scored two goals to help Real Madrid claim its first La Liga title since the 2002-03 season with a 3-1 win against Mallorca at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

Madrid entered the final day level on points with Barcelona, but held the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Catalan side recorded a 5-1 win over last-place Gimnastic, but it was not enough to claim a third-straight title as Madrid rallied for three second-half goals to win.

Fernando Varela put Mallorca ahead 1-0 in the 17th minute, but Reyes evened things in the 68th before an own goal by Mallorca keeper Miguel Moya put Madrid ahead. Reyes then capped off the thrilling rally with his second tally of the match to clinch the league crown.

The opening minute of the match was telling as Mallorca's Juan Arango caught the Madrid defense off guard by slipping into the box and firing a left-footed shot off the near post.

It was a sign of things to come as the visitors made the most of their next chance. Arango played provider in the 17th minute by sliding a ball to Varela in behind the defense. Varela then beat keeper Iker Casillas with a first-time strike that stunned the home supporters.

Minutes later, a David Beckham free kick was swerved towards the left post but covered comfortably by Moya. Raul then found Robinho inside the area with a pass but the Brazilian redirected his shot wide of the near post.

Real's hopes took a hit in the 32nd minute when leading scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy limped off with an apparent hamstring injury, and Madrid failed to produce a serious chance the rest of the half.

The home side came out in attack mode in the second half, needing at least two goals to claim the title. Sergio Ramos sent a header over the bar four minutes after the restart, and a Beckham free kick from a dangerous spot sailed barely over the net.

However, Mallorca responded minutes later by nearly going in front by two goals. Arango once again played a great ball behind the back line for Varela, but this time his shot trickled inches wide of the far post, keeping Madrid within a goal.

Two minutes later another Beckham free kick threatened the Mallorca net. The British free-kick specialist curled a shot around the wall and off the cross bar, coming agonizingly close to equalizing.

Reyes was brought on to provide a spark for Madrid, and he did just that two minutes after stepping onto the field. Robinho dropped a pass to Gonzalo Higuain near the end line, and he drove a low cross into the front of the net that Reyes struck first time past Moya to level the contest.

With 10 minutes to play, Madrid surged ahead courtesy of a corner kick. Higuain served up the cross and Mahamadou Diarra got his head to it, sending the ball on goal. Moya was able to get his hands on the ball but as he tried to punch it clear, the ball deflected off Mallorca's Angelos Basinas and rolled across the line.

With Madrid less than 10 minutes from the title, Reyes made sure that the trophy would reside in Madrid as he bagged his second goal of the match to put the game away. Higuain tried to spin with the ball inside the area but had it poked away by a defender. However, Reyes ran onto the loose ball and bent it inside the left post from just outside the area, setting off a wild celebration inside the stadium.

In other action on La Liga's final day, third-place Sevilla was knocked off by Villarreal 1-0, Celta Vigo recorded a 2-1 win against Getafe, but will be relegated next season because they came up a point short of both Athletic Bilbao and Real Betis, who both secured wins. Bilbao scored two times in the second half to beat Levante 2-0, while Betis got two goals in the final 10 minutes from Schmidt Edu to defeat Racing 2-0. Joining Gimnastic and Celta Vigo in the second division next season will be Real Sociedad, who played to a 3-3 draw with fourth-place Valencia. Deportivo beat Espanyol 3-1, Real Zaragoza held on to its UEFA Cup spot despite a 1-1 draw with Recreativo and Atletico Madrid downed Osasuna 2-1.