Football: De Paula thwarts Barcelona's ambition

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

Sunday 11 January 1998 20:02 EST
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A last-minute goal by Oscar de Paula earned Real Sociedad a 2- 2 against the Spanish league leaders, Barcelona, yesterday, preventing the Catalans from breaking away from Real Madrid.

Barcelona surrendered a two-goal lead and the draw put them only one point clear of Real, who themselves were held 1-1 on Saturday by their neigbours, Atletico. Sociedad stay third.

Barcelona took the lead when Luis Enrique followed up after the Sociedad keeper Alberto Lopez fumbled Sonny Anderson's 20-yard shot. The Brazilian scored the second himself from similarly close range, set up by a low left-wing cross from Sergi in the 70th minute.

Sociedad bounced back with a goal by Loren Juarros in the 82nd minute. Then came De Paula's equalizer, which took Sociedad's run to 17 games without defeat and their unbeaten sequence at home against Barca to 10 years.

On Saturday, a goal four minutes from the end by the 18-year-old Jose Maria Romero earned a draw for Atletico after Real Madrid had gone ahead in the 68th minute with a goal by their new Brazilian signing Savio.

Internazionale bounced back from their Italian cup humiliation at the hands of Milan in midweek, winning 1-0 at Piacenza in Serie A yesterday thanks to Francesco Moriero. The only goal came when he dribbled past a string of Piacenza players, Ronaldo-style, before driving the ball home and banishing the nightmare of his team's 5-0 defeat at the San Siro in the Italian Cup.

Inter's win was even more precious because second-placed Juventus also picked up three points yesterday, the champions beating Vicenza 2-0. Alessandro Del Piero converted a 27th-minute penalty after his strike partner Filippo Inzaghi was brought down. Ciro Ferrara notched the second from a 76th- minute Del Piero corner.

An early blitz wrecked Parma's hopes of keeping up with the leading clubs, and they went down 5-2 away to Sampdoria, for whom Giuseppe Signori scoredhis first two goals since his transfer from Lazio last month.

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