Sat May 3 18:07:25 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Camacho leads Atletico over Recreativo

---

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Midfielder Ignacio Camacho, who turns 18 on Sunday, scored his first two La Liga goals Saturday to help Atletico Madrid defeat Recreativo, 4-0, to inch closer to securing a Champions League berth.

Atletico had just one win in its last five games but opened a five-point lead on fifth-place Racing with the victory. The top four teams in Spain's La Liga qualify for the Champions League.

Sergio Aguero also scored for Atletico. He has 17 goals this season.

Camacho scored his first goal in the 23rd minute off a header. Aguero extended Atletico's lead in the 54th and Camacho capped his memorable performance with his second goal in the 74th minute.

Atletico also moved within striking distance of third-place Barcelona, which is just three points ahead. Barcelona and Racing both play Sunday.

Also Saturday, Roberto Ayala scored in the 90th minute as Real Zaragoza took a major step toward avoiding relegation with a 1-0 win over Deportivo.

Real Zaragoza, which entered the day 18th in the standings, moved past Osasuna and Recreativo. Recreativo slipped into the relegation zone and Osasuna could pull clear Sunday.

Deportivo's hopes of qualifying for European competition took a big blow with the loss. The club is three points behind Sevilla, which plays Sunday, for the second of two UEFA Cup spots from La Liga.

On Sunday, Levante hosts Espanyol, Sevilla hosts Real Valladolid, Athletic Bilbao hosts Mallorca, Almeria hosts Real Betis, Racing hosts Real Murcia, Villarreal hosts Getafe, Barcelona hosts Valencia and Osasuna hosts Real Madrid.