Real Madrid 2 - Gimnastic Tarragona 0

Madrid: Casillas; Michel Salgado, Cannavaro, Iván Helguera, Miguel Torres; Diarra, Guti; Higuaín (Marcelo 79'), Cassano (Robinho 46'), Raúl (De la Red 89'); Van Nistelrooy. 4-2-3-1.
Nàstic: Bizzarri; Calvo, César Navas, David García, Marco; Chabaud, Juan Díaz (Matellán 79'); Campano (Carlos Merino 74'), Pinilla (Ismael Irurzun 60'), Cuéllar; Rubén Castro. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Madrid: Cannavaro, Cassano for Sergio Ramos, Gago / Nàstic: Juan Díaz, Campano for Morales, Portillo.

Goals:
1-0. 56. Robinho. Connected with Van Nistelrooy wide shot to turn ball into net.
2-0. 81. David García (own goal). Deflected ball past Bizzarri after Raúl headed on.

Real Madrid stay five points behind the top two after a 2-0 win over Gimnàstic, although they had more problems than expected despite the fact that César Navas was sent off for a foul on Van Nistelrooy just outside of the area with the game only five minutes old. Raúl had a header saved by Bizzarri and Helguera shot over the bar, but Casillas had to make a reaction save from a deflected shot by Pinilla, and Cuéllar curled a shot just wide of the far post.

At half time the local fans whistled off their players, and Capelló brought on Robinho for Cassano. The move paid off within ten minutes, the Brazilian forward opening the scoring after getting on the end of a scuffed Van Nistelrooy shot to turn the ball past the keeper.

After that Madrid were on top, with Higuaín hitting the post and wasting another chance after Robinho's shot was saved, and Higuaín and Van Nistelrooy both having shots blocked. However Rubén Castro could have equalised for Nàstic before the locals got their second, Raúl getting a head to Salgado's chipped cross before David García finally headed it down past his own keeper trying to clear. Raúl and Marcelo both had efforts saved by Bizzarri later on, but by then there was no danger that their side were going to give up the three points.