La Liga: Madrid close in on Barca after win

Barcelona: Real Madrid provisionally moved to within two points of league leaders Barcelona by beating Levante 2-0 on Saturday.

Karim Benzema scored Madrid's sixth-minute opener after a great individual effort from Angel Di Maria, and Ricardo Carvalho sealed the win four minutes before halftime.

Madrid's 12th victory in as many games at Santiago Bernabeu stadium increases the pressure on Barcelona to beat Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

"We have done our job, and now it is their turn to respond," Madrid defender Sergio Ramos said.

The win also extended coach Jose Mourinho's nine-year unbeaten league run at home. The last time the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager lost at his home ground was when FC Porto fell to Beira Mar 3-2 in February 2002.

The Portuguese manager had said before the game that his record was not important. He also played down the significance of closing the gap on Barca.

"The truth is that the pressure is on the team in second place, not the leader," he said.

With the first leg of its Champions League round of 16 match against Lyon set for Tuesday, Mourinho rested midfielder Xabi Alonso, defender Pepe and striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who came on late as a substitute. Goalkeeper Antonio Adan also made his first start in Spain's top division with Madrid captain Iker Casillas serving a one-game suspension.

Even though Madrid had routed Levante 8-0 in their last meeting in the Spanish capital in the Copa del Rey, Levante had drawn with Madrid in their first league fixture and won the second leg of their Copa del Rey match, making the minnow one of just three teams to beat Mourinho's squad this campaign.

Luis Garcia's team had also won a club record three straight games, but Madrid quickly banished any thoughts of an upset.

Benzema, who had lost his spot in the starting 11 with Adebayor's arrival in January, wasted little time in putting Madrid ahead when Di Maria dribbled through three defenders before crossing for the France striker to redirect into goal.

"Our rival was organized in defense, but scoring early gave us more control of the game," Mourinho said.

Cristiano Ronaldo grazed the top of the goal with a header in the 16th, and Levante goalkeeper Gustavo Munua made two excellent saves from shots by Di Maria and Benzema in the 22nd and 24th as the hosts pressed to put the game away.

But it was center back Carvalho who slid unmarked into the six-yard box to stab home Ronaldo's free kick after Di Maria had provoked a foul on the left edge of the box.

Munua denied Madrid a third goal with back-to-back saves from a header by Ronaldo and a hard volley by Benzema in the 65th.

Ronaldo kept firing away, but Munua was there to block the Portuguese forward's two clear attempts late in the contest.

Elsewhere, Valencia drew 0-0 with Sporting Gijon, and Sergio Aguero gave Atletico Madrid a 1-0 win at Zaragoza.

After a disappointing draw with Schalke in the Champions League midweek, Valencia dominated possession but could not convert any chances to be held scoreless for the first time at Mestalla stadium this season.

"It is true we were not fresh," Valencia coach Unai Emery said. "We did not move the ball enough and we did not have precision in our one-on-one situations."

Valencia remained undefeated in 10 games, but is only three points clear of fourth-place Villarreal.

Valencia's top goal scorer, Aritz Aduriz, injured his ankle in the second half and Brazilian striker Jonas Goncalves, who joined the team in the winter transfer window, debuted for Valencia as his substitute.

At La Romareda stadium, Atletico created multiple scoring chances early, but goalkeeper Leo Franco kept a clean sheet until Aguero broke through in the 66th.

The Argentina forward used his speed to beat his marker and fired past Franco for his eighth goal of the season. He later had to be substituted for with an apparent thigh injury.

Ikechuwku Uche returned to the pitch for Zaragoza as a second-half substitute after being sidelined for a year and a half with a knee injury.

The Nigerian striker came close to equalizing in the 88th when his shot hit the crossbar, and teammate Nicolas Bertolo was also denied by the woodwork moments later.

The win ended Atletico's streak of four straight losses and lifted it to within four points of the Europa League positions.

Also on Sunday, it's: Getafe vs. Racing Santander, Villarreal vs. Malaga, Almeria vs. Deportivo La Coruna; Osasuna vs. Espanyol, and Sevilla vs. Hercules.

Mallorca is at Real Sociedad on Monday to close round 24.