MADRID, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid ended Sunday with a nine-point lead in the local league after a 3-2 home win over third-place Villarreal, in a contest where the teams knew ahead of the match that whatever the score, their placings would not change.

    Madrid, managed by Germany's Bernd Schuster, has not lost at its home Santiago Bernabeu Stadium since Feb. 4, 2007, to Levante. After Sunday's result, Real has 53 points, while second place Barcelona has 44 after a 1-1 tie with Bilbao.

Real Madrid's Robinho celebrates his goal against Villarreal during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium January 27, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Villarreal, managed by Chile's Manuel Pellegrini, suffered a key last-minute loss: French player Robert Pires was sidelined with gastroenteritis and was replaced by Cani.

    Scoring opened in minute nine with genial Madrid-born Jose Maria Guti made a beautiful pass to Brazilian striker Robino, who scored for Real.

    Villarreal waited a mere seven minutes to even the score, thanks to a potent left by Italy's Giuseppe Rossi from outside the area, which shattered a Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas's long-standing purple patch. Before the goal Casillas had gone 575 minutes of active play without conceding a goal.

    With two minutes to go before the end of the first half, Guti made Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez sweat with a shot on goal from a free kick. Rising star Santiago Cazorla, from Spanish region Asturias, shot back just a minute later, with a left-footed shot that was stopped by Casillas. Neither attack ended with a goal.

    After the break, Madrid struck back with a combination, starting with Guti, who passed on to charging Sergio Ramos and finally to a deadly Robinho, who cashed in his work for a second goal.

    Capdevila clashed with Madrid's defense twice, scoring the second equalizer in minute 75, but it was not to last. Madrid's Wesley Sneijder, who had come on in minute 73 as a substitute for Baptista, struck back with the 76th-minute goal which sealed the team's win.

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