Barcelona outclassed by Zaragoza

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ZARAGOZA, Spain -- Barcelona were outclassed by Real Zaragoza as they went down 1-0 at La Romareda on Saturday and the defeat offered their title rivals renewed hope of depriving the Catalans of a third successive league title.

Diego Milito took the credit for the goal but it was unclear whether he actually got a touch to the ball after fellow Argentine Andres D'Alessandro had threaded an acute-angled shot into the net from the byline 13 minutes into the second half.

The scoreline did little to reflect the domination of a Zaragoza side that had Barcelona on the ropes for most of the game.

Barca coach Frank Rijkaard's decision to opt for a three-man defense played into Zaragoza's hands from the start and his side were fortunate not to concede several more goals.

"It is always a difficult ground for us," said Rijkaard. "They played well and deserved the win."

The Dutchman rectified his decision in the second half, but by then Zaragoza had already gained an unstoppable momentum that meant their opponents could do little to stem the tide.

With nine matches to play, Barca remain top of the table on 56 points, two clear of Sevilla and five ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid who both have a game in hand.

Valencia's hopes of climbing into third place were thwarted when they went down 1-0 away to relegation battlers Athletic Bilbao.

Igor Gabilendo backheeled a low cross from Joseba Exteberria past Ludovic Butella in the 28th minute to lift Bilbao out of the bottom three.

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