Zaragoza 2-2 Real Madrid

Nobody was quite sure what to expect from this one. When asked what he thought of his team in the press conference, Bernd Schuster refused to answer. "This isn't a game to use to analyse the team," he said, bearing little resemblance to a coach who had already won the league title, and who's side played a decent 90 minutes despite having nothing to play for and finding themselves up against a team who desperately needed the points. Because while the champions had nothing at stake, the home side everything riding on the game. Zaragoza went into this fixture one point clear of safety, and they left it one point adrift in the third relegation spot after both Recreativo and Osasuna won their games.

With Casillas already having won the Zamora trophy, Jerzy Dudek was handed his first league appearance with the club and made a couple of brilliant saves to keep Zaragoza at bay. He was hardly at fault for the first goal of the game, which Ricardo Oliveira finished, and saved well from Aimar, Sergio and Oliveira later on.

Christophe Metzelder made his first start since November and also acquitted himself well after some well-timed challenges. But while Dudek and Metzelder had to contend with the kitchen sink being launched at them by Milito, Oliveira, Aimar and Sergio Garcia, it was inevitable that Zaragoza would leave space in the, ahem, bedroom, allowing Ruud Van Nistelrooy to slip in, get comfortable, and level the game before half time. Cesar had only been able to parry Robinho's shot. The Brazilian later put the Blancos in the lead with a beautiful finish, similar to his goal against Recreativo, in what was his 100th appearance for the club.

Sergio saved a point for Villanova's side with three minutes to go with an impressive finish (for a centre-back), but the faces at the Romareda said it all. Zaragoza could be relegated next weekend, when at roughly the same time Real Madrid will be jogging round the Bernabeu pitch with the league trophy. That a team with nothing to play for can still draw a game against a side fighting for survival says a lot about the quality in Madrid's squad, and also it says a lot about this year's la liga.