Madrid: Real Madrid stumbled to a 3-2 defeat against Zaragoza and missed an opportunity to stay in the hunt for the Spanish title after league leader Barcelona slipped up in a 2-1 loss at Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Angel Lafita scored twice and set up a penalty as Zaragoza capitalized on Madrid's low morale following its Champions League loss to Barcelona on Wednesday to leave the Spanish giant's title challenge on the brink of collapse.
But Sociedad rallied to score twice in the final 20 minutes to keep Barcelona from matching the Basque club's own league record of 32 games without defeat from the 1979-80 season.
Barcelona, which hadn't lost a domestic league match since September, still maintained a comfortable eight-point advantage over Madrid with only four rounds to play.
Madrid, coming off a 2-0 first-leg semifinal loss to Barcelona on Wednesday, looked flat from the start as coach Jose Mourinho's team lost for the second time in three league games at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium after the Portuguese coach hadn't endured a home ground defeat for nine years.
"It was a key game for them in terms of staying up. And this is the result of what happens when one team comes into the game in good shape and the other not," Mourinho said. "The blame is mine alone. Today the coach was unable to motivate his players in the first half."
Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas came out of his area to disrupt a Zaragoza long ball in the 41st minute but fanned on the clearance, with the ball eventually coming to Lafita to slot into the open goal.
Gabriel Fernandez made it 2-0 to the visitors with a 54th-minute penalty after Ricardo Carvalho muscled Lafita down inside the area.
After Sergio Ramos cut the lead with a header in the 63rd, Lafita struck against the run of play in the 77th before Karim Benzema scored Madrid's last with five minutes to go.
Madrid lost Carvalho to a second yellow card soon after that and Zaragoza 'keeper Toni Doblas saved Kaka's point-blank header in the third-minute of injury-time to seal an important victory that moved Zaragoza four points clear of the drop zone.
While Kaka had a good penalty shout waived away right after Ramos' opener, the weight of Wednesday's defeat showed as Madrid lacked concentration even with most of the regulars on the bench. Mourinho left forward Cristiano Ronaldo out of the squad following the Portugal forward's criticism of Madrid's playing style in its loss to Barcelona, which it faces in the second leg on Tuesday.
"Leaving him out of the team was my decision. I had (Gonzalo) Higuain and Benzema available and they seemed very motivated," Mourinho said.
While Ronaldo watched from the stands alongside model girlfriend Irina Shayk, Lionel Messi started for Barcelona at the Anoeta despite worries over a leg muscle injury. He didn't add to his season tally of 52 goals but assisted on Thiago Alcantara's opener in the 29th minute.
The Argentina forward slowed Xavi Hernandez's threaded pass onto the path of Thiago and the midfielder lobbed over goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to make the most of a rare start.
Like Madrid, Barcelona rested several regulars for Tuesday's match but was forced to send on Daniel Alves after 14 minutes for Martin Montoya after the defender broke his left shoulder. Defender Gabriel Milito exited with a leg injury soon after Diego Ifran equalized with a poacher's goal in the 71st.
Milito's exit pushed Javier Mascherano from midfield into a center back role and the Argentine was guilty of tripping Antoine Griezmann to set up Xabi Prieto's 81st-minute winner from the spot.
Backup Jose Manuel Pinto filled in for Victor Valdes since the regular 'keeper was suspended for the Madrid match, and got a hand to Prieto's penalty but couldn't keep the low shot out.
"It would have been nicer to get to the semifinal on the back of a victory," said Guardiola, whose team will next play classic rival Madrid for the fourth time in 18 days.
Real's second win in eight games moved it six points above Osasuna, which was in the last relegation spot.
Also, Sergio Aguero led Atletico Madrid past 10-man Deportivo La Coruna 1-0.
Deportivo — only three points above the drop — was reduced to 10 just before the hour mark when Alberto Lopo checked Aguero to be shown a second yellow card. Aguero's 17th league goal pushed Atletico into fifth place, one point above Athletic Bilbao.
In other 34th-round games, it's: Almeria vs. Sevilla; Levante vs. Sporting Gijon; Malaga vs. Hercules; Racing Santander vs. Mallorca; Villarreal vs. Getafe; Osasuna vs. Valencia; and Espanyol vs. Athletic.
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