The Whites close out the first half of the season undefeated at the Santiago Bernabéu

Real Madrid reclaimed their seven-point cushion over Barcelona with a 2-0 victory over Zaragoza on Sunday. Iker Casillas stole the show with nine breathtaking saves, while goals by Van Nistelrooy and Robinho were all the Whites needed for another three points. That makes 20 straight home wins and 27 points out of 27 in this first half of the season.




The Santiago Bernabéu rang in 2008 La Liga action with a bang. Bernd Schuster sat Pepe, but Heinze was fit for action against a Zaragoza side with López Vallejo debuting in goal and Sergio García along right flank and Zapater the left.

Van Nistelrooy fired the first warning shot and came close to giving Madrid the early lead. Heinze fell injured in the 16th minute and was replaced by Miguel Torres, which entailed Sergio Ramos taking position in the centre of the back line. Oliveira had a golden opportunity six minutes later but the goal was disallowed after being flagged offside for chasing the Diego Milito ricochet. Luccin then tried his luck with a header, followed by Sergio García from outside the box. Zaragoza enjoyed their best minutes of fast, offensive-minded football.

Real Madrid stuck to their gameplan. Baptista made a great run on goal and dribbled past his markers, but Robinho was unable to capitalize after receiving the assist. It was Madrid's best play of the match, and it jump-started the Whites after several minutes of lackadaisical play. Zaragoza's main threat was Sergio García, who was responsible for creating every offensive series for the visitors, but Casillas and their lack of accuracy on goal prevented them from heading into the half with the lead. López Vallejo also made an outstanding save in the 43rd minute to keep Sneijder's shot from finding the back of the net.

Guti tabbed in the second half
Zaragoza dominated the match coming out of the dressing room. Sergio García served an assist to Milito, who was alone in front of Casillas, but the Madridista keeper saved the day. Iker was then forced to stop a powerful, long-range shot by Zapater. Schuster needed fresh legs and innovative ideas on the pitch, so the German gave Guti the nod in place of Sneijder.

Guti proved effective seconds after coming on with a brilliant pass that Torres was unable to intercept. Casillas, meanwhile, was back to his old self, this time with Diogo, who couldn't find gold with a strong header. Oliveira's shot struck off the far post two minutes later. Iker was well on his way to his fourth straight clean sheet.

Van Nistelrooy's ninth
Zaragoza may have been playing at their finest, but Real Madrid were about to take the lead and never look back. Robinho made his way by Juanfran on the right flank and curled in a brilliant cross for Van Nistelrooy to header home for his ninth of the season.

Uncontainable Robinho
After tallying an assist in the first goal, Robinho added the nail in the coffin 11 minutes later. The Brazilian finished his brilliant run from the midfield with a perfect shot across the box which found the far corner of López Vallejo's net.

Zaragoza were done in and could only watch as the best keeper in the world prevented them from clawing back. Real Madrid maintain their seven-point lead over Barcelona, while Espanyol are eight off and Atletico ten away.

Twenty straight wins at the Bernabéu
Including tonight's victory, Real Madrid have 20 straight wins at the Bernabéu (League, Champions League, and King's Cup matches). The Whites have laid claim to all 27 possible points at home so far this season. The next to try their luck on this indomitable fortress are Mallorca in Cup action, but first the Whites hit the road for the away leg of the tie and a League clash against Levante.

MATCH SUMMARY:
2- REAL MADRID: Iker Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Heinze (Miguel Torres, m.18), Marcelo; Diarra, Baptista (Gago, m.71) , Sneijder (Guti, m.54); Robinho, Raúl, and Van Nistelrooy.
0- ZARAGOZA: López Vallejo; Diogo, Sergio Fernández, Ayala, Juanfran; Zapater, Celades (Oscar, m.77), Luccin, Sergio García (Gabi, m.77); Oliveira (Paredes, m.89), and Diego Milito.
GOALS
1-0: Van Nistelrooy, min. 68.
2-0: Robinho, min. 75.
REFEREE: Iturralde González. Booked Marcelo (m.35), Sergio Ramos (m.70), Zapater (m.70), and Diogo (m.86). Sent off Zaragoza doctor Jesús Villanueva.
NOTES: Matchday 18 of La Liga played at the Santiago Bernabéu. Attendance: 74,000.