Real Madrid, Barcelona both win in Spain's matchday 26

    MADRID, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid and BBVA Primera Liga leaders both won on Spain's matchday 26 to maintain their personal duel¹ at the top of the league table.
    Barcelona(巴塞罗那) had opened up a 10 point lead with their 1-0 win in Valencia on Wednesday night, but 24 hours later Madrid enjoyed an easy triumph over a struggling Malaga to leave the gap at seven points once again.
    The return of former Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium was the big talking point of the game, but it soon became clear that the game itself was going to be straightforward(简单的,坦率的) for the home side.
    Despite Madrid coach Jose Mourinho's recent complaints about the fixture² calendar, Malaga had two days less to prepare the game than Madrid and looked sluggish³ on the pitch.
    Karim Benzema opened the score just before the half hour and Angel Di Maria doubled Madrid's lead after a horrible error from the Malaga defense⁴, before Marcelo Vieira finished off a team move to make it 3-0 before the break.
    Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal in almost 500 minutes to make it 4-0 shortly after the break. Benzema added his second with a header and Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot after an action that also saw Malaga's Manuel Gaspar sent off.
    They were down to nine minutes later when Cala left the pitch injured with no substitutes to bring on an after 76 minutes Cristiano Ronaldo completed his hat-trick to make it 7-0. He then immediately left the pitch raising worries that he could have picked up an injury.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 duel   

n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争

参考例句：

• The two teams are locked in a duel for first place.两个队为争夺第一名打得难解难分。
• Duroy was forced to challenge his disparager to duel.杜洛瓦不得不向诋毁他的人提出决斗。

2 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

3 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。