Villarreal missed the chance to knock Real Madrid off the top of the Spanish championship following a 1-1 draw with Almeria on Sunday.
Real's 1-1 draw with Murcia on Saturday meant Villarreal had the opportunity to replace them at the summit and they took a 13th minute lead through Turkish international Nihat.
However Alvaro Negredo leveled for Almeria after 52 minutes and Villarreal now sit second a point behind Real. Barcelona are two points further back in third after crushing Recreativo Huelva 3-0 on Sunday.
"We all wanted to lead the table but you have to deliver on the pitch," Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini said. "We had to win and we weren't capable of doing that today. Nevertheless it is a good point and we are still on the up."
Valencia could have gone two points behind the leaders themselves but instead they dropped to sixth after a 1-0 reverse at Racing Santander.
Jorge Lopez scored the winner for Santander on 70 minutes as the hosts kept another clean sheet -- they have only conceded nine goals all season.
Dutch coach Ronald Koeman must now pick his troops up for tomorrow's crucial Champions League home match against Schalke 04.
Valencia sit bottom of their group and last season's quarter-finalists have just two games to claw their way into the knockout phase.
Even without seven-goal top-scorer Giuseppe Rossi, still sidelined with a knee injury, Villarreal are potent in front of goal and Nihat, who turned 28 on Friday, celebrated his birthday with his fifth goal of the season.
Negredo pegged the hosts back and Villarreal had to settle for their first draw of the season.
Whether Villarreal, Champions League semi-finalists two seasons ago, are a flash in the pan or realistic title contenders remains to be seen but it is worth noting that they have already beaten Sevilla, Valencia, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid this season.
With seasoned Frenchman Robert Pires and Spanish international Marcos Senna pulling the strings in midfield and Pascal Cygan, formerly of Arsenal, Villarreal look a tough proposition.
Espanyol are another surprise team this season and a 2-1 win at Osasuna on Sunday saw them jump to fourth. Espanyol are now only two points behind their Catalan rivals Barcelona.
Elsewhere Atletico Madrid won a thrilling encounter with Valladolid 4-3 on Sunday that underlined their attacking prowess but exposed their defensive frailties.
Portuguese international Maniche scored after just three minutes but Victor equalized for Valladolid on 40 minutes and the goalscoring did not end there with captain Maxi Rodriguez grabbing a brace after Atletico had twice gone behind.
Pedro Lopez then headed into his own goal in the final seconds as Atletico took the points. Atletico's next match is at home to Scottish side Aberdeen in Thursday's UEFA Cup group match.
"It was a crazy game," Atletico coach Javier Aguirre said. "This season my team have a huge desire to win and you can see that. It is not normal to concede and score so many goals but the most important thing is that we continue collecting points."
It was not the only goal frenzy with bottom side Levante coming from two goals down to defeat Real Betis 4-3.
For Levante it was only their second win of the season and the loss heaps pressure on embattled Betis coach Hector Cuper.
In Sunday's late match Real Zaragoza and Getafe shared a 1-1 draw.
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
RSS