Two early goals from the Spanish first division's leading scorer Luis Fabiano put Champions League contenders Sevilla on their way to a 5-0 thrashing of a hapless Real Zaragoza on Saturday.
Fabiano found the net after 19 and 24 minutes, scoring both times from close range after a pass from out wide on the right by his compatriot Daniel Alves, to take his tally to 19 for the season.
After suffering a severe body blow with little more than a quarter of the game concluded, Zaragoza then went on to fall apart.
Zaragoza defenders Roberto Ayala and Carlos Diogo both put through their own net a few minutes either side of half-time.
Things went from bad to worse for Diogo after his own goal five minutes after half time, the Uruguayan defender getting sent off less than four minutes later for a wild foul on Diego Capel.
Seydou Keita then completed Zaragoza's humiliation after 69 minutes, their worst defeat in the league for seven years, when the Malian midfielder headed home an Alves free kick.
Sevilla's fifth league win in their last six games, and their biggest in any competition this season, elevated the reigning UEFA Cup holders to fifth place in La Liga.
Valencia partially put behind them the off-the-field turmoil which has engulfed them in recent weeks but had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Recreativo Huelva.
On Friday, almost half the Valencia squad had to attend a Spanish court, because of an acrimonious contract dispute between club president Juan Soler and former captain David Albelda.
Valencia went ahead six minutes before the break when Ever Banega lofted the ball over the Recreativo defense and found Juan Mata.
The 19 year-old needed only one touch before getting his second goal of the season.
Recreativo equalized seven minutes after the break when Carlos Martins unleashed a thunderbolt from just outside the area.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tomorrow for the final berth at next year's World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome yesterday. The home team's loss means that Nicaragua finishes No. 1 in the qualifier round held in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to the games. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier yesterday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, finished third, while South Africa placed at the bottom
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