Valencia set their sights on a top-four La Liga finish and a Champions League spot on Sunday after brushing aside struggling Getafe 4-1.
They are now just two points off fourth-placed Villarreal thanks to two penalties by David Villa in either half and strikes from Juan Mata and Raul Albiol.
Getafe’s goal also came from a spot-kick, with Francisco Casquero converting at the start of the second half, but they were never able to cause any sustained danger to Valencia’s makeshift defense missing Carlos Marchena and Alexis Ruano.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“We still have a long way to go in order to make up for the points that we have dropped this season and so two wins does not make everything OK,” Valencia coach Unai Emery said. “But we are satisfied with the game though and we need to keep going.”
It has been a good weekend for Valencia with all the teams around them losing ground in the battle for European places.
Atletico Madrid’s inconsistency continued as they crashed to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Osasuna.
Walter Pandiani gave the away side the lead after just seven minutes and while Diego Forlan equalized, Osasuna took full advantage of Atletico’s defensive frailties. Krisztian Vadocz restored their lead and then, after the break, Pandiani scored again. Masoud Shojaei piled on the misery for the home side, who pulled back a consolation through Pablo Ibanez.
“It was a very bad game and we were never in control, maybe it was because we were too anxious. We have found it difficult against supposedly weaker teams and it shouldn’t be like that,” Atletico coach Abel Resino said. “Without making it into an excuse though, the crowd have shown no backing to some players.”
At the other end of the table, Espanyol boosted their survival hopes with a 3-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna.
Ivan Alonso pounced to put the Catalans ahead after the Deportivo keeper spilled an Ivan de la Pena cross and then the diminutive midfielder, who was controlling the contest, doubled the lead. Lassad Nouioui pulled a goal back and Depor had chances to level the game, but an own-goal by Albert Lopo in injury-time secured the win.
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barça secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barça a 2-0 win over
RSS