Sevilla won a penalty shoot-out to lift the UEFA Cup for the second successive season on a heartbreaking night for Espanyol.
Goalkeeper Andres Palop stopped three of Espanyol's four spot-kicks to spark wild celebrations from the red and white half of Hampden Park, and back home in Seville where fans were watching on giant screens.
"He is a machine. The best goalkeeper in the world ... but his greatest strength is his personality," Sevilla sports director Ramon "Monchi" Rodriguez was quoted as saying in the daily El Mundo.
PHOTO: AP
When a long-range equalizer by Brazilian substitute Jonatas leveled the match at 2-2 at the end of extra-time, the script appeared to have been written for Barcelona's lesser-known club to clinch their first European trophy after playing for almost an hour with 10 men.
But it was not to be, Sevilla winning an edgy shoot-out 3-1.
The outcome was hard on the Catalans, who had defied the odds to equalize for a second time with five minutes of extra-time to play.
After the 90 minutes had finished with the sides tied at 1-1, Fredi Kanoute's strike appeared to have killed the contest.
But the Andalucians were left stunned when Jonatas let fly from 25m and found the bottom corner to send the match to penalties.
It was a goal from nowhere, but no more than Espanyol deserved on a night when they had looked to be on track for victory until they had midfielder Moises Hurtado sent off with just over 20 minutes of regulation time remaining.
Up until then, Espanyol had looked the more likely winners, despite requiring a 28th-minute strike from Albert Riera to cancel out a stunning opening goal by Sevilla's Brazilian midfielder Adriano.
Sevilla's status as short odds favorites to overcome opponents struggling in the bottom half of La Liga was justified by an opening in which Enzo Maresca fired narrowly over the angle of bar and post and Freddie Kanoute went close with a near post header.
Espanyol soon provided a reminder of the dangers of complacency however, after Hurtado was allowed to advance unchecked from midfield to inside 30m of goal. The midfielder's drive skidded treacherously off the sodden Hampden turf and Palop did well to gather it low to his right.
With Raul Tamudo jinking to the byline immediately afterwards, Espanyol suddenly looked the more dangerous of the two sides, but their momentum was about to be halted in exhilarating fashion by Adriano.
The corner that Tamudo had won was gathered cleanly by Palop, who immediately sent Adriano racing clear down the left with a huge throw of immaculate accuracy.
The Brazilian's gear changes were too much for a short-staffed Catalan back four and he was unchallenged as he cut into the box and placed a right-foot finish beyond the hopelessly exposed Gorka Iraizoz and into the far corner.
The brutal simplicity of the goal appeared to underline the perceived gulf in class between the two sides.
Yet within 10 minutes, Riera had put Espanyol back on level terms, albeit with the help of a deflection off the boot of Liverpool target Daniel Alves.
Riera had gone past the centerback with ease, cutting in from the left flank, but his hesitation allowed the defender to recover his ground sufficiently to get a touch on the ball, ensuring Palop could not get enough of a contact to push it round the post.
Palop did well to keep out another Tamudo strike at close range after Christian Poulsen had conceded possession in midfield and the Sevilla goalkeeper had to produce an even better save to deny Riera a second goal from a shot that was destined for the top corner.
But Palop saved his best till last as he blocked spot-kicks from Luis Garcia, Jonatas and Marc Torrejon in the shootout to help Sevilla retain the cup they won last year in Eindhoven.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and