Midfielder Victor Ormazabal's 80th-minute goal gave minnows Pontevedra a 1-0 win over Zaragoza in a first-leg match of the Copa del Rey's fourth round on Wednesday.
Victor turned home a pass by substitute Xavi More to bring the third division team hope of advancing past the six-time cup winners when the teams meet again in Zaragoza on Jan. 2.
In other first-leg matches, it was: Las Palmas 2, Villarreal 4; Valladolid 1, Murcia 1; Levante 2, Almeria 1; Malaga 0, Racing Santander 0; and Xerez 0, Recreativo Huelva 1.
Lying second in the first division, Villarreal carried their good form into Spain's knockout competition with a victory over Las Palmas, currently last in the second flight.
Villarreal made a confident start courtesy of early goals by striker Guille Franco and midfielder Robert Pires.
However, Sergio Suarez halved the deficit with a 40th-minute penalty and his twin Francis Suarez fired Las Palmas' equalizer on the hour.
Franco spurned a chance to win the match with 10 minutes remaining when his penalty kick was saved by goalkeeper Angel Pindado.
Las Palmas captain David Garcia was dismissed in the 84th minute and Villarreal made the most of their numerical advantage when midfielder Bruno Soriano and Franco added late goals.
Murcia striker Fernando Baiano gave his side a 48th minute lead at first division rivals Valladolid, with Diego Camacho equalizing seven minutes later.
Levante striker Mustapha Riga scored in the third and 42nd minutes to decide another game between two top flight sides.
Almeria replied through forward Natalio Lorenzo in the 19th minute and teammate Jose Luis Cabrera was ejected 40 minutes later.
Santander played out a stalemate with second division leaders Malaga.
Recreativo Huelva enjoyed better luck at second division strugglers Xerez, with midfielder Javier Camunas netting the game's only goal in the 88th minute.
Top flight clubs Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Espanyol and others have opted to play their first legs next month to avoid being affected by international call-ups.
All of the second legs will be played on Jan. 2.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
RSS