A makeshift Barcelona team fell to a 2-0 loss at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, meaning Real Madrid had the chance to win the title yesterday if results went their way.
With one eye on tomorrow’s Champions League semi-final against Manchester United, coach Frank Rijkaard rested several key players — such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi — and the second string were second best against a motivated Depor team.
Wrestling second spot from Villarreal, a point ahead with a game in hand, is one challenge for Barca, but top priority is now the Champions League.
PHOTO: AP
The second string team saw Spaniard Jose Pinto, virtually unknown to Barca supporters, start in goal, but there was still some quality on show with three World Cup winners in Thierry Henry, Gianluca Zambrotta and Lilian Thuram.
Eidur Gudjohnsen, a fringe player hoping to impress, should have scored on 12 minutes but lifted an effort over the crossbar.
Barca dominated possession, but Depor went close to breaking the deadlock on the half hour mark when Xisco hit the crossbar.
Bojan Krkic then spurned a great chance delaying his shot too long.
The misses proved costly as Juan Rodriguez side-footed home at the beginning of the second half after some woeful Barca marking.
Pablo Amo added a second as Depor, who have been fighting relegation for most of the season, moved to within two points of the final UEFA Cup spot.
Sevilla now have Depor breathing down their necks, but they are more concerned about missing out on the Champions League following a 0-0 draw against Real Murcia on Saturday.
Sevilla are two points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, who have a game in hand.
Australian Alex de Minaur reached the second week of the US Open for the third year in a row with little fanfare on Saturday and said he intended to keep winning until the tournament organizers were forced to give him better billing. Despite being the eighth seed and a quarter-finalist last year at Flushing Meadows, De Minaur’s third-round match against German Daniel Altmaier was scheduled for Court 17 — the smallest of the four stadium venues in the precinct. “It is a little bit of a headscratcher for me. I’m not gonna lie,” he told reporters after progressing 6-7 (9/7), 6-3, 6-4,
Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday claimed the overall Vuelta a Espana lead while Jay Vine earned the stage 10 victory for his second triumph of the race. Two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard overhauled Torstein Traen’s lead to head the general classification by 26 seconds from the Norwegian, with Joao Almeida third and trailing the Dane by 38 seconds. Vine put in an unmatchable performance on the final climb to finish ahead of Spanish Movistar riders Pablo Castrillo and Javier Romo. “Back in red, I’m happy with it, it’s a beautiful jersey,” Vingegaard said. “I’m happy with how the day went,
Noah Lyles on Thursday warmed up for the upcoming athletics world championships by chasing down Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo to win the 200m at the Diamond League final. Lyles trailed Tebogo at the start, but gradually erased the deficit over the final 100m and pipped the Botswana sprinter to the line by centimeters. Lyles, the Olympic 100m champion and reigning world champion in both the 100m and 200m, clocked 19.74 seconds in a slight headwind. Tebogo was 0.02 seconds behind. It was Lyles’ sixth Diamond League title, a record for track athletes. “Six, that’s a big number,” Lyles said. “Shoot, that’s another record on
Brentford striker Yoane Wissa says he wants to leave the English Premier League club and that it is “unduly standing in my way.” A day before the end of soccer’s summer transfer period, Wissa posted a lengthy statement on social media yesterday criticizing Brentford for rejecting an apparent offer from another Premier League club despite his willingness to switch between the teams. Wissa, a reported target for Newcastle, is yet to play for Brentford this season and had already removed any association with the club from his Instagram account. Yesterday, the 28-year-old DR Congo international took it a step further on the social
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