Malaga came from behind in a relegation thriller to beat nine-man Almeria 3-1 and give themselves a survival lifeline on Monday.
There was plenty of tension in the air ahead of this Andalusian derby between the bottom two sides in the table and it was Malaga, who had not won in seven games, who began the more nervous as passes went astray.
Almeria went ahead after just eight minutes, with Sofiane Feghouli slotting home from close range with the ball rebounding to him in the box. It took until the second half for Malaga to relax and show more composure in possession.
Substitute Enzo Maresca gave them a deserved equalizer and then both teams pushed forward for the all-important winner with a point serving for little.
Although Malaga dominated, Pablo Piatti was desperately unlucky when he saw a volley come back off the post.
Almeria’s Jose Ulloa was dismissed for a second yellow card and minutes later Jose Rondon headed Malaga into the lead.
Fortune again eluded Almeria as Albert Crusat saw a shot come back off the post and the visitor’s night went from bad to worse with the sending off of Antonio Luna followed by Malaga scoring a third through Juanmi Callejon in stoppage time.
At the other end of the table Barcelona extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points on Saturday after they beat Mallorca 3-0 but Real Madrid could only draw a blank 0-0 away to Deportivo la Coruna.
Without Xavi Hernandez, Carles Puyol, Victor Valdes and Dani Alves, Barga fielded a makeshift side, but following a slow start, they found their rhythm after Leo Messi headed them in front and then they never looked back.
Real traveled to Galicia in a confident mood after three consecutive wins, but from the start it was evident that they faced a tough task with Deportivo defending deeply.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
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Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or