Real Betis Balompie missed a chance to tighten their grip on La Liga’s fourth UEFA Champions League qualification berth when they let a lead slip and had to fight to hold on for a 1-1 draw at home to erratic Athletic Bilbao on Monday.
Under charismatic coach Pepe Mel, Betis have made one of their best ever starts and they stay three points clear of fifth-placed Andalusian rivals Malaga, who drew 1-1 at home to RC Celta de Vigo on Saturday.
Bilbao have failed to reproduce the form that propelled them to the final of both the Europa League and the Copa del Rey last season and their night got off to the worst possible start when goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz felled Salva Sevilla just inside the penalty area in the opening minute.
Photo: AFP
In-form Betis forward Ruben Castro stepped up and stroked his spot-kick high into the net for his 12th goal of the campaign.
In an entertaining match, with both teams playing attractive, attacking soccer, a number of chances were squandered before Ander Herrera sent Aritz Aduriz clear four minutes before halftime and he conjured a clever chip to lift the ball over onrushing Betis goalkeeper Adrian into the net.
It was also Aduriz’s 12th of the season, and he and Castro are the top Spanish marksmen in La Liga.
Argentina international Lionel Messi of Barcelona is way out in front on 29 goals, with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Colombian Radamel Falcao of Atletico Madrid both on 18.
Bilbao, who finished the match on top and almost snatched a late winner, have struggled after losing Spain international Javi Martinez to Bayern Munich in the close season and are 14th on 22 points. Betis have 35, three behind third-placed Real Madrid, 5-0 winners at Valencia on Sunday.
“They got the penalty right after kickoff and that disrupted our plans a bit, but I think the team showed it knew how to react,” Aduriz said in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Marca TV. “We made a big effort and I think we deserved more out of the game, but the ball wouldn’t go in.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB