Striker Alex Alegria scored two goals to help Real Betis Balompie salvage a 2-2 home draw against 10-man Granada in La Liga action on Friday.
Belgian midfielder Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez put Granada ahead in the 13th minute and Alberto Bueno added to the visitors’ lead in the 33rd before Alegria rallied Betis with goals in the 36th and 61st minutes at the Benito Villamarin Stadium.
Granada had a chance to move ahead again with a penalty kick in the 78th, but Argentine forward Ezequiel Ponce had his effort saved by Betis goalkeeper Antonio Adan.
Photo: EPA
The goalkeeper did well again to save from the rebound, and the defense cleared the following attempt just in front of the goal line.
Granada played most of the second half at a numerical disadvantage after defender Ruben Vezo was sent off in the 53rd following two yellow cards. Betis had reserve goalkeeper Dani Gimenez sent off in the 84th for complaining from the bench.
In Barcelona last night, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all on target as the champions roared back into life with a dominant 5-1 victory against promoted CD Leganes.
Messi sidefooted in a simple cross from Suarez to strike the opening goal after 15 minutes and returned the favour for the Uruguayan to nudge in the second in the 31st.
Neymar stretched Barca’s lead to three goals on the stroke of halftime, before Messi got his second from the penalty spot
Rafinha rounded off the Barca scoring, while Gabriel Appelt pulled one back for the visitors.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
TOP OF THE TABLE: Evann Guessand put the visitors ahead early in the game and Flavius Daniliuc equalized before Youri Tielemans got the winner in the second half Aston Villa on Thursday extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 victory against Basel in the UEFA Europa League to secure at least a playoff spot. Villa were tied with Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-1, and Midtjylland, 1-0 winners over Genk, atop the standings of the second-tier European competition on 15 points with five wins from six games. They have bounced back from a poor start to the season and are third in the Premier League, including a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal on Saturday. At St Jakob-Park in Basel, summer signing Evann Guessand
Italian Luca de Aliprandini described Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom at Val d’Isere as the hardest race of his life, coming two days after his Swiss partner Michelle Gisin suffered a heavy fall in training which required neck surgery. De Aliprandini finished 26th in the men’s event won by Loic Meillard, but the result paled into insignificance with two-time Olympic ski champion Gisin in hospital with injuries to her wrist, knee and cervical spine (neck). “It was Michelle’s wish that I race here. I couldn’t say no to her, but it was the toughest race of my entire life,” an emotional De
RSS