Surprise package Espanyol moved up to fourth in La Liga after two late penalties helped them to a 3-0 home win over promoted Hercules on Sunday.
Atletico Madrid climbed to sixth place after a Sergio Aguero double enabled his side come back to beat promoted Real Socieded 4-2 away in the late game.
Sevilla had earlier missed out on the chance to climb into the Champions League qualification places when they fell to a late Pierre Webo goal and went down 2-1 at home to Real Mallorca.
Espanyol maintained their 100 percent home record after Joan Verdu finished off a swift counterattack from a Hercules corner in the 15th minute at Estadi -Cornella-El Prat.
Argentine striker Pablo Osvaldo doubled the lead from the penalty spot 10 minutes from time when Hercules goalkeeper Juan Calatayud brought him down for a penalty to earn a red card. Luis Garcia converted a second penalty at the end.
Atletico were trailing at the Estadio Anoeta when Tomas Ujfalusi helped Joseba Llorente’s shot into his own net after 12 minutes, but they turned it round late in the second half.
Uruguay’s Diego Forlan leveled after a wonderful piece of skill from Aguero in the 72nd minute and the Argentine then scored twice in four minutes.
Diego Rivas pulled one back for the hosts in the 85th minute after an error from Simao Sabrosa, but the Portuguese made amends scoring a stoppage-time penalty after Jose Antonio Reyes was brought down in the area.
Sevilla fell behind at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan when Mallorca’s Michael Pereira netted at the near post on a counterattack in the 36th minute.
The hosts gradually came back into it and Brazil striker Luis Fabiano looked to have grabbed a point when he struck two minutes from time, but Mallorca’s Cameroon striker Webo rose to head the winner at a free-kick on the stroke of fulltime.
Elsewhere, Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini’s winning start at Malaga came to an end with a 3-0 defeat at Deportivo La Coruna.
Ecuador striker Felipe Caicedo scored twice as Levante climbed out of the relegation places with a 3-1 win at home to Racing Santander, and Osasuna beat Sporting Gijon 1-0 at home.
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning