Striker Alvaro Negredo scored twice on Monday to give Sevilla a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in a physical La Liga match in which both teams had a man sent off.
With the match heading for a draw, Negredo surged forward to tap in Jose Antonio Reyes’ cross between the last defender and the goalkeeper to grab the victory three minutes from time.
The game at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan had a frenetic pace, with play flowing back-and-forth from penalty area to penalty area. Even so, the first two goals came from set-pieces.
Photo: EPA
Negredo sent Ivan Rakitic’s free-kick past goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz with a glancing header to score for Sevilla in the fourth minute.
After both sides went close, Bilbao defender Carlos Gurpegui flicked Ibai Gomez’s free-kick into the far side of the net to level in the 55th minute.
Sevilla’s Fernando Navarro received his second booking in the 73rd minute, while Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte followed suit in the 80th.
“It was a great game for the fans to watch, very intense and against a rival that never stops,” Negredo said after scoring his 16th and 17th goals of the season.
Only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao have scored more.
Sevilla’s seventh straight home win under replacement coach Unai Emery kept them in midtable and in the hunt for a Europa League berth.
Sevilla play Real Betis Balompie on Friday in Spain’s most heated city derby.
“We’ll celebrate this win,” Negredo said. “Next Friday, we have a very important game for the entire city.”
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
RSS