Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams on Sunday struck twice, including a deft backheel, to propel the improving side to a 3-1 win at Real Betis Balompie that lifted the Basque club to eighth in La Liga.
Williams is considered one of the most exciting young talents at Bilbao and the 21-year-old showed what he is capable of with two superb goals at a rain-lashed Estadio Benito Villamarin.
He opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a powerful drive from the edge of the penalty area before flicking a Raul Garcia center past Antonio Adan from close range to make it 2-0 moments before halftime.
Williams had a busy night and conceded a penalty for handball that allowed Ruben Castro to pull a goal back in the 67th minute.
Betis were unable to equalize, despite sustained pressure late in the match, and Garcia struck a sweet shot low into the corner three minutes from time to make the game safe and secure a first away win of the season.
Bilbao, who are to host Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League on Thursday, lost four of their first five games of the La Liga campaign, but have won three of their last four and have 14 points from 10 matches.
They are a point behind seventh-placed Valencia and two ahead of 13th-placed Betis, last season’s second-division champions.
Sociedad Deportiva Eibar climbed to sixth when the modest Basque club edged visiting Rayo Vallecano de Madrid 1-0, while RCD Espanyol managed to conjure a last-gasp equalizer at home to Granada, despite having to play the last 20 minutes with 10 men.
Real Sporting de Gijon won 1-0 at home to struggling Malaga thanks to a first-half effort from Croatia teenager Alen Halilovic, who is on loan from champions Barcelona.
Real Madrid and Barca on Saturday took advantage of Friday’s stumble by Atletico Madrid to surge three points clear at the top as they beat UD Las Palmas 3-1 at home and won 2-0 at Getafe respectively.
The Spanish heavyweights each have 24 points from 10 matches, with Real ahead on goal difference.
RC Celta de Vigo climbed above Atletico, who conceded a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw at RC Deportivo de La Coruna, into third on 21 points with a 3-2 comeback win at Real Sociedad on Saturday.
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
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
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
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