Barcelona squandered the chance to go 11 points clear in La Liga on Sunday after blowing a two-goal lead in the space of six minutes in a 2-2 draw at Villarreal that was overshadowed by a controversial penalty.
A 62nd-minute own-goal by Barcelona substitute Jeremy Mathieu, who turned a corner into his own net, ended Barca’s hopes of a 13th successive La Liga win after Villarreal striker Cedric Bakambu reduced the deficit.
Ivan Rakitic gave Barca the lead after 20 minutes from close range and Neymar made it 2-0 in the 41st minute with a chipped penalty as goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo, who looked to have touched the ball before felling Neymar in the penalty area, went the wrong way.
Photo: Reuters
Barcelona are nine points clear of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid, while third-placed Real Madrid, who beat Sevilla 4-0, are 10 points off the pace and one behind their city rivals.
“It’s a positive day for us as we’re one point closer to our objective,” Barca coach Luis Enrique told a press conference. “Every point we gain on our rivals is fantastic.”
Fourth-placed Villarreal had coach Marcelino dismissed from the dugout just after Rakitic’s goal when he protested at the referee’s decision not to give a second yellow card to Barcelona defender Gerard Pique following a handball.
Referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez’s decision not to book Pique for the handball was controversial, as the defender would have been suspended for Barca’s next league game against archrivals Real Madrid had he been dismissed.
The official further enraged the home supporters before the break when he awarded the penalty when Asenjo appeared to reach the ball before knocking Neymar over.
Real Madrid’s attacking trident of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo were all on target in the win over Sevilla.
Bale converted from close range for the third and his 43rd league goal for Real Madrid, surpassing former Barcelona forward Gary Lineker to become the all-time top scoring British player in La Liga.
Welshman Bale, who also hit the woodwork against Sevilla and had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside in the first half, needed 75 games to eclipse former England striker Lineker, who hit 42 goals in 103 games for Barcelona from 1986 to 1989.
Benzema opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a brilliant half-volley, while Keylor Navas preserved the lead by saving Kevin Gameiro’s penalty before the break, the third spot-kick the Real goalkeeper has stopped this season.
Ronaldo also missed a penalty — for the third time this season — in the second half, before Gameiro had an effort ruled out for offside.
Ronaldo pounced from close range after 64 minutes to wrap up the points and made a gesture of apology to the home fans, while Bale netted two minutes later and substitute Jese added a late fourth for a scoreline that somewhat flattered the hosts.
Elsewhere, RC Celta de Vigo moved into the top six after beating Valencia 2-0 thanks to late goals from John Guidetti and Hugo Mallo.
The home fans turned their anger toward coach Gary Neville, chanting “Gary go now” after a third consecutive league defeat left the club 14th, six points above the relegation zone.
The Galicians capitalized on Athletic Bilbao’s 2-1 defeat at RCD Espanyol earlier on Sunday to move ahead of the Basques, who dropped to seventh.
Javier Eraso’s first-half goal put Ernesto Valverde’s men in charge, but quick strikes from Pape Diop and substitute Felipe Caicedo in the second half turned the game in Espanyol’s favor.
They moved up to 12th, seven points above the relegation zone.
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
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
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take