Real Sociedad moved closer to a Champions League spot by defeating UD Las Palmas 1-0 after a blunder by the home side’s goalkeeper in La Liga action on Friday.
Veteran midfielder Xabi Prieto scored the 74th-minute winner from just outside the area after Las Palmas’ Geronimo Rulli made a mistake and passed the ball right to Prieto’s feet when under pressure from another Real Sociedad player inside the box.
Prieto fired a low shot into the open net as Rulli desperately tried to scramble back.
Photo: EPA
At the other end, Real Sociedad goalkeeper Javi Varas made key saves to secure the victory and move his team to within a point of fourth-place Atletico Madrid, who play Barcelona today.
The top three teams automatically qualify for the Champions League next season, while the fourth-place team have to go through a playoff.
LIGUE 1
AP, PARIS
In the absence of top scorers Alassane Plea and Mario Balotelli, title contenders OGC Nice found an unlikely savior as Mickael Le Bihan came off the bench to score twice in a comeback 2-1 win against Montpellier Herault on Friday.
The win moved Nice into second place and level on points with leaders AS Monaco ahead of the remainder of the weekend’s games.
With Plea injured and Balotelli suspended, Nice started with Greek striker Anastasios Donis, who is on loan from Juventus.
However, it was Le Bihan grabbing the headlines, 17 months after his previous appearance in the top flight. He had not played in Ligue 1 since sustaining a leg fracture in September 2015 during a league game against Girondins de Bordeaux.
With Nice trailing to a goal from striker Steve Mounie in the ninth minute, Le Bihan replaced Donis in the 59th minute and scored nine minutes later. He slotted home the winner with a composed finish four minutes from time, following a flowing move that started in Nice’s penalty area.
Nantes moved six points clear of the relegation zone with substitute Felipe Pardo scoring a goal in their 3-1 win over FCO Dijon. Yacine Bammou opened the scoring for Nantes, but a Leo Dubois own-goal made it 1-1.
Striker Emiliano Sala made it 2-1 from the spot near the hour mark and Pardo completed the win with 11 minutes remaining.
Elsewhere, Stade Malherbe Caen defeated AS Nancy-Lorraine 1-0.
BUNDESLIGA
AP, WOLFSBURG, Germany
Midfielder Serge Gnabry scored twice as Werder Bremen moved away from the Bundesliga relegation zone with a 2-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg on Friday.
Gnabry fired the visitors ahead with a deflected shot in the 10th minute and made it 2-0 eight minutes later, controlling the ball with his chest before prodding home on the volley.
Striker Borja Mayoral, who is on loan from Real Madrid, scored for Wolfsburg.
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
A man fell from the 6.4m-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park in Pittsburgh during Wednesday night’s game between the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. Right after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put the Pirates ahead 4-3, players began waving frantically for medical personnel and pointing to the man, who had fallen onto the warning track. The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel before being removed from the field on a cart. The team issued a statement shortly
PAINFUL VICTORY: Ruud said that felt pain in his rib during the warmup and was put on painkillers so that he could finish the match against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo With the help of painkillers, Casper Ruud overcame a rib ailment to defeat Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets and reach the Madrid Open final on Friday. Ruud is to face Jack Draper, who beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the other semi-final to make his third final of the year. Ruud received treatment on his rib three games into the match and went on to win 6-4, 7-5 on the Caja Magica center court. The 15th-ranked Norwegian saved 15 of the 18 break points he faced against the 21st-ranked Argentine. Ruud said he felt something in his rib during the warmup, just before
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