Real Sociedad on Tuesday climbed to fourth in La Liga with a 2-1 win at Sociedad Deportiva Eibar — the first Spanish match played without fans as part of measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Following a decision by the Spanish National Sports Council earlier in the day, La Liga said that the next two rounds of fixtures would be played in empty stadiums, starting with Tuesday’s Basque derby.
The match had originally been scheduled to take place last month, but was postponed because of poor air quality in the region following fires at a landfill.
Photo: EPA-EFE / La Liga
Played in near silence apart from the sounds of the players and staff shouting, Mikel Oyarzabal fired home his eighth goal of the campaign from the penalty spot after 16 minutes to put Real Sociedad ahead.
Fabian Orellana had a chance to level with a penalty at the other end after Igor Zubeldia handled in his own area, but Alex Remiro kept out his effort.
Willian Jose added the second goal after 75 minutes following good work by winger Portu to seal the visitors’ victory and take Real Sociedad above Getafe and Atletico Madrid, with 46 points from 27 games.
Eibar, 16th and two points clear of the relegation zone, were hampered by their lack of fans and only managed a late consolation when Joseba Zaldua handled in the area and Charles slammed in the game’s third penalty.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
RSS