A brilliant back-heeled pass by Karim Benzema on Sunday helped Real Madrid take a step toward reclaiming the Spanish title with a 1-0 win at RCD Espanyol.
With Espanyol about to make it to halftime with a clean sheet, Benzema cleverly unlocked the hosts’ defense. He used a no-look pass with his heel to poke the ball through the legs of defender Bernardo Espinosa and meet Casemiro’s move into the heart of the penalty area.
Casemiro’s resulting goal and some flawless defending were all Madrid needed to win and move ahead of Barcelona by two points at the top of La Liga.
Photo: Reuters
“I see things, that is what football is to me,” Benzema said. “The assist is good, but Casemiro puts it in and gave us the three points. [The win] is very important. I won’t say that we don’t pay attention to Barca, of course we do, but we are focused on our matches and each game left is a final for us.”
Zinedine Zidane’s team took advantage of Barcelona’s 2-2 draw at RC Celta de Vigo on Saturday by securing a fifth straight win since the league resumed following the three-month COVID-19 suspension.
Espanyol hung on in the match until Benzema and Casemiro combined to decide the contest between a trophy-chasing powerhouse and a team needing a miracle to avoid relegation.
Espanyol’s biggest weapon was China forward Wu Lei, whose speed produced two promising attacks early on.
Madrid defender Dani Carvajal blocked a strike by Sergi Darder three minutes into the game when Wu found him with a low cross, but Madrid proved the more dangerous side throughout.
Casemiro forced goalkeeper Diego Lopez to palm his lob from Madrid’s own half over the bar, before Benzema tested him with a powerful shot in the 36th minute.
Lopez was helpless in the 45th minute when Benzema set up Casemiro and the hosts never looked like recovering.
“The goal is Karim’s,” Casemiro said. “I know how talented he is from years of playing together. He heard me ask for the ball in the open space. The goal is 90 percent his.”
Espanyol were coached by sports director Francisco Rufete, a former player who stepped in after the club fired Abelardo Fernandez on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Paco Alcacer and Gerard Moreno scored two superb goals to help Villarreal beat regional rivals Valencia 2-0 and stay in the fight for a UEFA Champions League spot.
Moreno passed for Alcacer to execute an excellent volley and give Villarreal a 14th-minute lead.
Moreno added a second goal just before halftime off a brilliant pass from Santi Cazorla in an impressive team move. Cazorla used a subtle touch to cushion a long ball lobbed forward by his goalkeeper and kept it aloft for Moreno to smash home.
Villarreal are one of the hottest sides in the league since play resumed. Javier Calleja’s team have earned 13 of a possible 15 points since the restart and are three points from fourth place and the final Champions League place.
Villarreal have kept a clean sheet in those four wins.
“The biggest change for our team from before the stoppage has been our improvement in defense,” Calleja said. “All our players get along well and they are helping each other out on the pitch. We are close to the Champions League and don’t put any limits on what we can aspire to.”
Valencia are among the worst performers since the resumption having won four of 15 points and they are eight points behind fourth-placed Sevilla.
Sociedad Deportiva Eibar’s 2-1 win at Granada moved the Basque Country club further away from the relegation zone, while midtable Levante UD defeated Real Betis Balompie 4-2.
A runner who stopped during a marathon in China to pose doing the splits and another who hoarded energy gels have been banned for two years, the local athletics association said yesterday. The incidents happened during Sunday’s marathon in Sichuan Province’s Chengdu and were widely shared online. Videos showed a female runner stopping suddenly and dropping to the ground in the splits position, holding up her arms in a heart shape as she apparently posed for a photograph. She “committed obstructive fouls during the race, affecting the safe participation of other runners,” the Sichuan Athletics Association said in a statement, which identified
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
Workers are hammering, cranes are swinging and seats are being bolted into place — but the clock is ticking. Mexico City’s famous Azteca stadium, reborn as Estadio Banorte, is in a frantic race to be ready for its grand reopening on Saturday. Drone footage showed crews installing seats and attaching the new stadium name to the facade, with cranes looming overhead 48 hours before the gates are due to open for a high-profile friendly between Mexico and Portugal. For residents, the breakneck pace of construction has done little to inspire confidence. “I know they are working practically seven days a week, 24 hours
RSS