views
Barcelona: A 90th-minute goal by Iker Muniain gave 10-man Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 win at Osasuna on Sunday in the Spanish league.
After Fernando Llorente had equalized for Bilbao in the 70th minute, Muniain fired into an empty net when goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez collided with teammate Nelson Tomar and gifted the young forward the ball outside the area.
Osasuna went ahead in the 51st at Reyno de Navarra stadium when striker Enrique Sola scored from inside the box.
Xavier Castillo soon left Bilbao with 10 men after receiving his second yellow card for pulling down Tomar in the 57th.
Osasuna came close to sealing the win a minute later when Javier Camunas' cross took a deflection off a defender and hit the post.
The hosts remained in control until Llorente rose above his marker to head David Lopez's cross over Lopez for the Spain striker's 16th goal of the season and first in six weeks.
"We had the game, and they drew level when we had more men in the area," said Osasuna coach Jose Luis Mendilibar. "They grew in strength and we lost our direction. Until then we were playing well."
Osasuna defender Sergio Fernandez was sent off for two yellow cards after fouling Markel Susaeta in the 88th.
The win lifted Bilbao into fifth place, two points ahead of Sevilla, while Osasuna remained two points above the drop zone.
"We only had two scoring opportunities and we were 100 percent efficient in converting them," Bilbao coach Joaquin Caparros said. "We showed our desire (to win) with 10 men. The team has spirit and demonstrated it on the pitch."
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid drew 2-2 at Espanyol to stay in seventh place.
Atletico went ahead in the second minute when Jorge Resurreccion took advantage of Ernesto Galan's poor pass that fell at his feet to tap the ball across the goal line.
Pablo Osvaldo pulled Espanyol level in the 38th when he latched on to a long pass from Joan Verdu and his shot took a deflection off the diving Luis Perea.
"We have the impression that we lost two points as opposed to winning one," said Atletico coach Quique Sanchez Flores. "The key was in the stretch after going ahead 1-0 when we should have looked to control the game and instead we pushed forward."
Sergio Aguero restored the advantage for the visitors in the 49th, anticipating a back pass from Espanyol's Jose Callejon and beautifully chipping goalkeeper Carlos Kameni for his 14th goal of the season.
Verdu found Osvaldo again in the 58th with a cross that the Argentine striker headed past the outstretched David De Gea into the right side of the net to split the points. The double brought Osvaldo's season total to 10 goals.
The draw left Atletico behind Sevilla on goal difference and a point ahead of eighth-place Espanyol.
"It was a tough game, giving away two goals, but we were lucky enough to turn it around," said Osvaldo. "Unfortunately, the victory eluded us, but it is a good result."
Barcelona drew 1-1 at Real Madrid on Saturday to stay eight points atop the table, while third-place Valencia moved nine points clear of Villarreal through its 3-0 win over last-place Almeria.
Earlier on Sunday, Levante scored twice before halftime to beat Hercules 2-1 on Sunday, continuing the team's excellent second half of the season.
Forward Ruben Suarez put the hosts ahead at Ciutat de Valencia stadium, curling a free kick into the top corner of the net in the sixth minute. Juan Luis Gomez rifled in a pass from Valmiro Lopes to make it 2-0 in the 43rd.
Hercules striker David Trezeguet pulled one back in the 82nd for his 11th goal of the season, but Levante goalkeeper Gustavo Munua protected Levante's advantage with a pair of late saves for its eighth win in 12 weeks.
"With 42 points we are almost mathematically safe, but there are still games to play," said Ruben, whose team climbed to within four points of the Europa League positions.
Hercules' first loss under coach Miroslav Djukic left it three points from safety with six rounds to play.
Also, 20-year-old French winger Antoine Griezmann scored twice to earn Real Sociedad its first win in eight weeks, beating Sporting Gijon 2-1.
Deportivo La Coruna beat Racing Santander 2-0 with goals by Lassad Nouioui and ex-Newcastle striker Francisco Jimenez.
Getafe beat Sevilla 1-0 on Saturday while Malaga downed Mallorca 3-0.
Villarreal hosts Zaragoza on Monday.
Comments
0 comment