Sevilla flying high in Spain after Ben Yedder brace
Two flicks of the heel were enough for Sevilla to provisionally pull level with Real Madrid on points at the top of the Spanish league yesterday.
Wissam Ben Yedder scored his second of two goals in stoppage time to snatch a 2-1 win over a tough Alaves side at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Ben Yedder's winner went in off the side of his left heel, deflecting Victor "Vitolo" Machin's low cross under goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco from inside the six-yard box.
The French forward's first goal came in the 74th when substitute Ganso passed superbly to set him up. Ganso had his back to the goal and was falling forward from a collision, but still managed to flick his left boot back and send a perfect assist for Ben Yedder to fire home.
Alaves was clinging to a point until Ben Yedder struck again after defender Victor Laguardia had scrambled in the equalizer from a corner kick in the 84th.
"When the match enters its final minutes, you play more with your heart than with your legs," Vitolo said. "But fortunately this team is ambitious and we are always aiming to win."
Alaves' Edgar Mendez squandered an excellent early chance when he hit the post with only goalkeeper Sergio Rico to beat.
Before the late flurry of goals, the match was marred by several leg injuries, with all the injured walking off the pitch when substituted.
Alaves lost Kiko Femenia and Daniel Torres in the first half, while Sevilla lost forwards Samir Nasri and Luciano Vietto in a three-minute span with a half-hour to play. Match referee Mateo Lahoz also had to be replaced late because of a calf problem.
Madrid hosts Eibar today when Barcelona, which trails Madrid and Sevilla by a point, visits Celta Vigo.
GRANADA 0, LEGANES 1 Leganes continued its excellent debut in the top flight with a third win in seven rounds.
Its 1-0 victory at Granada pushed the hosts to the bottom of the standings.
Leganes defender Alexander Szymanowski struck in the 76th with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area after Robert Ibanez sprung a counter-attack.
"The key was (to) not make mistakes and wait for our opportunity," said Leganes coach Asier Garitano.
All three of Leganes' victories have come away from the modest club's home stadium in Madrid.
Granada's latest loss ruined the debut of its caretaker coach, Lluis Planaguma, who took over managing duties following the firing of Paco Jemez.
In June, Leganes earned promotion to Spain's first division for the first time in the club's 88-year history.
SPAIN
La Liga
Friday R. Sociedad-Real Betis ..................... 1-0 Yesterday Granada-Leganes ............................ 0-1 Sevilla-Dep. Alaves .......................... 2-1 Osasuna-Las Palmas ........................ 2-2 Dep. La Coruna-Sp. Gijon ................ 2-1 Today Valencia-At. Madrid .............................. Real Madrid-Eibar ................................. Espanyol-Villarreal ................................ Malaga-At. Bilbao ................................. Celta Vigo-Barcelona ............................
Standings
Real Madrid Sevilla Barcelona Atl. Madrid Villarreal Ath Bilbao Las Palmas Eibar Real Sociedad Leganes Alaves Deportivo Betis Gijon Celta Vigo Valencia Malaga Espanyol Osasuna Granada CF P 6 7 6 6 6 6 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 7 7 W 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 D 2 2 1 3 3 0 2 1 1 1 3 3 2 1 1 0 2 2 3 2 L F A Pts 0 15 6 14 1 13 10 14 1 19 6 13 0 12 2 12 0 9 4 12 2 9 6 12 2 16 13 11 2 8 6 10 3 9 9 10 3 7 10 10 2 8 7 9 2 5 6 8 3 8 12 8 4 6 16 7 3 5 8 7 4 9 12 6 3 5 8 5 3 9 14 5 4 7 15 3 5 7 16 2