10-man Athletic Bilbao defeat Osasuna
Posted April 17, 2011 4:45 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BARCELONA, Spain — 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.
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.
Later, Espanyol hosted Atletico Madrid with both teams vying for a spot in next season’s Europa League.
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 three 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.
