SEVILLE: Miguel Rodriguez and Goncalo Paciencia struck late and powered Celta Vigo to mark an astounding comeback to hold Sevilla for a 2-2 in their La Liga fixture at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium here.
The hosts had an unwanted start to their clash with Celta as they had Pape Gueye sent off the field just after 19 minutes but still managed to take the lead with goals from Youssef En-Nesyri and Marcos Acuna as the clock ran down.
Rodriguez, though, gave Celta a sigh of relief by netting the first for his side in the 89th minute, while Paciencia struck second for Celta to level the scores at 2-2.
Minutes later, Sevilla were then down to nine men when Marcos Acuna was sent off for dissent, leaving Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side struggling.
The 2-2 stalemate against Celta barred Sevilla from soaring away from the danger zone.
Sevilla, 13th, sit five points clear of the relegation zone but have played one more game than the teams below them.
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MADRID: Karim Benzema shrugged off his World Cup misery with two late goals that powered Real Madrid to thump Valladolid 2-0 on Friday to take over the top spot in LaLiga standings.
Ballon d’Or winner Benzema was initially named in the French squad for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar but an untimely thigh injury amid training forced the striker to withdraw hours before the commencement of the opening game.
Benzema then decided to hang his boots from international football, following the conclusion of the mega event in which France endured a frustrating defeat in the final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
In his first La Liga fixture after the World Cup however, the French striker scored his first goal in the competition since October 19 when Real Madrid defeated Elche.
However, it took him 83 minutes to score his first goal of the game, which came from a penalty that was granted after Javi Sanchez was fouled for handball.
Benzema then soon made it double when he scored from a pass by French compatriot Eduardo Camavinga to add further to the misery of 10-men Valladolid, courtesy of a red card for Sergio Leon.
Following the victory, Real Madrid claimed the top spot in the league’s standings one point clear of second-placed Barcelona, who, however, can reclaim the top position on Saturday when they take on city rivals Espanyol.
Meanwhile, the other two La Liga fixtures between Sevilla and Celta Vigo and Almeria versus Cadiz ended in a one-all draw.
The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.
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