Villarreal keep heat on Liga leaders before Clasico | The Express Tribune
LONDON: Villarreal earned a 2-0 derby win at Valencia on Saturday to move into third place and keep the pressure on Real Madrid and Barcelona ahead of the Clasico. On Sunday, leaders Madrid host champions Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu. Gerard Moreno and Santi Comesana netted for Villarreal in an east coast derby clash at…
LONDON:
Villarreal earned a 2-0 derby win at Valencia on Saturday to move into third place and keep the pressure on Real Madrid and Barcelona ahead of the Clasico.
On Sunday, leaders Madrid host champions Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Gerard Moreno and Santi Comesana netted for Villarreal in an east coast derby clash at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium to keep the top two in their sights.
Madrid lead Barcelona by two points and Villarreal by four heading into the Clasico.
Both clubs and the fans at Mestalla paid tribute before kick-off to the victims of the deadly flooding which hit the Valencia region a year ago.
Veteran striker Moreno won and converted a penalty on his 300th appearance for the club before half-time to put Villarreal in front at the interval of an even battle. It was his first goal since January.
Comesana converted from close range as the visitors stepped up a gear in the second half, with Valencia unable to hurt Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side.
“The team did great work and this was a deserved victory,” Moreno told Movistar.
Espanyol climbed provisionally fourth in La Liga with a 1-0 win over promoted Elche, to celebrate their 125th anniversary in style.
Carlos Romero’s second-half goal earned a second consecutive victory for Manolo Gonzalez’s team, who have started the season strongly after finishing 14th last season.
Espanyol, founded on October 28, 1900, opened a special fan zone outside the stadium with music and food to mark their anniversary.
Borja Mayoral’s second-half goal earned Getafe a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao, while Real Oviedo rescued a 3-3 draw at Girona in a battle between the bottom two sides.
