BARCELONA: A spectacular Bruno Soriano free kick on Thursday gave in-form Villarreal a 1-0 victory over Valencia who are still looking for their first La Liga win under new coach Gary Neville.
Soriano netted for the home side with a sweet strike that curled into the top corner after 64 minutes. Valencia pushed forward in the second half but could not find an equalizer.
Fourth-placed Villarreal’s fourth straight league win gave them 33 points from 17 games.
There are plenty of problems, however, for Valencia with Neville having been brought in with the target of winning a place in the Champions League.
They are now 10th on 22 points with two draws and a defeat in the league under the former Manchester United and England player.
“It went in perfectly and where the keeper couldn’t reach it,” Soriano told reporters. “We knew it would be a difficult game with Valencia defending deeply but we have confidence at the moment and created chances.”
Barcelona, who have a game in hand, are level with Atletico Madrid at the top of the table on 38 points. Real Madrid are third with 36 points.
Valencia have injury problems and Neville opted for a solid formation with a five-man defense, and Alvaro Negredo and Paco Alcacer together in attack for the first time.
There was little connection between the forward as Villarreal controlled possession in midfield but the visitors did manage to hinder their build-up play.
Jonathan Dos Santos had a snap shot comfortably saved by Valencia keeper Jaume Domenech and Soriano had a free kick that whistled just wide.
Valencia went more on the front foot after the break, with Alcacer firing over when well placed in the area, but it was Villarreal who struck the only goal.
Alcacer went on to miss another good opening and Neville’s men were unable to mount any concerted pressure.
Bruno lands knockout punch in Villareal win over Valencia
Bruno lands knockout punch in Villareal win over Valencia
Palestine, Syria celebrate reaching Arab Cup quarter-finals
- Both nations knew a draw in their final Group A match would secure Palestine top spot with Syria progressing in second place
DOHA: Celebrations erupted on the pitch and in the stands in Doha on Sunday when both Palestine and Syria made it through to the Arab Cup quarter-finals following a 0-0 draw.
For both sides, reaching the knockout stage in the regional tournament hosted by Qatar was magnified by the all-too recent memory of conflict in their homelands.
Only weeks ago in Gaza, the war sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel came to a halt under a fragile ceasefire plan brokered by the United States.
For the Syrian side, the game came on the eve of the anniversary of the ousting of Bashar Assad, who unleashed years of war with his crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
Both nations knew a draw in their final Group A match would secure Palestine top spot with Syria progressing in second place.
Even ahead of the final whistle, around 40,000 fans packing the Education City Stadium began dancing and chanting to celebrate the two sides’ entry into the last eight.
And at the end of the game, players on the pitch swapped jerseys and posed for photographs together, as the squads’ coaches embraced each other.
“We are very happy to top the group, which included two great teams like Qatar and Tunisia, and we congratulate all Palestinian fans,” said Palestine striker Oday Dabbagh.
“We played to win, especially after learning about Tunisia’s lead over Qatar, but we lacked the final touch in front of the goal... The most important thing is that we qualified.”
Palestine coach Ehab Abu Jazar paid tribute to his mother, who along with his brother and other loved ones had to flee her home and now lives in a tent in Gaza.
“She has a lot of experience with sports, and she told me to play carefully,” he told AFP.
Syrian striker Mahmoud Al-Mawas said the result “means a lot to Syrians because it coincides with the Liberation Day celebrations...
“Now, all our focus will be on the quarter-final.”
At a cafe in the Syrian capital, Damascus, 30-year-old Wafa Durri watched the game, with her country’s flag adorning her right cheek.
“I had never supported the national team, but after the liberation everything changed, and now I support it with all my heart,” she said.
