02/09/26 04:18:00
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02/09 16:17 CST Villarreal inflicts heaviest defeat of Espanyol in La Liga this
season
Villarreal inflicts heaviest defeat of Espanyol in La Liga this season
VILLARREAL, Spain (AP) --- Villarreal scored twice in each half to hammer
Espanyol 4-1 in La Liga and hand the Catalan club its heaviest defeat of the
season on Monday.
The result ended a poor run which had seen Villarreal take one point from its
previous three games. The win lifted it to equal on points with third-placed
Atletico Madrid and seven ahead of Real Betis, although Villareal has a game in
hand on both.
Georges Mikautadze gave Villarreal the lead 10 minutes before halftime when he
met Tajon Buchanan's perfectly cushioned header and fired home a spectacular
scissor kick.
Jose Salinas' own goal six minutes later doubled Villarreal's lead. Nicolas
Pepe added the third five minutes into the second half when he rifled a low
shot from outside the box after some skilful footwork.
Alberto Moleiro made it 4-0 five minutes later when he finished off an incisive
counterattack.
Leandro Cabrera's glancing header from a Cyril Ngonge corner with two minutes
remaining was Espanyol's only response.
Barcelona-based Espanyol has not won since before Christmas and has gone six
matches without a win in the league. Monday's result marked the first time this
season it conceded four goals in a game. It remained in sixth place.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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