Author: Barkha Roy
Mallorca 1-0 Cádiz
Mallorca emerged victorious in a highly competitive La Liga match against Cádiz, winning 1-0 at the Visit Mallorca Estadi. Mallorca defender P. Maffeo scored the only goal of the game in the 16th minute. Both teams received several yellow cards during the match, but neither managed to score in the second half.
Thanks to this win, after three games without a win, Mallorca are now 12th in the La Liga table. However, it was a disappointing result for Cádiz, who are currently in 15th place with 35 points, while the teams in the relegation zone have just one point less – 34 points. Neither team fielded any Brazilian players, although Cádiz did have goalkeeper Victor Aznar, from the Brazilian national team, in their reserve team.
Lazio 2 – 2 Leece
Lazio managed to secure a 2-2 draw against Lecce in Serie A on Friday thanks to a late goal from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. However, the result jeopardized their chances of finishing in the top four. Lecce’s Remi Oudin scored twice, cancelling out Lazio’s Ciro Immobile in the first half, but Milinkovic-Savic’s header in injury time salvaged a point for Lazio. Lazio are currently in third place with 65 points, but their poor run of form in the last five games, in which they have taken just four points, could cost them their place in the top four. Inter Milan, who are in fourth place, are just two points behind Lazio and will play Sassuolo on Saturday.
Lecce almost took the lead in the first half when Alexis Blin was fouled inside the area, but Gabriel Strefezza missed the penalty. Lazio then took the lead with Immobile’s 11th goal of the season, but Oudin equalized just before half-time with a low shot that caught Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel off guard. Oudin then put Lecce ahead in the second half with a one-touch goal. Despite dominating possession throughout the match, Lazio struggled in front of goal and hit the post in stoppage time. Milinkovic-Savic’s late equalizer secured a point for Lazio, but they will need to improve their form if they are to secure a place in the top four.
There were three Brazilians taking part in this game, with Lazio fielding midfield duo Marcos Antonio and Felipe Anderson, while Leece fielded winger Gabriel Strefezza. The trio were key for their respective teams in the game, but it was the Leece player who made the headlines in the competition, missing a penalty first and then helping Oudin with the assist for the second goal.
Lens 2-1 Reims
Lens moved a step closer to securing a place in next season’s Champions League with a 2-1 comeback win over Stade de Reims in Ligue 1 on Friday, despite having to play with 10 men. Folarin Balogun gave Reims an early lead with a penalty after Kevin Danso was sent off for pushing Marshall Munetsi in the box. However, Przemyslaw Frankowski equalized for Lens with a penalty just before half-time after Adrien Thomasson was fouled by Emmanuel Agbadou. Seko Fofana scored the winner in the second half with a fine low shot from inside the area 10 minutes after the break.
The win put Lens in second place on 75 points, three points behind leaders Paris St Germain, who play AC Ajaccio on Saturday, and five points ahead of third-placed Marseille, who host Angers on Sunday. The top two teams in Ligue 1 qualify for the Champions League group stage, while the third-placed team enters the third qualifying round. No Brazilian was involved in this game, as neither team had one.