You may have heard that Barcelona lost. It was big news since, well, they're Barcelona and it came with Carles Puyol playing. That just doesn't happen, but it did. You know what else happened? Two other La Liga matches.
Nelson hadn't played a match all year and just returned from bereavement leave so when Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao were stuck in a 1-1 draw in the 90th minute, he seemed the least likely player to score a winner, but score a winner he did. The Portuguese international scored at the death from 18 yards out to propel the home side to a 2-1 victory and 12th in the La Liga table.
It was an especially rough loss for Athletic, who could have moved into a Champions League place with a win. Betis scored the opener just 10 minutes in when Ruben Castro blasted the ball home from a sharp angle, but Athletic answered through Javi Martinez a dozen minutes later. It looked like it would be a draw, but when Betis' corner was only cleared as far as Nelson, he made them pay by scoring the winner.
Atletico Madrid has not conceded a goal since December 18 and that run continued on Saturday at Racing Santander, but they will still feel as if they came up short in their 0-0 draw. Atletico were the better side from the start and notched 23 shots in the contest, including nine on frame, but they couldn't find the winning goal they so badly needed. Diego and Radamel Falcao each hit the bar and Adrian Lopez wasted a golden opportunity, forcing Atletico to settle for the draw.
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La Liga Saturday, Week 23: Betis Top Bilbao At Death And Atletico Somehow Held To Draw
Feb 11
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Feb 11
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