La Liga: Alaves edge past Eibar 2-1 at home
Lucas Perez and Oliver Burke scored second-half goals to help Alavés beat Eibar 2-1 at home in the Spanish league on Friday.
Pérez opened the scoring with his first touch after going on at halftime. Pérez slotted in an assist from striker partner José Luis Sanmartín just seconds after the restart after Eibar defender Esteban Burgos whiffed when trying to clear a ball heading toward his area.
Burke added a second goal in the 66th when Sanmartín cleverly let a low cross by Aleix Vidal run between his legs to reach the unmarked Burke arriving in the box. It was the first goal of the season for the Scotland forward.
Fabian Orellana halved the difference for Eibar with a shot from outside the area with six minutes to play.
Alavés’ first win in five home matches lifted it into 13th place before the rest of the Round 23 matches this weekend.
Eibar was left in 16th place and in danger of being dragged into the relegation battle after its first loss in four rounds.
Leader Real Madrid visits Osasuna on Sunday, when second-placed Barcelona visits Real Betis. Madrid leads Barcelona by three points. Both powerhouses will be looking to bounce back from being eliminated from the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on Thursday.
