Midwest MFA AgriServices

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. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

	Copyright DTN. All rights reserved. Disclaimer.