The odds were stacked against Real Madrid in Saturday’s showdown with Barcelona. But in “El Clasico,” all bets are off, especially when two of the best players in the world are on the field. This time it was Cristiano Ronaldo, not Lionel Messi, who played the role of hero. With the two La Liga (Spanish first division) rivals tied at Nou Camp with under 10 minutes to play, the Real Madrid striker corralled a Gareth Bale cross and buried it into the net for the deciding goal in the 85th minute. Real Madrid’s 2-1 win snapped Barcelona’s 39-game home winning streak and helped keep its La Liga hopes alive, as the club now...
Tag: strike
Wallabies strike late to set up Sydney decider
Updated: Saturday, 29 Jun 2013 13:34 | Comments Adam Ashley-Cooper scored the only try of the game with four minutes to play The British and Irish Lions face a Test series decider in Sydney next Saturday after Australia clinched a nerve-shredding 16-15 victory at Etihad Stadium. Leigh Halfpenny's five penalties looked to have ended 16 years of hurt. Not since South Africa 1997 have the Lions won a Test series. But he missed a penalty from halfway with the game's final kick, and left the pitch distraught as Australia prevailed courtesy of centre Adam Ashley-Cooper's 75th-minute try that his midfield partner Christian Leali'ifano converted. The Lions were on course for an unassailable 2-0 series lead, but Ashley-Cooper rounded off a concerted spell of pressure,