Espanyol's late double beats Oviedo in La Liga

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OVIEDO, Spain (AP) — Espanyol snapped a long winless run in Oviedo on Friday, scoring twice late on to beat the home side 2-0 and move into fifth place in La Liga.

Espanyol had not won here in the league since 1995 but Oviedo had lost three of its four home games this season, all of them by at least two goals.

Neither side brought much punch to a lackluster match but Espanyol took control in the final quarter.

Kike García’s comically scrambled goal came with 17 minutes left and then Pere Milla sealed te win when he stole in at the back post to convert a low cross from Omar El Hilali.

The night started in unusual fashion after both teams stood still for the first 15 seconds of the match.

Players from both sides were protesting La Liga ’s decision to hold the Barcelona-Villarreal game in Miami on Dec. 20.

The players’ union said in a statement issued before the match that the players would “protest in a symbolic fashion to denounce the lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence of La Liga regarding the possibility of playing a game in the United States.”

Spanish television chose not to show the protest, however, instead cutting to exterior shots of Carlos Tartiere Stadium.

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