MADRID (AP) — Espanyol and Elche drew 2-2 Sunday in a Spanish league match that was briefly interrupted near the end after the referee activated the anti-racism protocol.
The referee’s decision came around the 80th minute after Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali accused Elche striker Rafa Mir of racially insulting him.
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The game was stopped for about three minutes. The referee said in his post-match report that El Hilali told him that Mir had used derogatory terms relating to immigrants against him.
The use of the anti-racist protocol came less than two weeks after the first leg between Benfica and Real Madrid The Champions League qualifiers were interrupted for almost 10 minutes when striker Vinícius Júnior accused Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni of calling him a “monkey”. Prestianni, who denied racially insulting Vinícius and was defended by Benfica, was temporarily suspended for a UEFA match and did not play in the second leg.
Mir converted a penalty in the 90th minute to secure a point for Elche, a result which extended both teams’ winless streaks.
Elche, who sit just outside the relegation zone in 17th place, have not won in 10 matches in all competitions, with seventh-placed Espanyol winless in nine consecutive league matches.
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Other results
Sevilla overcame a two-goal deficit in the Seville derby to draw 2-2 against city rivals Real Betis, with Isaac Romero equalizing in the 85th minute.
Mid-table Sevilla lost the first Sevilla derby of the season, 2-0 at home in November. Betis remains fifth.
Valencia moved away from the relegation zone by beating Osasuna 1-0 thanks to Largie Ramazani’s second-half goal. This is the second victory in three matches for Valencia.
League leaders Barcelona beat fourth-place Villarreal 4-1 on Saturday Lamine Yamal scored a hat-trick – to move four points ahead of second-placed Madrid, which hosts 14th-placed Getafe on Monday.
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AP Football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
