GIJON, Spain — Jonathan Rodriguez scored one goal and set up another to help Sporting Gijon beat Eibar 2-0 on Friday, provisionally lifting it out of the Spanish league’s relegation zone with the season reaching its close.
Sporting rebounded from a 6-0 loss at Barcelona last weekend with a second consecutive home win to leapfrog above Granada, which hosts Las Palmas Saturday.
Eibar dominated until Sporting went ahead with its first attempt on goal, as Carlos Carmona headed in Rodriguez’s cross two minutes before halftime.
Eibar reinforced its attack with Borja Baston, and fellow striker Sergi Enrich almost equalized in the 72nd when goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar pushed his long strike onto his post. The ball then rolled across the goalmouth but refused to go in.
"Cuellar’s stop of my shot saved the game for them," Enrich said.
Rodriguez sealed the points in the 82nd when Eibar defender Antonio Luna mistimed his jump to clear a long pass. Rodriguez took the ball, sped into the area and slotted a shot under goalkeeper Asier Riesgo.
The loss left Eibar in 11th place before the rest of this weekend’s matches. There will then be two more rounds remaining.
"I think we have taken a gigantic step toward staying up, but it’s not over yet," Rodriguez said. "We have two more finals left."
The three teams in the hunt for the league title all play on Saturday.
Leader Barcelona visits Real Betis level on points with Atletico Madrid, which hosts Rayo Vallecano. Real Madrid, which trails both by one point, visits Real Sociedad without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
