MADRID — After scoring Osasuna’s winning goal, Ante Budimir showed fans a jersey with the words “Be strong Valencia.”
He and his teammates dedicated Osasuna’s 1-0 win over Valladolid in the Spanish league on Saturday to the victims of the deadly floods that hit the Valencia region this week, and especially to Osasuna coach Vicente Moreno, who is from the area and a day earlier gave an emotional interview during his news conference.
Moreno is from Massanassa, one of the cities affected the most by the floods that killed more than 200 people in southern Spain. He cried while talking about this week’s tragedy and those affected by it. The coach was not on the bench during Saturday’s match because of a suspension.
“We dedicate the victory to Vicente because he is suffering a lot,” Osasuna assistant coach Daniel Pendín said. “He deserves it and we dedicate the victory to him.”
Two first-division games were postponed on Saturday because of the floods — Real Madrid at Valencia and Villarreal against Rayo Vallecano. Three second-division games scheduled to be played in the region this weekend also had to be moved to a new date.
Budimir scored the winner by converting a 19th-minute penalty kick, helping Osasuna move into fourth place with 21 points from 12 matches.
Valladolid, which has lost five of its last six league games, stayed second-to-last with eight points.
Also Saturday, Girona ended a two-game losing streak in the league with a 4-3 win over Leganes.
Miguel Gutiérrez, who scored Girona’s first goal, also marked the occasion by displaying a “Be Strong Valencia” shirt.
On Sunday, leader Barcelona hosts Espanyol in the city derby. Fifth-place Atletico Madrid hosts 18th-place Las Palmas and is looking to get back into the top three with a victory. Diego Simeone’s team is coming off three straight losses across all competitions.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
