MADRID — A goalkeeping error allowed Rayo Vallecano to score and hold Valencia to 1-1 in the Spanish football league Thursday. Valencia ‘keeper Diego Alves failed to get his body behind the save when he stopped midfielder Adrian Embarba's shot, and the ball rolled into goal in the 19th minute. After an hour, Jorge Morcillo was sent off for tripping Andre Gomes as he ran toward goal, leaving Rayo with 10. Dani Parejo equalized from the resulting free kick. Alves won some credit back when he athletically stopped Gael Kakuta's powerful shot in the 73rd. Four minutes later, Rodrigo was sent off for tripping Rayo goalkeeper Antonio Rodríguez. Elsewhere, Espanyol sank Granada's hopes of rising above the relegation zone by winning 2-1. Espanyol forward Sergio Garcia opened the scoring with a powerful shot after receiving midfielder Lucas Vazquez's assist at the end of the first half. Defender Diego Mainz headed in the equalizer in the 73rd, but Francisco Montanes won the match when he volleyed an attempted clearance straight past goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez with six minutes left in regulation. Valencia is fourth in the standings, while Espanyol is 10th, three points above Rayo. Granada is second to last. Napoli loses at Empoli Napoli's recent run of form came to an end at Empoli with a 4-2 defeat in Serie A Thursday, a severe dent to its hopes of qualifying for next year's Champions League. A fantastic finish to the first half saw Empoli go in at the break with a commanding 3-0 lead after goals from Massimo Maccarone and Riccardo Saponara, either side of Miguel Angel Britos' own goal. An own goal from Empoli defender Vincent Laurini gave Napoli a foothold in the game but another own goal from Raul Albiol sealed the match for the home side. Marek Hamsik scored a late consolation for Napoli, which remained five points behind third-place Roma in the race for third place, with five matches remaining. It's only route now into the Champions League appears to be winning the Europa League. Empoli moved level with 14th-placed Udinese, and was all but guaranteed to avoid relegation. After a dismal run, Napoli had won three successive Serie A matches and was further boosted by reaching the semifinals of the Europa League. — Agencies
