LEICESTER, England—Victor Camarasa’s stunning stoppage-time strike earned Cardiff a vital 1-0 win at Leicester in the Premier League on Saturday after Neil Etheridge’s inspired display.
The Cardiff goalkeeper saved James Maddison’s second-half penalty before Camarasa struck from 25 yards (meters).
Philippines international Etheridge pulled off a string of fine saves to help earn the Bluebirds their first away win in the league this season.
Etheridge denied Ricardo Pereira, Jamie Vardy and Maddison as Cardiff moved four points clear of the relegation zone.
Leicester, which dropped to eighth, failed to earn a third successive win after impressive victories over Chelsea and Manchester City.
Regular penalty-taker Jamie Vardy was substituted just six minutes before Maddison’s spot-kick miss, with the decision jeered by the home fans.
Leicester wasted its golden chance with 16 minutes left after Maddison was bundled over by a clumsy challenge from Sean Morrison. Maddison picked himself up to take the penalty but Etheridge guessed low to his right to save the spot-kick.
Leicester failed to find a breakthrough and was punished in added time.
Bobby Reid teed up Camarasa in space and he brilliantly curled the ball into the top corner.
Leicester won 1-0 at Cardiff on November 3 in its first game since Foxes owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died in a helicopter crash.
In Rome, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as runaway leader Juventus escaped with a 2-1 win over Sampdoria in Serie A on Saturday with help from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Ronaldo’s second goal, a penalty, was awarded by the VAR for a questionable handball. Then Sampdoria had a stoppage-time goal chalked off by the VAR.
Sampdoria thought it had become the first visiting Serie A club to score more than one goal at the Allianz Stadium in more than a year when Riccardo Saponara’s shot went in off the underside of the crossbar, but replays showed the play was offside.
“I like [the VAR] a lot because it reduces the number of mistakes,” Ronaldo said. “It’s not easy for the match officials to analyze everything that goes on. We just have to let them get on with their jobs.”
Ronaldo had put Juventus ahead two minutes in with a bouncing shot and Fabio Quagliarella equalized with a penalty before the break to become the first player to score in nine consecutive Serie A matches since David Trezeguet accomplished the feat with Juventus in 2005.
Ronaldo’s decisive penalty came in the 65th after the VAR decided that Alex Ferrari had used his arm, even though it appeared as if the defender kept his arm next to his body and didn’t move it toward the ball.
Image credits: AP