Barcelona’s Winning Streak Ends with 2-2 Draw at Mallorca in Spanish League

 Mallorca's players react at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Mallorca and Barcelona at the Son Moix stadium in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP)
Mallorca's players react at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Mallorca and Barcelona at the Son Moix stadium in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP)
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Barcelona’s Winning Streak Ends with 2-2 Draw at Mallorca in Spanish League

 Mallorca's players react at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Mallorca and Barcelona at the Son Moix stadium in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP)
Mallorca's players react at the end of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Mallorca and Barcelona at the Son Moix stadium in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (AP)

Barcelona’s five-game winning streak in the Spanish league ended with a 2-2 draw at Mallorca on Tuesday.

Barcelona twice came from behind to salvage the point. It had won five in a row after opening with a draw at Getafe. It also won in its Champions League debut against Antwerp last Tuesday.

The result left the Catalan club in danger of relinquishing the lead when the remaining midweek games are played. It leads Girona by one point and Real Madrid by two points. Girona visits Villarreal on Wednesday, while Madrid hosts promoted Las Palmas.

“We conceded two goals after defensive mistakes and we can’t allow that to happen,” Barcelona coach Xavi said. “It’s a shame, we lost two points because of these mistakes.”

Mallorca, which squandered a few good chances on counterattacks, has just one win so far and is sitting near the relegation zone with six points.

“It was a fair result, we are satisfied,” Mallorca’s Mexican coach Javier Aguirre said. “A victory would have been too much for us today.”

Mallorca was coming off a 5-3 loss at Girona.

The hosts opened the scoring through Vedat Muriqi in the eighth minute before Raphinha equalized in the 41st. Abdon Prats put Mallorca ahead again just before halftime, and Fermin López sealed the draw in the 75th with what was his first league goal for the Catalan club.

Barcelona had a penalty kick awarded in the 66th, but the decision was reversed by video review.

Sevilla wins again

Sevilla scored twice in the first 10 minutes and went on to rout Almeria 5-1 for its second league win of the season.

Youssef En-Nesyri scored in the seventh minute and Dodi Lukebakio in the eighth, then Suso added another in the 38th before Erik Lamela and Kike Salas closed the scoring in the second half.

It was the fifth loss for Almeria, which remains the only team yet to win a match.

Almeria next hosts Granada, while Sevilla visits Barcelona.



Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
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Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)

The Olympic cauldron that made a stunning first flight at the Paris Games opening ceremony will sit on the ground during the day and rise again every evening.

Paris Olympics organizers said that from Saturday, the cauldron attached to a balloon will fly more than 60 meters (197 feet) above the Tuileries gardens near the glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre museum from sunset until 2 a.m.

During daytime hours, 10,000 people each day can get free tickets to approach the cauldron, which is the first in Olympic history to light up without the use of fossil fuels.

Organizers said the electric flame uses 40 LED spotlights “to illuminate the cloud created by 200 high-pressure misting nozzles.”