AMSTERDAM – Alejandro Bedoya rescued Nantes two minutes from time on Saturday night, popping up at the back post to nod home the 1-1 equalizer against Ligue 1 hosts Toulouse.
Working out on right wing, the US attacker notched his third goal of the season on his fourth shot of the contest. Twice during the opening 20 minutes of the second half, Bedoya squandered good 15-yard looks by missing the frame.
He also pulled a distance try wide nine minutes from the end, but finally tuned his sights properly to bag Valentin Rongier's corner kick in the waning moments. For the game, Bedoya served as a repeated nuisance, completing 36 of 47 passes, with a pair of them setting up scoring chances for teammates. The result nudged Nantes to six points clear of the drop zone in 10th place.
In the Dutch Eredivisie, Rubio Rubin worked a strong shift up top in his first pro run in a two-striker set as FC Utrecht clinched survival with a 2-0 triumph at Go Ahead Eagles.
Before exiting with the damage already done in the 83rd minute, the teenage attacker caused plenty of havoc. Rubin teed up Mark Diemers to draw a good save just seconds into the game, and then was robbed of a close-range icebreaker in the 11th minute.
Rubin also was cruelly denied of an insurance tally 12 minutes from time after raiding from the left wing off a Christian Kum long ball out of the back. By snapping a four-game win drought, Utrecht maintained their status as one of only four teams never relegated from the Eredivisie.
John Anthony Brooks and Hertha Berlin put on another stingy defensive display on Saturday evening, but it wasn't quite enough as Bundesliga holders Bayern Munich struck late for a 1-0 road win that all but ensured their third straight crown.
The US defender won four of five aerial duels in leading all players with 11 clearances and added three pass interceptions at the door to the Hertha area, all without drawing a single whistle from the referee. However, the one air challenge he lost allowed Bastian Schweinsteiger to nod off the bar with 13 minutes left to play.
Three minutes later, the Hertha dam finally broke when Schweinsteiger buried a cutback from 16 yards. Despite no having allowed one goal or less in seven of eight games, the capital crew saw their safety cushion cut to six points with four games remaining.
Switching focus to the Premier League, Brad Guzan's biggest gaffe of the season gifted the quick opener in Aston Villa's wild 3-2 loss at Manchester City.
The US No. 1 dreadful mis-hit of a switch pass invited Sergio Agüero to waltz in alone for the first goal of the contest after just three minutes of action. Guzan notched a save and a cross claim as Villa eventually erased a two-goal deficit, fighting back to pull level with five minutes left on the clock.
Defending champs City had one more trick up their sleeve, though, with Fernandinho bagging the winner thanks to some pitiful corner kick marking. With a three-game unbeaten run across all competitions falling by the wayside, 15th-place Villa slipped to just two points above the trap door.
Over in Austria, Conor O'Brien chalked up an assist as Wiener Neustadt pulled level on points with the last survival slot after a see-saw 4-4 draw with visiting Sturm Graz.
In the 19th minute, the New York native picked out Reinhold Ranftl in the area with a long ball and the striker made no mistake to give the hosts the game's first lead. O'Brien also co-led the team with four tackles while notching two pass picks.
Unfortunately, the Blue-Whites twice squandered a two-goal advantage after the break, including a 4-2 edge with just three minutes to play. The late collapse kept Wiener Neustad winless in six and in the basement.
Norwegian Tippeligaen action saw the Viking debut of A.J. Soares in their 4-1 home defeat to Rosenborg. The former New England Revs defender was on the field for the Troll Kids' last two tallies as the hosts suffered their third loss in four games this season.
