Alaves loses, misses chance to take Spanish league lead

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MADRID (AP) — Alaves lost to relegation-threatened Leganes 1-0 on Friday, missing an opportunity to take the Spanish league lead.

Alaves could have passed Barcelona for the lead with a victory, but the host secured the three points with a goal by Youssef En-Nesyri shortly before halftime at Butarque Stadium.

It was the first win in six matches for Leganes, allowing it to move out of the relegation zone ahead of the weekend matches.

It was the second loss in three matches for Alaves, which has been one of the early sensations in La Liga. It arrived for Friday's match one point behind leader Barcelona, and it was tied with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid.

Atletico plays against Barcelona in Madrid on Saturday, while Sevilla hosts Valladolid on Sunday.

Sixth-place Real Madrid visits Eibar on Saturday to try to keep up its strong momentum under new coach Santiago Solari.