Vincenzo Nibali managed to stay with 20th-stage winner Ezequiel Mosquera to all but clinch the Spanish Vuelta after yesterday's decisive mountain stage.

Needing to overturn a 50-second deficit, Mosquera pushed out with 3½ kilometres to race in the gruelling 172-kilometre (107-mile) penultimate leg of the Spanish classic to win in 4 hours, 45 minutes, 28 seconds.

But Nibali surged from a 20-second deficit over the last kilometre to finish one second behind his Spanish rival.

The Liquigas-Doimo cyclist broke into tears at the summit finish as he all but secured the first victory by an Italian in 20 years with a straightforward final leg awaiting on Sunday.

Nibali is set to be the fifth Italian winner in 65 editions, with Marco Giovannetti the last in 1990. He leads Mosquera - who picked up extra time through bonus points - by 41 seconds with an overa