MADRID (AP) — Athletic Bilbao solidified its fourth place in the Spanish league with a 1-0 win at Sevilla on Sunday.
Yeray Álvarez scored with a header in the 84th minute to give Athletic the away victory and an eight-point gap to fifth-placed Villarreal.
Villarreal, which has a game in hand, lost 2-1 to leader Real Madrid on Saturday after Kylian Mbappé scored twice for the defending champions.
It was Athletic's second win in a row after three straight matches without a victory across all tournaments. It came off a 3-1 win over Roma to reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
Sevilla stayed in ninth place.
Betis rallies
Sixth-placed Real Betis rallied from two goals down at halftime to win 3-2 at relegation-threatened Leganes, with Cucho Hernández scoring the winner in the 82nd.
The hosts had taken the lead with Dani Raba scoring in the 29th and 44th before Betis equalized with Isco in the 64th and Cédric Bakambu in the 78th.
It was the third straight victory for Betis in all competitions, and the second loss in a row for 18th-placed Leganes.
Second-placed Barcelona visits third-placed Atletico Madrid later Sunday.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
