Sevilla moves into third with 1-0 win over Villareal

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Renato's goal on the stroke of halftime proved decisive as Sevilla beat Villarreal 1-0 on Sunday to move into third place in the Spanish league.

The midfielder dashed in to flick the ball past goalkeeper Diego Lopez after Sevilla teammate Frederic Kanoute failed to control Adriano's header into the penalty area.

Villarreal's defeat at Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez de Pizjuan stadium dropped it to fourth place and extended its recent league slump.

The small-town team, which was second last season for its best league finish, has won only once in the past five games, although it has qualified for the Champions League knockout phase.

Also, Atletico Madrid defeated Real Betis 2-0 on goals by Maxi Rodriguez and Sergio Aguero to leapfrog Real Madrid into fifth place.

After 15 games, Barcelona leads the league with 38 points, eight more than Valencia and Sevilla. Villarreal stayed on 29. Atletico has 27, while defending champion Madrid has 26.

Also Sunday, it was: Valladolid 3, Deportivo La Coruna 0; Getafe 4, Mallorca 1; Almeria 1, Racing Santander 1; Athletic Bilbao 3, Sporting Gijon 0; Recreativo Huelva 1, Osasuna 0; and Malaga 2, Numancia 0.

On Saturday, leader Barcelona secured a 2-0 victory over Madrid, whose coach Juande Ramos was making his return to the Spanish league after replacing the fired Bernd Schuster. Valencia beat Espanyol 2-1.

Villarreal's problems at Sevilla increased in the 53rd when striker Joseba Llorente, who was returning after a month's injury layoff, was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.

The loss of Llorente forced Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini to replace midfielder Marcos Senna with United States striker Jozy Altidore four minutes later.

At the same time, Luis Fabiano was sent on to replace the injured Kanoute but failed to increase Sevilla's lead after spurning several chances.

Atletico's victory over Betis extended its unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions.

Midfielder Rodriguez chested down Maniche's through pass before rifling an angled shot past goalkeeper Casto Espinosa to give Atletico a 20th-minute lead.

After Atletico had survived a series of second-half scares, striker Aguero sealed the win in the 81st with his eighth goal of the season, shooting past Espinosa after being set free by Diego Forlan's pass.

Valladolid extended its unbeaten run to five games with a comfortable win over Deportivo.

Jonathan Sesma opened the scoring when he flicked the ball home from close range in the 17th minute after Deportivo midfielder Julian De Guzman deflected Pedro Leon's cross from the right and sent the ball looping into the air.

Nine minutes later, Pedro Lopez doubled Valladolid's lead with a spectacular chip from close to the halfway line that caught out Deportivo goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia and sailed into the net.

Aranzubia was then beaten by another floated shot for Valladolid's third goal in the 56th, this time by Leon from the right.

Deportivo's loss at Jose Zorrilla Stadium ended a winning run of three straight games and left it in seventh place with 24 points. Valladolid, whose undefeated streak includes four wins, is eighth with 23 points.

Getafe, which has beaten Madrid and drawn with Barcelona and Villarreal in its past three games, gained another three points and dropped Mallorca into the relegation zone.

The home side took a two-goal lead through Cosmin Contra's 15th-minute penalty and Ikechukwu Uche's chip 16 minutes later, with Mallorca's Aritz Aduriz reducing the deficit in the 33rd.

Manu del Moral and Jaime Gavilan sealed Getafe's win with further goals in the 72nd and the 85th.

An unstoppable drive by defender Ezequiel Garay, on loan from Madrid for the season, gave Santander a 31st-minute lead, with Santi Acasiete's volley equalizing for Almeria.

Santander midfielder Mehdi Lacen was sent off in the 73rd.

Bilbao's three goals against Gijon were scored in the first 31 minutes, courtesy of a penalty by Fernando Llorente, and strikes by Andoni Iraola and David Lopez.

Recreativo forward Adrian Colunga scored in the 84th minute to beat last-place Osasuna and bring his team its first home win since April.

Malaga's Antonio "Apono" Galdeano converted an 85th-minute penalty and Nabil Baha added a second goal in the 90th in his team's victory over another promoted side, Numancia.

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