Atletico keep La Liga title hopes alive at Villarreal; Sevilla sink Eibar
Fernando Torres ensured Atletico Madrid retain an outside chance of defending their Primera Division title by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory at Villarreal.
The striker, back at his boyhood club on loan from AC Milan, came off the bench to fire an impressive winner in the 73rd minute at El Madrigal, in the process boosting Atleti to within nine points of leaders Barcelona with four games remaining. Second-placed Real Madrid are seven points away. Diego Simeone's men are now unbeaten in 11 games while Villarreal remain in sixth place despite failing to win any of their last eight matches.
The first half was played at such a frantic pace that it came as some surprise no goal was scored before half-time. Inside 60 seconds Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak was sprawling to deny Joel Campbell and Joao Miranda had to think fast to take the ball off the Costa Rican's feet as he came sniffing a few minutes later.
Atleti responded, Antoine Griezmann threatening to clip the ball between Villarreal keeper Sergio Asenjo and the near post but missing the mark. Arda Turan helped maintain the pressure on the hosts by bursting into the area and blasting wide but Atleti were soon racing back to defend in numbers.
Oblak made a fantastic double save as the ball pinged around his six-yard box and Gerard's follow-up effort was only kept from crossing the line by a desperate clearance from Diego Godin. Juanfran rifled the ball over the bar in the 39th minute and the half-time whistle provided some welcome respite for both sides.
Tomas Pina took aim from the edge of the box when play resumed, narrowly shooting wide with his left boot and substitute Saul Niguez soon fired back for Madrid, his attempt off the same foot fizzing past the target just after the hour. Niguez had entered the fray at the same time as another Atletico favourite, and it would fall to that returning hero to open the scoring in the 74th minute.
Torres rolled back the years to press Villarreal out of possession before skipping past two defenders and beating Asenjo with a cold-blooded finish. The hosts' keeper did deny Atletico a quickfire second goal when Griezmann let loose with a powerful drive on the run, but the capital club had done enough.
Eibar 1, Sevilla 3
Sevilla kept their quest for Champions League football alive with a convincing 3-1 win at struggling Eibar.
Carlos Bacca scored twice inside 15 minutes to put the visitors in charge, and in the second half Jose Antonio Reyes restored the two-goal lead after Federico Piovacarri pulled one back for the hosts. This win temporarily takes Sevilla into fourth in the Primera Division table and a point clear of Valencia - who visit Rayo Vallecano on Thursday - while Eibar remain dangerously close to the relegation zone,16th in the table on 31 points.
Unai Emery's side strolled to a comfortable victory over Rayo on Sunday and got off to a dream start here, taking the lead on seven minutes as Reyes played in Bacca and the Colombian rounded goalkeeper Xabi Irureta to slot into the far corner. Reyes then went down with a suspected foot injury but made an instant recovery and a few minutes later provided another assist for Bacca. The former Arsenal forward lobbed a free-kick into the area from 40 yards out and Irureta parried the ball straight into the path of Bacca, who passed the ball into the net from close range.
Eibar did little of note in the first half but started the second period strongly. Piovacarri headed over the bar just a few minutes after the re-start and then a few moments later gave the Basques hope of a comeback, pouncing after Sevilla failed to clear the loose ball following a corner. The visitors were hemmed into their own half for the next 10 minutes or so but found respite as Reyes and Bacca reversed roles to score the third goal. The Colombian steamrollered forwards on a Sevilla counter and just before he got to the area rolled the ball forwards for Reyes to smash first-time in at the near post.
The goal killed off any hopes of an Eibar revival and Sevilla finished the game strongly, with Irureta forced to make saves from Vitolo and Ever Banega late on.
Celta Vigo 1, Malaga 0
Nolito struck at the death to give Celta Vigo a last-gasp 1-0 win over Malaga and breathe life into the Galicians' hopes of qualifying for Europe.
The in-form forward smashed home a loose ball in the area in the 89th minute to decide an evenly-matched game and turn the race for the final European place upside down. The Andalusian's late goal gave Celta a third win in four matches and they move on to 45 points, just two shy of Malaga, who still occupy seventh spot but are now level on points with Athletic Bilbao, and have gone seven matches without tasting victory.
Eduardo Berizzo said before the game that his side had to beat Malaga to stand any chance of qualifying for Europe and the hosts made the better start, with Andreu Fontas forcing Malaga goalkeeper Carlos Kameni into a save with barely five minutes played. Striker Charles and midfielder Pablo Hernandez also squandered chances for Celta, but Malaga came the closest to scoring before the break - Sergi Darder struck the inside of the post and then a few minutes later Samuel Garcia forced Sergio Alvarez to dive low and save his effort from the edge of the area.
Celta then hit the woodwork twice in the same move around the hour mark. Charles headed Fabian Orellana's cross onto the bar and the rebound fell to Hernandez, who nodded the ball off the post with the open goal gaping. Hernandez was replaced by teenage striker Santi Mina a few minutes later and the change paid off. With stoppage time approaching the 19-year-old broke free down the right and rolled the ball into the box, it bounced off Fernando Tissone and towards Nolito, who shot into the far corner.
Tensions boiled over a minute later following a meaty tackle by Celta captain Augusto Fernandez, and Malaga skipper Weligton got himself booked along with the Argentinian for his reaction to the challenge. Orellana had a chance to give the home fans another goal to celebrate in the final minute of stoppage time but he fired wide, but Nolito's goal was more than enough for the Balaidos faithful.
