La Liga: Granada draw Sevilla; Villarreal, Cordoba in goalless tie
BARCELONA, Spain -- Granada defender Diego Mainz scored goals for both teams in a 1-1 draw against visiting Sevilla in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Granada went ahead against the run of play in the 16th minute when Mainz shed his marker and had time to place a header from a corner kick into the far side of the net.
The teams traded scoring opportunities before Sevilla coach Unai Emery sent on Ever Banega and winger Aleix Vidal and played with a three-man defense from the 62nd.
Banega immediately fired a long strike wide of the post before his cross caused Granada's defense to scramble.
Sevilla got its equalizer in the 69th when Vidal worked a one-two passing combination with Jose Antonio Reyes to break free on the right flank before he sent in a low cross that Mainz deflected into his own net.
Sevilla pressed for the winner but Granada held on to salvage a point.
Neither side got the result it needed. Granada was left in second-to-last place, three points from safety with six games left.
Sevilla, meanwhile, wasted a chance to pull level with fourth-place Valencia, which it trails by two points in their fight for the last Champions League berth.
Sevilla next turns back to the Europa League, where the titleholders are set to travel to Zenit St. Petersburg on Thursday with a 2-1 advantage in their quarterfinal.
Rayo Vallecano 2-0 Almeria
Earlier in Madrid, Ze Castro crossed for fellow center back Antonio Amaya to head in Rayo's first goal at Vallecas Stadium in the 23rd.
Almeria threatened to level until Gael Kakuta dribbled through the area and chipped the ball for substitute Nicolas ''Miku'' Ladislao to score from close range in the 90th.
Rayo moved 10th in the 20-team league after its fifth victory in the last six home games.
Almeria was left on the brink of the relegation zone after its fifth consecutive loss on the road.
Villarreal 0-0 Cordoba
Villarreal and Cordoba continue their long respective waits for a league win after playing out an exciting 0-0 draw at El Madrigal.
Cordoba will be grateful to their goalkeeper Juan Carlos for making a series of impressive saves in the second half to keep the match goalless, but Villarreal will also view this game as a missed opportunity to put an end to their eight-game winless streak, against the league's bottom side.
Cordoba move on to 20 points for the season thanks to this draw but are eight points from safety with six games of the season left and remain without a win in the second half of the season.
Villarreal stay sixth and are now six points ahead of Malaga in seventh thanks to this draw, but they will be concerned about the fact they have not won a match since March 8.
Eibar 0-1 Celta Vigo
Celta Vigo earned a narrow but deserved 1-0 win at Eibar as Nolito scored from the penalty spot late on in the first half.
Although they could only score the one goal, this was another impressive display from Eduardo Berizzo's side, who recorded a second consecutive league win to move up to ninth in the Primera Division and on to 42 points.
Eibar, meanwhile, remain on 31 points, just three above the relegation zone.
