MADRID (AP) — Real Betis continued its good run, beating Espanyol 4-1 on Friday to consolidate third place in La Liga.
It was the third consecutive victory for Betis in the different competitions and the fourth in their last five matches. The team led by the Chilean Manuel Pellegrini came within five points of their rival citizen Sevilla, which is second.
The Sevilla squad receives Celta de Vigo this Saturday.
Real Madrid is the leader, with nine points more than the Betis team, ahead of Sunday’s home game against Elche.
Betis is one of the hottest clubs in Spain. He has scored 14 goals and conceded just three in his last five games.
The victory left Pellegrini’s club seven points above Atlético de Madrid, which is fourth and currently has the last place in the Champions League.
Atleti, the defending champion of La Liga, have two games less than Betis.
Espanyol took the lead through a goal from Raúl de Tomás early on. However, the visitors came from behind with two goals from Borja Iglesias. Guido Rodríguez and Willian José added two goals to round off the win.
It was the second consecutive loss at home for the Periquitos, who remained in eleventh position.
The Benito Villamarín Stadium, home of Betis, will remain closed for two games after a Sevilla player was hit in the head by a plastic tube thrown at him by fans from the stands in a recent Copa del Rey match.
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