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Madrid, April 24 (IANS) Villarreal strengthened its hold on third place in La Liga with a 1-1 draw away to bottom side Oviedo, which produced another battling display but remains six points from safety.

Nicolas Pepe put Villarreal ahead with a retaken penalty after Oviedo goalkeeper Aaron Escandell had saved his first effort, but Ilyas Chaira leveled in the 68th minute after a smart assist from Alberto Reina.

Ayoze Perez hit the woodwork for Villarreal in the closing minutes, but the draw still left the east-coast side five points ahead of fourth-place Atletico Madrid, reports Xinhua.

Ivan Romero scored twice as Levante beat Sevilla 2-0 at home in a key game in the relegation battle.

Romero's first goal was a powerful shot, and his second finished off a counterattack in injury time to end Sevilla's hopes after the visitors failed to register a shot on target.

Sergio Camello's 86th-minute goal gave Rayo Vallecano three vital points in a 1-0 home win over Espanyol, which still has not won a game in 2026.

The Barcelona-based side had a chance to open the scoring from the penalty spot, but Rayo goalkeeper Sergio Cardenas saved Kike Garcia's powerful 72nd-minute spot kick.

On Tuesday, Real Madrid beat Deportivo Alaves 2-1, Athletic Club won 1-0 at home to Osasuna, Real Betis triumphed 3-2 away to Girona, and Mallorca and Valencia drew 1-1.

Wednesday's three games saw FC Barcelona win 1-0 at home to Celta Vigo to stay nine points clear at the top of La Liga, Elche defeat Atletico Madrid 3-2, and Getafe take advantage of Real Sociedad's Copa del Rey hangover to claim a 1-0 win in San Sebastian. That match was decided by an own goal, with Getafe failing to register a shot on target.

--IANS

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