La Liga Round 23 Results: Malaga defeat Mallorca to gain ground on Champions League spots

Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol both suffered devastating defeats at the hands off Betis and Zaragoza respectively, whilst Villarreal overcame Granada to move away from the drop zone

Feb 12, 2012 8:36:00 PM

By Daniel Quinton-Navarro

More On :  Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Betis, Espanyol, FC Barcelona, Getafe, Granada, Levante, Malaga, Mallorca, Osasuna, Racing, Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid CF, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Sporting de Gijon, Valencia CF, Villarreal, Zaragoza
José Salomón Rondón
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Racing 0-0 Atletico Madrid


Osasuna 3-2 Barcelona


Betis 2-1 Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao failed to take the chance to move into a Champions League spot after Betis inflicted a 2-1 defeat, helping the Andalusians move further away from the bottom three.

In an emotional return, Nelson - coming back from compassionate leave following the death of his father - drove the ball home from the edge of the area in his first La Liga appearance of the season.

Earlier, Betis's Ruben Castro had fired the home side into the lead only for Javi Martinez to score the equaliser midway through the first-half. Bilbao were reduced to 10 men just after the hour mark and appeared to have fought valiantly for a point only to be denied in stoppage time by Nelson's strike.
Espanyol 0-2 Zaragoza
Espanyol were stunned by bottom-of-the-table Zaragoza, who secured their first victory since October 16, moving the Aragonese outfit to within eight points of safety.

Unsurprisingly, the hosts dominated much of the match as they looked to capitalise on Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao's failures to win on Saturday but they were unable to convert one of numerous first-half chances. Philippe Coutinho, Uche and Romaric all wasted good openings and Zaragoza punished the Catalans lacklustre finishing with two second-half goals.

The visitors went ahead 10 minutes after the break when Da Silva bundled home former Espanyol favourite Luis Garcia's corner. The Catalans did seek an immediate response but Roberto was on hand with several smart saves before Ruben Micael took the initiative with a quick free kick that caught the Espanyol defence out, allowing Juan Carlos to secure the points in second-half injury time.
Malaga 3-1 Mallorca
Malaga are one of only two teams in the top 10 to secure maximum points as they overcame a battling Mallorca side to move up to seventh in La Liga table leaving the Islanders just two points above the drop zone.

The Andalusians had to do so after falling behind inside the opening five minutes when Michael Pereira's free kick sneakily evaded Willy Caballero to nestle in the back of the net. The lead lasted just six minutes, though, as Seba Fernandez pounced on Dudu Aoute's failure to keep hold of Rondon's rasping drive to level.

And Malaga continued to push the visitors back, eventually being rewarded in the 55th minute when Jeremy Toulalan's shot from the edge of the area beat Aouate. It was three 14 minutes later when Rondon was left unmarked on the edge of the penalty area, and his shot squirmed under the keeper to secure the victory. 
Rayo Vallecano 2-0 Getafe
Rayo Vallecano strolled to a victory in the Madrid derby as they leapfrogged Getafe into the top half of La Liga table after Luis Garcia's side finished the tie with 10 men.

With temperatures plummeting across Spain the hosts settled the quicker of the two in the freezing conditions, but neither side found their natural rhythm. It was likely that a defensive error would lead to the first goal and when Getafe failed to pick up their men Michu was able to slot Rayo ahead after his initial header had been saved.

The visitors' task then became a mountain when they were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Michel was shown a straight red card for a foul on Diego Costa. To rub salt into the wounds, it was the Brazilian who netted Rayo's second; a second defensive error lead to Movilla being able to swing in a cross that Costa directed past a helpless Miguel Angel Moya. 
Valencia 4-0 Sporting Gijon


Villarreal 3-1 Granada
Villarreal inflicted a first defeat on Abel Resino's Granada with a 3-1 victory at El Madrigal, helping to lift Jose Molina's side three points clear of the drop zone.

The Yellow Submarine deservedly took the lead midway through the first half when Cani slid a wonderful pass into the path of Marco Ruben, who then clipped the ball over an onrushing Julio Cesar who had prematurely gone to ground.

The visitors found an equaliser five minutes into the second half when Inigo Lopez, who struck the post in the first-half with a free header, was given time to convert. Granada came close with an audacious effort from 40 yards out that Diego Lopez managed to keep out, before Borja Valero smashed home from an acute angle into the roof of the net to fire the hosts back ahead.

Villarreal were gifted the win when Julio Cesar's sliced punch embarrassingly resulted in the ball dropping into the net, and any late Granda comeback was made impossible when Pape Diakhate was sent off.

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