Primera Liga reports

Brief reports of matches played in the Primera Liga at the weekend:

Played on Sunday:

ALBACETE 2 VALLADOLID 0

Valladolid defender Jonathan gave Albacete the lead after 10 minutes when he headed into his own net as he tussled with forward Carlos Aranda following a free kick.

Substitute Mikel secured the win for the home side with a spectacular 25-metre dipping volley early in the second half.

OSASUNA 2 VILLARREAL 1

Osasuna stay in the race for a UEFA Cup place after two own goals from unlucky Villarreal.

The Navarrans took the lead on 34 minutes when Australian striker John Aloisi saw his header crash against the post and rebound off Villarreal keeper Pepe Reina and into the net.

Villarreal defender Quique Alvarez put Osasuna 2-0 up in the second half when he bundled a cross into his own net. Midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme pulled one back for the visitors with a late penalty but it was not enough to save them from defeat.

RACING SANTANDER 4 CELTA VIGO 4

Celta striker Savo Milosevic cancelled out a Cristian Alvarez penalty when he stabbed the ball home on 29 minutes and his side looked to have gained the upper hand when Racing winger Mario Regueiro was sent off late in the first half.

However, Javi Guerrero restored Racing's lead before the break only for Celta to then storm 4-2 ahead in the second half thanks to a well-taken double from Russian midfielder Alexander Mostovoi and a penalty from Milosevic.

But the game was far from over with Celta defender Juan Velasco sent off after 77 minutes before Racing grabbed two late goals to level the game at 4-4 as Alvarez netted his second penalty and Guerrero completed his double with a header.

There was still time for Milosevic to spurn a chance to clinch victory for troubled Celta when he blasted yet another penalty over the bar three minutes into injury time.

REAL ZARAGOZA 1 ESPANYOL 1

Zaragoza were unable to celebrate their midweek triumph in the King's Cup final over Real Madrid with a win against fellow strugglers Espanyol.

Striker David Villa put Zaragoza in front when he headed in a deflected Carlos Cuartero cross midway through the first half. Espanyol equalised nine minutes later when Brazilian midfielder Fredson unleashed an unstoppable 35-metre free kick.

SEVILLA 0 MALAGA 1

Malaga's Salva Ballesta scored his 17th goal of the season to secure victory over his former club as he smashed home a spot kick after Sevilla defender Javi Navarro conceded a penalty 14 minutes from time in a typically intense Andalucian derby.

VALENCIA 5 REAL MALLORCA 1

In-form striker Mista grabbed a hat-trick as Valencia produced an irresistible second-half performance to crush the islanders and move within a point of Real at the top.

Mista opened with a far-post header two minutes from the end of an even first half before Valencia blitzed their way into a 5-0 lead after the break with four goals in 10 minutes.

Midfielder Ruben Baraja poked in from close range after a free kick, forward Miguel Angel Angulo made it 3-0 with a delicate lob and Mista completed his hat-trick with two strikes in a little over a minute.

Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o pulled one back with a late penalty but it was scant consolation for a demoralised Mallorca.

BARCELONA 1 REAL SOCIEDAD 0

Ronaldinho completed another virtuoso performance with a brilliant later winner when he curled a sweetly struck free kick over the wall and past a bemused Sociedad keeper Alberto after he had been brought down on the edge of the area just over a minute from full time.

Frank Rijkaard's side have now extended their winning streak to nine games, their best run in a single season for 30 years. Defeat for Sociedad, who matched the Catalans for most of the game, means that they remain seven points above the drop zone.

Played Saturday:

ATHLETIC BILBAO 4 REAL MADRID 2

Real completed a miserable week with a heavy defeat against an inspired Bilbao that left the door open to Valencia to cut their lead at the top of the table to just a point on Sunday.

The Basques made the most of some poor Real defending to go 2-0 up by halftime, midfielder Franciso Yeste curling in round goalkeeper Iker Casillas on 41 minutes and striker Ismael Urzaiz heading in from a free kick immediately after the restart.

Real skipper Raul led a comeback when he grabbed two close-range goals early in the second half but Bilbao refused to give way and defender Asier del Horno scored twice in two minutes to give the Basques a thoroughly deserved win.

ATLETICO MADRID 2 REAL BETIS 1

Atletico deserved a far bigger win against the Andalucians as they produced one of their best performances of the season.

Veljko Paunovic put Atletico ahead seven minutes into the second half with a low shot after fellow striker Fernando Torres had got to the byline and cut the ball back into his path.

Betis equalised against the run of play when Joaquin guided home midway through the half but Torres capped a brilliant performance, and celebrated his 20th birthday in style, when he scored from the restart after a neat one-two with Paunovic.

DEPORTIVO CORUNA 1 MURCIA 0

After three defeats in a row Deportivo got back on track with an unconvincing 1-0 win over relegation-bound Murcia to provisionally reclaim third place from Barcelona.

Defender Joan Capdevila drilled in at the far post after Victor slipped a pass through a passive Murcia defence following a corner. However, his side will need to produce a much-improved performance if they want to match AC Milan in their Champions League quarter-final at the San Siro on Tuesday.