News Focus
- Real Betis defeated Elche 2-1 to guarantee fifth place and a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2005
- Levante came from behind to beat Celta Vigo 3-1, moving temporarily out of the bottom three with three games remaining
- Atletico Madrid held on for a 2-1 victory away at Osasuna despite finishing with ten men
- Celta Vigo’s defeat ends their hopes of securing a Champions League spot via a fifth-place finish
Real Betis have ended their long wait for Champions League football. The Seville club secured qualification for Europe’s top competition after beating Elche on Tuesday night, guaranteeing a fifth-place finish with three matches left to play.
The victory marks a major achievement for manager Manuel Pellegrini. His side will compete in the continent’s premier tournament for the first time in 21 years.
Earlier in the evening, Levante produced a remarkable comeback at Balaidos. They defeated Celta Vigo 3-1 to climb out of the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid claimed a 2-1 victory against Osasuna in the late kick-off. The match ended with late drama as the home side scored in added time.
Levante faced a difficult start against Celta Vigo. The hosts took an early lead when Ferran Jutgla found the net after just four minutes. The striker beat a defender inside the box before finishing calmly.
However, Levante responded strongly before half-time. Jutgla scored his second goal just before the break. He tapped in a cross from Javi Rueda at the far post.
The visitors took control in the second period. Centre-back Adrian de la Fuente scored a spectacular goal from 30 metres. Six minutes later, Roger Brugue headed in from a corner to complete the turnaround.
Celta pushed for an equaliser late on. Brugue nearly added another but hit the post on a counter-attack. The win moves Levante to 39 points and 16th place, above the drop zone. Celta’s hopes of reaching the Champions League are now over. They remain sixth and will likely compete in the Europa League next season.
At the Estadio Benito Villamarin, Betis started brightly against Elche. Cucho Hernandez opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a fine strike from outside the area.
Elche fought back and equalised five minutes before half-time. Hector Fort’s shot took a deflection and looped over the goalkeeper. They thought they had taken the lead in stoppage time, but Grady Diangana’s effort was ruled out for handball.
The match changed when Elche had Theo Petro sent off early in the second half. The defender received a red card for a rough tackle on Antony.
Betis took advantage of the extra player. Pablo Fornals scored the winner with 22 minutes remaining. His powerful shot flew into the top corner, sparking wild celebrations among the home supporters.
Elche stay on 39 points in 14th place.
In the late kick-off at El Sadar, Atletico Madrid went ahead through Ademola Lookman. The forward converted a penalty after 12 minutes.
Osasuna created chances but could not score before the break. Ante Budimir missed two clear opportunities, while goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez made an excellent save to deny Marc Pubill.
Atletico doubled their lead after 70 minutes. Alexander Sorloth headed in at the back post following good work by Pubill and Marcos Llorente down the right flank.
The visitors went down to ten men when Llorente received a second yellow card with eight minutes left. Osasuna finally scored in stoppage time through Kike Barja, but it was too late to salvage a point.
Osasuna remain in 11th place. They are three points behind Getafe in the European places and three points above Girona in the relegation zone. Atletico move within three points of third-placed Villarreal.