Villarreal Held by Bottom Side as Levante and Rayo Boost Survival Hopes in La Liga

Madrid: 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.

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. IANS

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