Madrid, April 13 (IANS) Villarreal strengthened its grip on third place in La Liga with a 2-1 away win over Athletic Bilbao, moving four points clear of Atletico Madrid and 15 ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis as it closed in on qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

First-half goals from Sergi Cardona and Alfon Gonzalez put Villarreal 2-0 ahead and left Athletic Bilbao struggling.

The home side pushed for a route back into the game in the second half, but Villarreal defended in an organized manner and also had chances to extend its lead on the counterattack.

Gorka Guruzeta pulled a goal back for Athletic Bilbao in the 84th minute, but Villarreal held on for the win, while Athletic remains just six points above the bottom three.

Villarreal broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. Marcelino’s men launched an excellent transition, with a through ball for Tani Oluwaseyi, who controlled the ball and laid it off to Cardona, arriving from deep. The Catalan wing-back showed great composure to lift the ball over the goalkeeper with a delicate chip and make it 0-1.

After the opener, the Submarine felt very comfortable in the match. They controlled the game, held onto their advantage and kept the Basque side at bay, while finding clarity and danger on the break.

In first-half stoppage time, Alfon showed great determination by chasing a long ball in behind Athletic’s defence. Despite Lekue having the advantage, the winger pressed aggressively, stole the ball from the defender and finished calmly past Unai Simón at the near post. A reward for persistence and a 0-2 lead before the break.

At the start of the second half, Athletic pushed forward in search of a way back into the game, which allowed Villarreal more space to counter-attack. Before the 50th minute, Tajon Buchanan came close to making it 0-3, but the Canadian was denied by Unai Simon in a one-on-one after receiving a perfectly weighted through ball from Gueye in a move that had also involved Gerard and Oluwaseyi.

After the hour mark, only a header from Laporte at a corner forced Luiz Júnior into a routine save. In the 83rd minute, Athletic Club found a goal that brought them back into the contest. Guruzeta made it 1-2 by getting on the end of a cross from Yuri on the left.

Before the 90th minute, Nico Pepe found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside. In the end, Villarreal saw out the result and claimed a huge three points at La Catedral.

–IANS

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