La Liga: Villarreal secure Champions League qualification By PA Sport
Last Updated: 01/05/16 10:06pm
Villarreal have secured qualification for next season's Champions League after a 2-0 victory at Valencia on Sunday. First-half strikes from Samuel Garcia and Adrian Lopez at the Mestalla have left Villarreal - who play Liverpool in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final at Anfield on Thursday - six points clear of Athletic Bilbao with two games left to play. However, Villarreal's superior head-to-head record against Bilbao means they cannot now be caught in fourth. Raul Garcia struck a second-half winner as Bilbao beat 10-man Celta Vigo 2-1 to leapfrog their rivals into fifth.
Ernesto Valverde's side were forced to come from behind to seal a home victory which cements their hopes of Europa League qualification.
Unai Emery paid the price for changing his entire team as Sevilla slumped to a 1-0 defeat at struggling Espanyol on Sunday.
With an eye on Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg against Shakhtar Donetsk, Emery made 11 changes to the side that earned a 2-2 draw in Ukraine last week.
And he watched a virtual reserve team beaten by Felipe Caicedo's second-half strike which effectively - if not mathematically - secured the hosts' top-flight survival with two games of the season to go.
Getafe lifted their hopes of avoiding relegation as Pedro Leon and Carlos Vigaray scored in either half to beat 10-man Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 at the Riazor.
Leon's powerful finish put the Madrid side ahead in the 41st minute and 21-year-old defender Vigaray scored his first goal for the club to seal the points in the 85th, after Celso Borges was dismissed for a second booking.
Getafe are still in the bottom three but are now level on points with relegation rivals Sporting Gijon and Rayo Vallecano, with two games remaining for the three clubs to try and save themselves.
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11827/10266410/la-liga-villarreal-secure-champions-league-qualification
