Villarreal stay on Atletico’s tail, Valencia snatch vital victory

BARCELONA: Villarreal beat Elche 2-1 on Sunday to keep pace with Atletico Madrid in the battle for third in La Liga. After Atletico beat Real Sociedad on Saturday, Marcelino Garcia Toral’s Yellow Submarine, fourth, pulled level on 54 points. A little further down Spain’s east coast, Valencia came from behind to beat Alaves 3-2 in a match which could prove crucial in their bid to avoid relegation. Tajon Buchanan and Santiago Mourino’s first-half goals were reward for a dominant performance by Villarreal, although Elche’s Andre Silva pulled one back late on to make the hosts sweat.