Frustrating draw for Real Betis and Villarreal in Spanish league

Real Betis and Villarreal dropped points in their bid for Champions League places after a 1-1 draw in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Borja Iglesias opened the scoring for Betis in the 38th minute and the hosts equalized through Yéremy Pino in the 55th.

The result kept Betis in fifth place, three points behind Real Sociedad in the final qualification spot for the Champions League. Villarreal stayed sixth, four points behind Betis.

It was the second league draw in a row for Betis after three straight victories. Manuel Pellegrini's team was coming off a 4-1 loss at Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday.

Villarreal drew 1-1 at Anderlecht in the Europa League. It had won two consecutive games in the league.

Third-place Atletico Madrid, level on points with Sociedad, visits midtable Girona on Monday.

SOCIEDAD WINLESS AGAIN

Carlos Fernández scored three minutes into the match but fourth-place Sociedad couldn't manage more than a 1-1 draw at Mallorca to see its winless streak reach five consecutive matches.

Sociedad has only one win — at Espanyol in the league in February — in its last nine matches in all competitions. It has four draws and four defeats during that run, including losing 2-0 at Roma in the Europa League on Thursday.

South Korea midfielder Lee Kang-in equalized early in the second half for 10th-place Mallorca, which is winless in three consecutive games.

Sociedad had midfielder Mikel Merino sent off in the 90th.

SEVILLA'S MOMENTUM

Sevilla came from behind to beat Almeria 2-1 at home with goals from Lucas Ocampos in the first half and Erik Lamela in the second.

It was the second win in a row after three consecutive losses in all competitions for Sevilla, which moved to 13th place, two points clear of the relegation zone.

It was the fifth loss in six matches for Almeria, which opened the scoring with Sergio Akieme in the second minute.

Almeria dropped to second-to-last-place. Its only recent win was against leader Barcelona at home.

Barcelona visits Athletic Bilbao later Sunday looking to restore a nine-point lead over Real Madrid, which defeated Espanyol 3-1 on Saturday.