MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid's hot streak continues, and Diego Simeone's team is suddenly within range of second place in the Spanish league.
Atletico beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 Sunday to extend its winning streak to five matches and move within two points of second-place Madrid.
Nahuel Molina and Mario Hermoso scored goals two minutes apart in the first half to lead Atletico to its ninth win in 11 matches.
Rayo played with 10 men from the 62nd minute after Florian Lejeune was sent off for stopping a breakaway.
The result put Diego Simeone's team back in the fight for the important second-place finish, which guarantees a spot in the lucrative Spanish Super Cup. Madrid lost 3-2 to Villarreal at home on Saturday.
Barcelona, which hosts Girona on Monday, has a comfortable lead at the top. It is 12 points ahead of Madrid and 14 points in front of Atletico.
Atletico has won 13 of its 18 matches since the World Cup break.
“We've been playing better defensively,” Simeone said. "We've been playing with good energy, wanting to do things well from the start.”
Molina put Atletico ahead on Sunday after a fast breakaway that started with Antoine Griezmann in the 22nd, then Hermoso added to the lead with a firm header off a corner kick in the 24th.
Fran García scored in the 85th for Rayo, which dropped to ninth and further from the European places after spending most of the season closer to the top. It hasn't won in eight straight matches, with three losses and five draws.
VALENCIA'S FALL
Valencia dropped back into the relegation zone after a 2-1 loss at Almeria.
It was the club's eighth defeat in the last 11 league games, leaving it 18th and two points from safety with 10 rounds remaining.
Gonzalo Melero and Srdan Babic scored second-half goals for Almeria, which moved to 16th, three points ahead of Valencia. It had won only once in its last eight matches.
Samu Castillejo scored Valencia's goal.
Valencia, which last played in the second division in 1986-87, next hosts Sevilla.
BETIS STALLS
Real Betis' hopes of grabbing a Champions League spot next season took a hit after a 2-0 loss at home against relegation-threatened Cadiz.
Betis' third loss in its last four matches came with Manuel Pellegrini's team playing with nine men for the final half-hour at the Benítez Villamarín Stadium in Seville.
The result dropped Betis to sixth, six points behind fourth-place Real Sociedad in the final Champions League spot.
Betis has won only one of its last seven matches in all competitions, with two losses against Manchester United in the Europa League.
Cadiz, which hadn't won in four games, moved to 14th — four points clear of the relegation zone after 28 matches. It scored with a penalty kick converted by Rubén Alcaraz in the 53rd minute and through Chris Ramos in the 59th.
Betis went two men down after Sergio Canales was sent off in the 38th and Aitor Ruibal in the 60th, both with straight red cards. Canales' card came for stopping a breakaway, while Ruibal's was for hitting an opponent in the face after both went for the ball.
UNLUCKY DEBUT
Valladolid conceded deep into stoppage time in a 3-3 draw with Mallorca in the debut of Uruguayan coach Paulo Pezzolano.
Vedat Muriqi converted a penalty kick four minutes into second-half stoppage time as Mallorca salvaged the draw in a thrilling back-and-forth encounter.
Valladolid, which had taken the lead with Monchu's goal in the 86th, stayed two points above the relegation zone in 17th place. Mallorca is 12th.
It was the fourth straight match without a win for Valladolid. Mallorca was winless in six consecutive games.
Valladolid took the lead for the first time with Kike Pérez in the 33rd before Mallorca rallied with a goal by Muriqi in the 53rd and one by Manu Morlanes in the 58th. Selim Amallah came off the bench in the 67th to even the match again in the 68th before the late goals by Monchu and Muriqi.
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