Real Betis and Sevilla draw 1-1 in Spanish league's Seville derby
MADRID (AP) — Real Betis was frustrated in its pursuit of a European place in the Spanish league after a 1-1 draw at home against Sevilla in the Seville derby on Sunday.
Betis went ahead with a goal by Isco in the 38th minute but Kike Salas equalized for the visitors in the 56th, leaving Betis two points from sixth-place Real Sociedad in the final Europa Conference League spot.
Fifth-place Athletic Bilbao was nine points ahead of Betis in the final Europa League qualification place.
Sevilla stayed in 13th but opened a 12-point gap to the relegation zone with five rounds to go.
Betis was awarded a penalty kick shortly after Sevilla equalized, but the call was reversed with the help of video review.
Isco's penalty kick came after a controversial handball.
Betis was coming off two straight victories — against Celta Vigo and at Valencia — after a run of four straight losses. Sevilla had won three in a row.
It was the fourth consecutive draw between the rivals.
Real Madrid moved closer to the title by winning 1-0 at Real Sociedad on Friday to open a 13-point lead over second-place Girona, which won 2-0 at Las Palmas on Saturday. Third-place Barcelona, 14 points off the lead, hosts Valencia on Monday.
RELEGATION FIGHT
Second-to-last Granada kept alive its slim chances of escaping relegation with a 3-0 rout of midtable Osasuna.
Facundo Pellistri, Myrto Uzuni and Lucas Boyé scored for Granada, which is 10 points from safety with five rounds left.
It was the second win in three matches for the club from southern Spain. It had not won in 11 consecutive games before that.
Cadiz, sitting in the final relegation spot, moved five points from safety after a 1-1 draw at home against 16th-place Mallorca, which is six points from the drop zone.
Rayo Vallecano, eight points above danger, lost 3-0 at Villarreal, with a brace from Alexander Sorloth.
Celta Vigo, the first team outside the relegation zone, lost 3-0 at Alaves on Saturday.
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