After a 2-0 win away to Elche on Wednesday, Atletico Madrid moved into third place in La Liga, leapfrogging Sevilla.

Atletico’s place in next season’s Champions League is assured thanks to goals from Matheus Cunha in the 28th minute and Rodrigo de Paul in the second half.

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Sevilla dropped to fourth after a 0-0 draw at home to Mallorca, leaving Sevilla (who visit Atletico on Sunday) with work to do to ensure a top-four finish, while Mallorca remains in the bottom three and in deep relegation trouble.

Sevilla had the majority of the chances and were on the verge of winning all three points in injury time when Mallorca goalkeeper Manolo Reina made a spectacular save to tip Youssef En-header Nesyri’s over the bar.

With a 2-1 win over Espanyol at home, Alaves moved off the bottom of the table and kept their slim hopes of avoiding relegation alive until the weekend, according to Xinhua.

The Vitoria team responded well to their weekend defeat in Vigo, scoring in the seventh minute thanks to Miguel de la Fuente.

Soon after, Raul de Tomas levelled from the penalty spot, but Yangel Herrera’s red card at the start of the second half limited Espanyol’s options, and Gonzalo Escalante sealed the win just before the hour.

Getafe moved one point closer to safety with a 1-1 draw at Osasuna, thanks to a strong defensive performance in the second half.

Oier Sanjurjo Mate, who announced his retirement earlier in the week, scored an emotional goal in the ninth minute, but Lucas Torro’s own goal in the 20th minute tied the game.

(Inputs from IANS)