Villarreal 3 - Betis 2

Villarreal: Viera; Javi Venta, Cygan, Fuentes, Arruabarrena; Marcos Senna (Cani 75'), Somoza, Riquelme, Marcos García (José Marí 57'); Nihat (Tacchinardi 63'), Diego Forlán. 4-4-2.
Betis: Contreras; Melli, Juanito, Nano, Romero; Rivera, Miguel Angel (Sobis 65'), Capi (Marcos Assunçao 80'), Edu; Robert, Xisco (Odonkor 63'). 4-4-2.

Team changes: Villarreal: No change / Betis: Nano, Miguel Angel, Capi, Xisco for Lembo, Wagner, Vogel, Sobis.

Goals:
0-1. 04. Edu. Got on end of Miguel Angel free kick to head past keeper.
1-1. 20. Diego Forlán. Ran on to Riquelme through ball to shoot wide of Contreras.
1-2. 48. Rivera. Beat Viera with header after Edu and Capi combined to set him up.
2-2. 57. Cygan. Connected with Riquelme free kick to score with a header.
3-2. 58. Cani. Headed attempted clearance by Juanito back in to the net.

Villarreal moved up to within a point of the European spots after a 3-2 win over struggling Betis, their seventh game in a row without defeat. Irureta's side were unlucky not to come away with something though after hitting the woodwork four times and taking the lead twice, the first when Edu headed Miguel Angel's free kick past Viera early on.

Capi hit the bar with a long shot soon afterwards and Miguel Angel shot just wide, but soon afterwards Diego Forlán picked up a through ball from Riquelme to equalise. A cross from Romero bounced off the crossbar, and a header from Robert also came back off the woodwork as the visitors came back, and just three minutes in to the second half Rivera restored the lead, heading in from close range after Capi headed back Edu's cross.

However two goals in a minute turned the scoreline around for the hosts, the first when Cygan got on the end of Riquelme's long free kick to head past Contreras, and the second when Juanito got in front of Nihat to try and clear across goal, only finding the head of Cani who deflected the ball back in to the net without knowing much about it. Edu hit the post again and then had a goal disallowed, but it was not their night and they sink further down into the drop zone as a result.