Real Betis and Villarreal win as La Liga rivals find their rhythm

Betis edged past Getafe 1-0 at the Benito Villamarin, while Villarreal recovered from an early setback to claim a much-needed victory in Andalucía.

Abde Ezzalzouli settles tight Betis battle

Real Betis extended their winning run to four matches in all competitions after Abde Ezzalzouli's late first-half goal secured a 1-0 victory over Getafe.

Manuel Pellegrini's side made the brighter start and almost opened the scoring when Isco spotted David Soria off his line and attempted an audacious effort from inside the Getafe half. The goalkeeper managed to scramble back and keep the ball out.

Getafe threatened in response, but Betis continued to create the better chances. Nemanja Gudelj forced Alvaro Valles into a save before Antony went close twice, first with a curling effort that Soria parried and then with a half-volley that the goalkeeper tipped onto the post.

Betis eventually broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time. Troy Parrott sent a low ball across the area and Abde reacted quickly to fire a low finish beyond Soria.

Getafe made changes after the break in an attempt to get back into the match, but Betis remained dangerous.

Isco fired wide from 16 yards before Rodrigo Riquelme forced another good save from Soria with a shot aimed towards the top-right corner.

Getafe's task became even harder late on when Mario Martin was shown a second yellow card, leaving the visitors with 10 men.

Betis held on to secure their fifth league win of the season and move on to 15 points from six matches. They have now won six of their seven matches in all competitions.

Getafe remain on five points and are still searching for their second league victory of the campaign.

Gueye completes Villarreal comeback

Villarreal claimed their first La Liga victory of the season as they came from behind to beat Málaga 3-1 at La Rosaleda.

The result ended a difficult run for Villarreal and eased some of the pressure surrounding head coach Inigo Perez, whose side had suffered four consecutive competitive defeats before the match.

Malaga took the lead inside the opening 15 minutes in unfortunate fashion. Carlos Dotor's shot from the centre of the box struck Pau Navarro as he tried to block the effort, sending the ball looping beyond Peter Gulacsi.

Villarreal responded strongly, with Tajon Buchanan and Ilias Akhomach both forcing impressive saves from Alfonso Herrero.

The pressure eventually paid off when Akhomach helped create the equaliser in the 40th minute.

Villarreal then completed the turnaround just before half-time. Ayoze Perez squared the ball after a clever pass from Alberto Moleiro, allowing Pape Gueye to finish from close range only minutes after replacing the injured Santi Comesana.

Ayoze Perez almost added a third early in the second half, but his header was blocked just before it could find the net.

Malaga continued to push for a way back into the match, while Villarreal became increasingly nervous as they tried to protect their advantage.

The visitors were eventually handed the chance to settle the contest when a foul by Herrero led to a penalty, following a passage of play in which a Carlos Romero goal had been ruled out for offside.

Gueye made no mistake from the spot to score his second goal of the match and seal Villarreal's comeback.

The victory lifts Villarreal to 14th place, while Malaga remain 19th after extending their winless start to six matches.

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