Betis beat winless Villarreal to go third

Vila-real, Spain: Real Betis secured a 2-1 victory over Villarreal on Monday, moving into third place in La Liga and putting the Yellow Submarine in the relegation zone. Inigo Perez's Villarreal remained winless in five league games, sitting 18th, while also losing their Champions League opener. Cucho Hernandez and Natan scored goals that helped Betis claim the three points and pull level with Real Madrid.

Gerard Moreno opened the scoring for Villarreal in the 29th minute, after Buchanan headed the ball back to him for a close-range finish. However, Betis netted twice in four minutes before halftime to take the lead. Alvaro Valles made a crucial save to divert Santi Comesana's shot onto the post, while Moreno and Tajon Buchanan's goals were ruled out for offside.

Betis' second goal came when Hernandez converted the rebound after Peter Gulacsi saved Ez Abde's shot, with the Hungarian goalkeeper to blame for the second goal. The visitors had several chances to extend their lead in the second half, but Hernandez had a shot blocked and Pablo Fornals miscontrolled the ball. Gulacsi made several fine saves from Nelson Deossa and Antony as Betis created significant danger without finishing the game.