Barcelona – Aritz Aduriz scored twice in the second half to give Athletic Bilbao a 2-0 victory at Levante on Sunday, ending its seven-round winless streak in the Spanish league.
Bilbao’s Iker Muniain hit the crossbar in the 11th minute, but Levante had the better share of scoring chances before halftime.
Aduriz struck his first goal three minutes after the restart when he controlled the ball with his chest before firing it past goalkeeper Diego Marino.
Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz protected the lead with back-to-back saves to deny Jordi Xumetra and Ruben Garcia before Aduriz chipped Marino in the 90th after Markel Susaeta played him through.
Levante remained bottom of the table and without a win in nine rounds.
Bilbao rose to 11th. Despite its struggles, the Basque club has also reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
“For us to win today was vital,” said Aduriz. “We hadn’t taken three points in a long time. We were fighting hard and playing well, just not getting the results. But we kept working hard and now we have the result to show it.”
Later, second-place Barcelona hosts a Villarreal side on an 18-game unbeaten streak as it tries to keep pace with leader Real Madrid.
Sevilla also welcomes Espanyol three days after Espanyol knocked it out of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, while Getafe visits Almeria. – Sapa-AP