Casemiro scored in the 89th minute to earn Real Madrid a 2-1 win at UD Las Palmas in La Liga on Sunday, keeping his team on course for an automatic spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Casemiro headed the winner from a corner just two minutes after striker Willian Jose had equalized to ignite the local fans in the Canary Islands. Sergio Ramos had put Madrid ahead with another header in the 24th minute, before being sent off in stoppage-time.
Las Palmas played better most of the match and goalkeeper Keylor Navas had to make several key saves to keep Madrid in the game.
Photo: EPA
“If we want anything from what’s coming up we have got to play better, that’s for sure,” Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “Like this, we’ll get nowhere.”
It was Madrid’s third league win in a row, leaving them 10 points in front of fourth-placed Villarreal, who lost to Sevilla earlier on Sunday.
Defending champions Barcelona routed Getafe 6-0 at the Camp Nou on Saturday to maintain an eight-point lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid, who kept pace by defeating RC Deportivo de La Coruna 3-0 at the Vicente Calderon a few hours later.
Real Madrid are 12 points off the lead and virtually out of contention for the title with nine matches left, but they needed the win on Sunday to stay ahead in the race to secure the final automatic spot for the Champions League. The fourth-placed club has to play an extra qualifying round.
Real Madrid started well and moved ahead with Ramos’ firm header off a corner, but Las Palmas took over and created several chances until finally breaking through with Jose’s shot over Navas after a bad pass by Mateo Kovacic near his own penalty area.
The hosts seemed satisfied with a draw, but defensive midfielder Casemiro was left unmarked near the far post to seal the victory.
Ramos was sent off after being shown a second yellow card just before the final whistle.
“We need to improve a lot,” Navas said. “To win titles we can’t play with this type of intensity.”
Las Palmas were trying to win their fourth game in a row. The loss leaves the Canary Islands team in 15th place, only four points above the relegation zone.
Earlier on Sunday in Seville, Ukraine midfielder Yevhen Konoplyanka scored the decisive goal with a 65th-minute long-range shot as Sevilla beat Villarreal 4-2 to stay in the fight for a Champions League spot.
The team’s 13th straight home victory in the league helped them move within five points of Villarreal.
“We showed that we have character and that we will fight until the end for fourth spot,” Sevilla defender Adil Rami said. “This club and these fans deserve to be in the Champions [League].”
Sevilla opened the scoring at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan with a goal by Vicente Iborra in the 23rd minute.
French striker Cedric Bakambu put Villarreal ahead with goals in the 29th and 37th minutes, but the hosts equalized through an own-goal by defender Victor Ruiz in the 51st minute, before Konoplyanka netted with a powerful right-foot shot from long range.
Substitute midfielder Jose Antonio Reyes sealed the victory on a counterattack in stoppage-time.
Sevilla played with 10 men from the 79th minute after midfielder Ever Banega was sent off by the referee for a foul that earned him a second yellow card.
Sevilla have won every match at home since a 2-1 loss to RC Celta de Vigo in their third match of the season. Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the teams they have defeated at home.
Sunday’s defeat was a second consecutive loss for Villarreal, who have only one victory in their past five league games.
Elsewhere on Sunday, striker Giuseppe Rossi scored a 65th-minute winner to give last-placed Levante UD a 1-0 win over Valencia in the city derby.
Gary Neville’s team have lost three of their past four league games and dropped to 12th in the standings.
“I accept responsibility for the defeat,” an upset Neville said. “It was an indefensible performance, not acceptable, not good enough. I apologize to the fans of Valencia. I can’t defend what I’ve just seen and I need to take full responsibility for that.”
In Sunday’s other match, sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao defeated Real Betis Balompie 3-1 at home to win their fourth straight league game and remain one point behind Sevilla.
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