Barca is La Liga runner-up, Sevilla to Champions League

Madrid, May 15 (EFE).- Barcelona stumbled to a scoreless draw against Getafe at the Alfonso Perez stadium on Sunday but achieved its goal of securing the runner-up position in the La Liga table, where Real Madrid has already clinched the title, and Sevilla earned its berth in the next Champions League competition in its 1-1 tie with Atletico de Madrid.

Meanwhile, Alaves and Levante will be relegated to Second Division, while Granada, Mallorca and Cadiz are all in danger of becoming the third team to be sent down.

Real Sociedad beat Villarreal 2-1 on the road at La Ceramica, thus earning a ticket to the Europa League, with Athletic also aspiring to make it to that contest after defeating Osasuna 2-0.

Barca and Getafe both needed just one point to reach their objectives, playing a really awful game, but Xavi Hernandez’s men definitively sealed the deal for the No. 2 spot while Quique Sanchez Flores’ squad can now breathe easier, having avoided relegation.

Atletico de Madrid could not guarantee itself the No. 3 spot in the La Liga table, however, tying Sevilla at Wanda Metropolitano needing more than a single ranking point to avoid having to wait until the last week of the season to find out their final position in the table and whether they qualify for the Champions League.

Betis, meanwhile, on two tallies by Juanmi Jimenez, downed Granada and looks to compete in UEFA Europa League, along with Real Sociedad.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico de Madrid took advantage of Sevilla’s weakness with a corner kick goal by Jose Maria Gimenez at the half-hour mark, with Luis Suarez and Hector Herrera playing their last match for the capital club.

Sevilla didn’t cave in, however, staying in the game all the way through and, finally, Youssef En-Nesryi scored the tying header in the 85th minute.

In Real Sociedad’s road match against Villarreal, the hosts got on the board first on a 43rd-minute tally by Francis Coquelin, but 10 minutes after play resumed after the break it was Aleksander Isak hitting the twine for the visitors, along with Martin Zubimendi in the 73th minute for the win.

Trying to fight off relegation, Cadiz and Mallorca both have 36 points, while Granada has 37.

Cadiz and league champs Real Madrid battled to a 1-1 draw with the capital team going on the board first in the 5th minute on a tally by Mariano Diaz but Cadiz answering back in the 37th minute with Ruben Sobrino doing the honors.

And Celta downed Elche 1-0 on a goal by Denis Suarez, but there were numerous occasions where Iago Aspas just could not get anything going in his attempt to end the season as the league’s top scorer.

EFE jap/og/bp