Renato strikes again as Sevilla take Villarreal scalp

MADRID: Brazilian Renato was the hero again as Sevilla followed up their Real Madrid scalp with a 1-0 home win over title rivals Villarreal on Sunday to go third in the table.

Renato had scored an 84th-minute winner as Sevilla overcame Real 4-3 last weekend and struck on the chime of half-time to secure a valuable three points and they move level on points with Valencia, eight behind leaders Barcelona.

"If my facts aren't wrong Villarreal only had one shot on our goal and that says a lot about my players," enthused Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez.