MADRID — Valencia defeated Leganes 1-0 Sunday to extend its impressive run in the Spanish league and stay close to Real Madrid in the fight for third place.
Striker Rodrigo scored a second-half winner to give Valencia its seventh win in eight matches. It’s one point behind Madrid, which on Saturday won 3-0 at Las Palmas.
Valencia is two points behind second-place Atletico Madrid, which hosted relegation-threatened Deportivo La Coruna later Sunday.
League leaders Barcelona, which salvaged a 2-2 draw at Sevilla on Saturday, is 12 points ahead of Atletico.
Valencia opened a comfortable 15-point lead over fifth-place Villarreal, practically guaranteeing the last Champions League spot for next season with eight matches left.
"We know we are very close to this fourth spot, but it’s not secured yet," Valencia coach Marcelino Garcia Toral said. "We should be able to earn it, but this is football and anything can happen."
Valencia beat Leganes despite a lacklustre performance at Butarque Stadium in southern Madrid, with Rodrigo finding the net from outside the area in the 62nd minute in what was the team’s first shot on target.
It was Rodrigo’s 18th goal this season with Valencia and Spain.
Valencia is unbeaten in its last eight matches, with the only setback a 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao four rounds ago. Its recent run follows a streak of six consecutive losses in all competitions.
Leganes is in 13th place.
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Lacklustre DRAW
Alaves halted a three-match losing streak by holding Espanyol to a 0-0 draw at RCDE Stadium in Barcelona.
The result kept Alaves in 16th place, 11 points from the relegation zone.
Espanyol is 14th, four points in front of Alaves.
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