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MADRID (AP) — Celta Vigo missed a chance to move closer to the top in the Spanish league by drawing with Espanyol 1-1 on Tuesday.
Striker Iago Aspas opened for the visitors with an acrobatic touch from inside the area in the 28th minute before Espanyol equalized with a long-range shot by forward Marco Asensio in the 39th.
Celta needed a win to move within four points of fourth-place Villarreal, which plays at Real Madrid on Wednesday. The fourth-place team earns a spot in a qualifying round for next season's Champions League.
The draw kept Celta in sixth place, six points behind Villarreal.
The result allowed 15th-place Espanyol to open an eight-point gap to relegation zone. The team from Barcelona is winless in four matches.
Celta and Espanyol have four games left.
Later Wednesday, Real Betis defeated 10-man Las Palmas 1-0 in Seville with an 83rd-minute winner by Dutch striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel.
Las Palmas played a man down from the 40th after defender Aythami Artiles was sent off with a second yellow card.
It was the second win in the last three games for Real Betis, which jumped to 11th in the 20-team standings with 41 points, safely away from relegation. Las Palmas is one point behind Real Betis in 12th place.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are tied atop the standings with 76 points, one more than Real Madrid. All three teams play on Wednesday.
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