Madrid: Hernan Perez's goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time gave Villarreal a 2-1 win over 10-man Malaga on Thursday to improve their chances of avoiding relegation while Racing Santander look doomed after a heavy defeat.
Villarreal's victory moved them seven points above the drop, but last-place Santander conceded a goal after just 21 seconds in a 3-0 loss to Mallorca that left them 10 points from safety with six games to play.
Malaga dropped back into fourth, one point behind Valencia, after having gone third for the first time this season on Monday. The Andalucian club looked poised to return to third when Santi Cazorla gave the team a 65th-minute lead when the former Villarreal player struck a low shot past Diego Lopez for the opener.
Villarreal equalised in the 83rd when Marcos Senna stepped up to fire a penalty past substitute goalkeeper Ruben Martinez, who had come on for Carlos Kameni after he was red-carded for tackling Perez as the pair chased a high ball.
Martinez was out of position after punching an in-swinging corner kick onto the path of Perez to volley home the winning goal at the Madrigal Stadium.
"We had opportunities and we should have closed it out when we were leading 1-0 but we didn't manage to," Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini said. "We were in control and they barely even created any danger. The penalty changed things and gave them belief."
Santander couldn't have imagined a worse start as they gave the ball away inside their half and Victor Casadesus looped a pass onto the run of Emilio Nsue, who beat goalkeeper Dani Sotres to the ball and scored into the empty net.
Santander hung in until the 47th when another defensive error left Chori Castro free to slot home, and Alejandro Alfaro scored the third in the 53rd when Nsue's header came off the bar directly to the Mallorca striker to slot home.
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