FC Barcelona were held 0-0 by Getafe on Sunday, leaving them seven points behind Spanish league leaders Real Madrid.
Barcelona have only one win in their last six games, and walked off Camp Nou to whistling and jeering from disappointed supporters.
The team was without Ronaldinho, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing thigh muscles on Thursday. Lionel Messi and Deco remained sidelined through injury.
Villarreal stayed second in the standings despite losing ground with a 2-0 defeat at Sevilla, which also benefited Madrid’s hopes of a second-straight title.
Also, Simao Sabrosa and Sergio Aguero scored two goals each to help Atletico Madrid beat nine-man Almeria 6-3 and retain fourth place. Antonio Lopez and Diego Forlan also scored for the home team, who took a three-point lead over fifth-place Racing Santander — defeated 3-1 by visiting Deportivo La Coruna — in the race for a Champions League place next season.
With seven matches remaining, Madrid lead with 66 points, while Villarreal and Barcelona have 59. Barcelona is behind on head-to-head results. Atletico follows with 53 and Santander 50.
Barcelona and Getafe went into their game boosted by encouraging results in European quarter-final first legs in Germany during the week. Barcelona beat Schalke 1-0 in the Champions League, while Getafe drew 1-1 at Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup.
Getafe, who have also reached the Copa del Rey final for the second-straight year, almost fell behind in the 16th when Samuel Eto’o hit the post, but kept the home team at bay for the rest of the half.
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard replaced Eto’o and defender Gabriel Milito with teenager Giovani Dos Santos and Rafael Marquez at the start of the second half.
Dos Santos also struck the post with a shot in the 54th and Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez repeated the feat 15 minutes later.
Luis Fabiano gave Sevilla the lead in the 18th minute with his league-leading 23rd goal of the season when he received Daniel Alves’ long pass and fired home.
Substitute Frederic Kanoute sealed Sevilla’s win with a penalty three minutes from fulltime, awarded after Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez upended right winger Jesus Navas.
Villarreal’s Spain left back Joan Capdevila was ejected after receiving his second yellow card in the closing moments.
The defeat at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium ended the small-town team’s nine-game unbeaten streak.
Sevilla stayed sixth with 48 points.
Atletico left back Lopez swept home a free kick in the second minute with Forlan doubling the lead four minutes later with a penalty after Almeria defender Ruben Pulido’s ejection.
Almeria’s Felipe Melo reduced the deficit in the 11th, and teammate Juanma Ortiz equalized six minutes later with a long-range shot.
Simao restored Atletico’s lead in the 34th from a free kick, only for striker Alvaro Negredo to draw the visitors level again in the 37th with a diving header.
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