MADRID, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Atletico Madrid moved momentarily into third place in Spain's BBVA Primera Liga on Saturday after first half goals from Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez gave them a straightforward win away to bottom of the table Cordoba.
There was never any doubt over the final outcome of the game after Griezmann, who had not scored in March, took advantage of a defensive lapse after just six minutes and Saul sealed the result before the break.
Cordoba have now lost their last nine matches and are in freefall to the second division with just 18 points all season.
Saturday kicked off in the heat of the afternoon and Sevilla kept their hopes of a top-four finish alive with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Athletic Club Bilbao.
Early goals from Aleix Vidal and Carlos Bacca were enough to seal a routine win against a team that had won its last five games but never got into their side and lost forward Iker Muniain with a badly twisted knee before halftime.
Levante gave their hopes of survival a massive boost with a convincing 4-1 win away to fellow strugglers, Almeria. David Barral scored his second hat-trick of the season and Victor Casadesus also inked on the score-sheet.
The 29th round of games kicked off on Friday as Rayo Vallecano won 2-1 away to Eibar, who are also deep in trouble and without a win in the second half of the campaign, while FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia all play on Sunday.