Robinho and substitute Alvaro Mejia scored on Saturday and Real Madrid downed Real Betis 2-0 to move atop the Spanish league.

　　Real's victory at Manuel Ruiz de Lopera stadium in Seville eased the pressure on coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, whose side had lost its two previous matches, against Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna.

　　"It's an important victory but more so because the team battled," Luxemburgo was quoted as saying by news agency Efe. "We should be happy because the win helps us stay in contention for the league and it came against Betis, where it's difficult to win."

　　In a later 10th-round game, Celta Vigo drew 1-1 at Athletic Bilbao and missed the chance to overtake Real.

　　Real has 18 points and is above Osasuna on goal difference. Getafe and Celta have 17, one more than FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad. Villarreal, Sevilla and Valencia have 15.

　　Betis is 16th with nine points. The team has lost its last four games - three in the league and against Chelsea in the Champions League - and conceded 14 goals and scored just two. Betis meets the English champion again tomorrow.

　　The 29-time league champion lacked five injured players, including David Beckham, Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, but was hardly troubled by Betis, which itself had six first-team players sidelined.

　　Robinho netted for the visitors in the 30th minute with a low curling shot from just outside the area for his second league goal since his US$30-million transfer from Santos in August.

　　Mejia, who had been on the field less than a minute after replacing Carlos Diogo, sealed the win when he headed home from a deft chip by Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez in the 79th.

　　Bilbao, which has never been relegated, stays in last place with only one win this season, maintaining speculation about the future of coach Jose Luis Mendilibar.

　　The basque team took the lead at its San Mames stadium in the 24th when midfielder Carlos Gurpegi seized on a poor clearance from Celta defender Matias Lequi to score from the right of the goal.

　　Celta leveled in the 59th when defender Angel Lopez turned home a low cross from the left by forward David Silva.

　　(The Associated Press)