BARCELONA, Spain -- Atletico Madrid sweated out a 1-0 victory over Villarreal without leading scorer Diego Costa to stay top of the Spanish league on Saturday, while Lionel Messi scored two goals in Barcelonas 3-1 win over Real Betis to stay one point behind. Gareth Bales long-range goal helped make sure Real Madrid didnt miss star Cristiano Ronaldo as it cruised to a 4-0 victory at Real Sociedad, staying within three points of the pacesetters in third place. Messi converted a 14th-minute penalty and followed up a second spot kick that was blocked by goalkeeper Adan Garrido to seal the victory in the 86th. Messi recorded his 24th and 25th league goals of the season -- pulling him level with Diego Costa as the leagues second-leading scorers behind Ronaldos 28 -- but Barcelona again showed problems in defence that last-placed Betis failed to fully exploit. Earlier, Atleticos Raul Garcia scored in the 14th and Diego Simeones side held out to deny Villarreal in the second half as it stayed undefeated at its Vicente Calderon stadium through 17 league games this season. "We didnt have the strength and energy that we have had on other days," said Simeone. "But my team played smart, and when you play smart you make up for the lack of energy to pull out the win." Atletico hopes Diego Costa will recover from a right thigh injury for Wednesdays Champions League quarterfinal with Barcelona after they drew 1-1 in the first leg. Atletico then has six games left as it tries to claim its first league title since 1996. While David Villa was ineffective before being substituted with half an hour to play, Garcia again proved his value to Atletico as a versatile attacking midfielder by pushing aside his marker to head in Jorge "Koke" Resurreccions corner kick. Also, Rayo Vallecano won 3-0 at home over Celta Vigo to get its fifth win in seven rounds and move six points from the relegation zone. Barcelona unfurled a banner in the Camp Nou stands before the match that read "Hands Off La Masia," referring to FIFAs one-year transfer ban after footballs governing body found the Catalan club guilty of breaching regulations in signing youth players for its renowned training academy. Barcelona club president Josep Bartomeu also said that he had a "friendly and cordial conversation" with FIFA president Joseph Blatter about the ban. "We are going through some tough times, but we have managed to isolate ourselves and concentrate on the matches," Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez said. Messi put Barcelona in charge after Alexis Sanchez was fouled by defender Jordi Figueras in the area. Barcelona started to show the same drop in energy that had affected Atletico after Xavi Hernandezs free kick grazed the crossbar. But just when Betis was playing its best, Figueras gifted Barcelona a goal by knocking Adrianos pass into his own net in the 67th. A minute later substitute Ruben Castro scored for Betis with Barcelona disorganized at the back, using a feint to make two defenders slide to the turf before he poked the ball beyond goalkeeper Jose Pinto. Messi finally calmed the nervous crowd after Antonio Amaya handled Neymars cross in the box. Adan saved Messis first try and even recovered to get a glove on his follow-up effort, only to see the ball trickle over the goalline. With Ronaldo nursing his hurt left knee, Madrids visit to Sociedad was billed as its toughest outing left in the league. Instead it proved to be a pleasant trip to San Sebastian, as Madrid put together a no-nonsense performance highlighted by Bales outstanding strike. Sociedads early push sputtered out when its former player Asier Illarramendi tilted the game in Madrids favour just before halftime by scoring a rebound from Karim Benzemas shot that goalie Claudio Bravo pushed down in front of his net. After Sergio Ramos and Benzema had both hit the woodwork, Bale pounced on Bravos scuffed goal kick that fell to him 30-meters outside the area before quickly unleashing a blistering left-footed strike to seal the result in the 66th. Pepe swept in Madrids third in the 85th before substitute Alvaro Morata scored with two minutes to play. Alexander Radulov Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. Craig Hartsburg Jersey . A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court said his girlfriend told police they got into the argument early Thursday at his suburban Minneapolis home. http://www.authenticstarspro.com/Tyler-seguin-stars-jersey/. On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. Brett Hull Jersey . The alley-oop looked easy -- just like everything else after halftime for the Miami Heat. James scored 32 points, Wade added 22 points and eight assists, and the Heat trailed by 11 early in the second half before running away to a 107-88 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Dallas Stars Jerseys . -- Nelson Cruz has only two hits in 15 at-bats against the Kansas City Royals this season. DUBLIN, Ireland -- Irishman Conor McGregor promised his countrymen a first-round finish of fellow featherweight Diego Brandao, and he made good on that commitment. McGregor outclassed the Brazilian slugger and scored a TKO win at the 4:05 mark of the headlining matchup of "UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandao" on Saturday. McGregor was the quicker fighter from the start, using flashy kicks to the head and body to stifle his opponents advances, but it was hands that ultimately sealed the deal. After Brandao tried unsuccessfully to bring the action to the canvas, McGregor unleashed a left hand that sent his opponent to the floor, and he followed to the ground with more strikes with 55 seconds left in the first round. Afterward, McGregor said he would sip fine whiskey with UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta and convince him to return to Dublin with a soccer stadium as the venue. "I said I was going to put him away in the first round, and I put him away in the first round," McGregor said. "Theres not a man alive who can come on this soil and beat me. "Im going to go backstage with Mr. Lorenzo Fertitta, have a little whiskey, and talk about being in a stadium." In the nights co-feature, Icelandic welterweight Gunnar Nelson (13-0-1) kept his undefeated professional record intact with an impressive second-round finish of Zak Cummings (17-4). A crisp right hand landed flush several times on the feet before he grabbed Cummings head and drug him to the floor in the second round. Once there, Nelson showed off his vaunted grappling skills, spinning perfectly to his opponents back and using punches to soften up Cummings defence before locking in a rear-naked choke. Nelson didnt take long once he got the hold, and Cummings was forced to tap with 12 seconds left in the round. "This was a tough fight," Nelson admitted after the win. "Zak is a very tough opponent. He is strong everywhere and he knows what he is doing. The atmosphere out there was something else. "I have never felt like that in the octagon. The crowd was so loud andd so intense.dddddddddddd" McGregor and Nelson were awarded $50,000 each for the evenings two "Performance of the. Night" bonuses. In a key flyweight matchup, Ian McCalls speed and game-planning proved superior to Brad Pickett, as "Uncle Creepy" picked up a clearcut decision win over "One Punch." McCall was the quicker fighter from the start, and he darted in and out of range to avoid Picketts preferred brawling style. While Pickett did land the occasional big right hand, it was McCall who was generally quicker on the trigger, using a pinpoint jab and quick kicks to the body to rack up points. At the end of 15 minutes, McCall was awarded a decision win with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. McCall admitted he was a little disappointed in his performance but happy with the result and now hopes for a third fight with current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. "I was a little off -- I wasnt aggressive enough," McCall said. "But it was an intelligent fight, I think. I know Brad thinks I dont respect him as a fighter, but I really do. Hes a strong guy -- hes fought a lot of people. Now, there is unfinished business with Demetrious Johnson. He has something that is mine." In the nights first main-card matchup, Northern Irelands Norman Parke (20-2-1) earned a one-sided TKO victory over Japanese lightweight Naoyuki Kotani (33-11-7). Parke shut down his opponents takedown attempts and punished him with strikes on the feet from the start. In the second, Parke threw his opponent to the floor and looked to take the back and lock in a rear-naked choke. When Kotani defended the move, Parke simply settled for blasting away with big punches and elbows until referee Marc Goddard put a stop to the drubbing at the 3:41 mark of the frame. "I feel great," Parke said after the win. "Fighting in front of a home crowd is so special. It was just unbelievable. Even the weigh-ins last night were unbelievable with thousands of people making so much noise. It was great for me to be a part of it." 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