Real Betis have claimed their first Primera Division victory since September after securing a narrow 2-0 win over Espanyol at the Benito Villamarin this evening.

Los Verdiblancos, whose last triumph came against Villarreal by a 1-0 scoreline five months ago, secured the three points courtesy of Ruben Castro's second-half brace which sees the bottom-placed Betis move six points adrift of safety in the standings.

It was Castro who proved the recipient of the game's first chance on 26 minutes, collecting a pass from Juanfran before dragging his effort wide of the mark.

The 32-year-old made amends for his previous miss with 20 minutes remaining in the contest, latching on to a loose ball inside the Catalans' half before firing past goalkeeper Kiko Casilla.

Christian Stuani spurned the best chance of the encounter by firing straight at shot-stopper Antonio Adan in the final minutes of ordinary time, which proved a costly miss as Castro struck again in the closing stages to breath fresh life into Betis' relegation battle.