Almeria climb out of relegation zone

Almeria have climbed out of the Primera Division relegation zone with a 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Granada, leaving their opponents just outside the bottom three.

The only goal of the first half came inside the opening 20 minutes when the visitors were awarded a penalty after Fran Rico brought down Verza inside the box.

The midfielder took the spot kick himself, coolly slotting it into the bottom right corner to give the visitors the lead.

Granada fought hard in the second half as they looked to create an equaliser, but Piti, Riki and Yacine Brahimi all saw efforts go wide, while Suarez Esteban made a string of saves for Almeria.

The visitors had a chance to put the win beyond doubt inside the final 10 minutes when Jeison Murillo, who was the last man, fouled Ramon Azeez in the box, giving Almeria their second penalty of the game.

The foul also saw the defender sent off, and allowed Alexis Vidal to add Almeria's second goal from the penalty spot.

The result lifts Almeria up to 16th in the table, while Granada sit just two points clear of the drop zone with one game still to play.