La Liga: Real Betis 1 Deportivo La Coruna 1

Deportivo La Coruna have moved out of La Liga’s relegation zone with a vital 1-1 draw away to seventh-placed Real Betis.

While Betis denied Deportivo victory when Jorge Molina equalised after half-time, the point was still enough for the visitors to rise above Celta de Vigo to 17th position, just above the drop zone in Spain’s top tier of football.

The draw extended Deportivo’s unbeaten run to six matches, which has seen them rise from bottom of the table on April 5 to be on the verge of safety.

Spanish striker Riki stunned the home crowd in the seventh minute when he collected Bruno Gama’s pass before going on a mazy run, which bamboozled Nacho, and held off Antonio Amaya to fire the ball over Betis goalkeeper Adrian.

While the visitors had more shots on target than Betis (6-4), the Seville-based hosts peppered Deportivo’s goal with 16 more shots off target.

That attacking focus paid off in the 49th minute when Molina finished from a tight angle but neither side could find a winner in the remaining 41 minutes.

The draw leaves Betis three points ahead of eight-placed Rayo Vallecano in the race for a Europa League berth, while Deportivo moved a point above Celta.