Sevilla improved their chances of qualifying for the Champions League by beating fellow top-four chasers Alaves 2-0 at home on Thursday with goals from Roque Mesa and Pablo Sarabia to move within one point of fourth-placed Getafe. Sevilla last week lost a crucial game 1-0 at home to Valencia, who are fifth, but fared better this time as Mesa gave them the lead with an exquisite first-time finish into the far top corner in the 41st minute. Joaquin Caparros' side were not content with their lead and spent most of the second half looking for another goal, finally getting it through midfielder Sarabia's cool low finish after being picked out by striker Wissam Ben Yedder. The win took Sevilla up to sixth on 46 points, level with Valencia and one point behind Getafe who occupy the final Champions League spot with eight games left. Alaves would have gone level on points with Getafe with a victory but instead slid to seventh and remain on 44. Atalanta blast four in 15 minutes to Close in on Champions League places In Milan, Atalanta blasted four goals in the opening 15 minutes against Bologna to move within a point of the top four after a 4-1 win in Serie A on Thursday. The result edged Atalanta closer to the Champions League qualifying places with eight games remaining, while Bologna dropped back into the relegation zone only four days after climbing out of it. Josip Ilicic put Atalanta ahead with a delightful curling effort in the third minute and the Slovenian added a second from a tight angle two minutes later. He then set up Hans Hateboer for the third after nine minutes before Duvan Zapata burst down the left to score the fourth on the quarter hour mark with his 20th league goal of the season. It was the first time a team had scored four goals in the opening quarter of an hour of a Serie A match since 1932. Bologna, missing forward Mattia Destro after he was injured celebrating the winning goal against Sassuolo on Sunday, pulled one back with a Riccardo Orsolini free kick nine minutes into the second half. Atalanta are fifth with 51 points, one behind AC Milan, while Bologna are 18th with 27 points after being overhauled by Empoli who beat Napoli 2-1 on Wednesday. Sassuolo ended an eight-match winless run as they hammered hapless bottom club Chievo 4-0 in Thursday's other match, helped by two first-half goals from Merih Demiral and one apiece from Manuel Locatelli and Domenico Berardi after the break. — Reuters
