Striker Aritz Aduriz scored twice to help Athletic Bilbao win 2-1 against Levante in the Spanish La Liga.
The victory Monday also strengthened the Basque side's hold on fourth place in the league, reports Xinhua.
Bilbao's second victory in the last six games restored their six-point advantage over fifth-placed Sevilla as they clings to the last Champions League berth.
Bilbao defender Mikel San Jose missed a chance to grab the lead in the 12th minute when he fired a penalty wode after Juanfran Garcia fouled Iker Muniain.
But Aduriz struck three minutes later when his shot took a deflection off a defender to catch goalkeeper Keylor Navas out of position.
Bilbao continued to dominate both possession and scoring chances, and Aduriz struck again by heading home Ander Herrera's well-placed cross just before halftime.
San Jose compounded his erred spot kick by scoring an own goal in the 66th when Ruben Perez's cross hit his leg and looped into the net.