Athletic Bilbao scored three goals in four second-half minutes on Sunday to beat Malaga 3-0 in a matchup of Spanish soccer league teams with European aspirations.

Malaga dominated the first half at the San Mames with 14 shots, but conceded in the 58th minute when Fernando Amorebieta latched on to a loose ball inside the area.

Mikel San Jose leapt over two Malaga players in the 60th to head in a corner from Gaizka Toquero, who made it 3-0 by volleying home Ander Herrera’s cross-goal pass from a tight angle a minute later.

Athletic are level with fourth-placed Espanyol on points for the final Champions League spot, while Malaga are two points behind them.

Early season surpriser Levante dropped out of fourth place for the first time since November. They are one point behind Athletic and Espanyol following a 5-3 loss to Rayo Vallecano to remain the only winless club of 2012.

Alhassane Bangoura and Diego Costa both scored two goals for Rayo to win their third straight match and move within two points of fourth place.

Also on Sunday, Ikechukwu Uche scored two goals as Granada rallied to beat 10-man Real Sociedad 4-1, Victor Casadesus’ brace powered Mallorca to a 4-0 win over Villarreal and Sporting Gijon drew 1-1 against Atletico Madrid in new coach Javier Clemente’s first game in charge.

Like Levante, Atletico stayed one point off the fourth-place pair after almost spoiling Clemente’s debut.

Real Madrid beat Racing Santander 4-0 on Saturday to take a 13-point lead over defending champions Barcelona, who can get back to within 10 points with a win over third-placed Valencia later on Sunday.

Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz single-handedly kept the hosts in the contest as he stopped seven goal-bound shots in the first half, including three straight chances shared by Santi Cazorla and Jose Rondon after seven minutes.

The pair of Malaga forwards combined often. Iraizoz denied Cazorla in the 37th and the Spanish international sent a shot wide minutes later. Francisco “Isco” Alarcon also forced the Basque ‘keeper to stay alert.

“We didn’t allow any scoring chances and we created them,” said Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa, whose decision to bring on Fernando Llorente for the second half also helped spark his attack. “We defended and attacked a little better in the second half.”

Granada’s third win in four games moves them one point above Sociedad, and five points above the relegation zone.

On Monday, last-placed Zaragoza play Real Betis.