Raphinha and Yamal score as Spanish leader Barcelona beats Villarreal

MADRID (AP) — Raphinha and Lamine Yamal celebrated each other's goals with a raised arm and hands linked as Barcelona won 2-0 at 10-man Villarreal on Sunday to stay four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Raphinha won a penalty after being fouled when cutting inside. He took a slow run-up and sent goalkeeper Luiz Junior the wrong way in the 12th minute for his seventh league goal of the season and Barca's 50th.

Yamal also grabbed his seventh this season, striking from close range in the 63rd after being set up by midfielder Frenkie de Jong following a goalmouth scramble.

It was a seventh straight win in all competitions for coach Hansi Flick’s side.

Barcelona was without central defender Andreas Christensen, who tore the ACL in his left knee in training on Saturday.

Villarreal defender Renato Veiga was shown a straight red card late in the first half for a heavy tackle from behind on Yamal, who briefly had treatment on the ground.

Villarreal's defeat allowed Atletico Madrid to move into third place with a 3-0 win at Girona, albeit having played two games more.

Midfielder Koke put Atletico ahead in the 13th minute with a fine half-volley from just outside the penalty area and into the top right corner.

Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak made a stunning save to keep out Axel Witsel's close-range shot midway through the half, clawing it off the line one-handed near the left post.

Atletico doubled its lead in the 38th when midfielder Conor Gallagher's strike from 20 meters (yards) deflected off a defender and wrong-footed goalie Paulo Gazzaniga.

Atletico's traveling fans gave midfielder Thomas Lemar a warm welcome when he came on for Girona in the second half. The former France midfielder is on loan this season at Girona from Atletico, having played nearly 200 games for “Los Colchoneros” (The Mattress Makers) over seven seasons.

Gallagher was substituted in the 77th, having come on in the 28th for Nico Gonzalez.

Veteran forward Antoine Griezmann sealed Atletico's win with a clinical goal in stoppage time.

The former France star swapped quick passes on the edge of the box with fellow substitute Giacomo Raspadori, expertly controlled the ball with the outside of his right foot and guided a low shot into the opposite corner with his left.

Girona remains in 18th place in the 20-team league.

In other matches later Sunday, Elche faced Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis took on Getafe.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The referee shows a red card to Villarreal's Renato Veiga, right, during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Villarreal, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal lies on the pitch in pain during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Villarreal, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Barcelona's Raphinha celebrates after scoring the opening goal from a penalty kick during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Villarreal, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, right, celebrates with his teammate Barcelona's Raphinha after scoring his side's second goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Villarreal, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Barcelona's Raphinha, back, celebrates with his teammate Barcelona's Lamine Yamal after scoring the opening goal from a penalty kick during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Villarreal, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Ryan Gerard made his 10,000-mile trip worth the effort Sunday when he was runner-up at the Mauritius Open, good enough for him to join 13 other players who qualified for Masters invitations by finishing the year in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

That brings the field to 86 players who are likely to compete — a list that includes Tiger Woods, who has not announced if he is playing — going into the new year.

Players can still earn invitations by winning a PGA Tour event (opposite-field events excluded) or getting into the top 50 a week before the Masters.

While the final world ranking will not be published for another week, there are no other tournaments that affect the top 50 and the OWGR already has projected the top 50. Sam Stevens will finish at No. 50 by a narrow margin over Taylor Pendrith of Canada.

Alex Noren at No. 11 is the highest-ranked player who was not already eligible, courtesy of two wins in England, including the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Kristoffer Reitan of Norway (Nedbank Golf Challenge, Michael Kim (French Open), Sami Valimaki of Finland (RSM Classic) and Michael Brennan (Utah Championship) all won tournaments in the fall that helped secure their spots in the world ranking.

The others who will finish in the top 50 are Aaron Rai, Max Greyserman, Rasmus Hojgaard, Min Woo Lee, Si Woo Kim and Johnny Keefer.

Brennan and Keefer present unique cases. Brennan spent most of 2025 on the PGA Tour Americas circuit, two steps down from the PGA Tour. He won three times and had nine other top-10 finishes. And then he received a sponsor exemption to the Bank of Utah Championship and won his first PGA Tour title that moved him into top 50.

Keefer was on the Korn Ferry Tour and won twice, allowing him to break into the top 50 and narrowly hold down his spot.

The Masters altered its criteria this year, eliminating an invitation to the FedEx Cup Fall events and replacing that with national opens around the world. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark got in by winning the Australian Open, while Marco Penge (Spanish Open) and Tom McKibbin of LIV Golf (Hong Kong Open) also qualified.

The Masters is keen on keeping the field under 100 players — not since 1966 has it exceeded that number — and it would appear to be on track to stay that way. Two spots will be filled by the Latin America Amateur Championship in January and the South African Open in February.

There are 12 main PGA Tour events before the Masters on April 9-12, with four of them big events in which most of the field already will be eligible.

Woods did not play a tournament in 2025, first because of a ruptured Achilles tendon, and then because of a seventh back surgery. His recovery is close to allowing him to play and he's likely to be healthy enough before the Masters.

Gerard was at No. 57 in the world when he chose to go to Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Open, for a tournament co-sanctioned by the European tour and Sunshine Tour of South Africa. He needed to finish fourth and lost in a playoff to Jayden Schaper.

Si Woo Kim went to the Australian Open and finished third, giving him enough points to move into the top 50.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

FILE - Ryan Gerard hits from the ninth tee during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament, Aug. 14, 2025, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, file)