Villarreal's Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme scored a magnificent goal to set the seal on a come-from-behind 3-1 win Saturday at Real Sociedad to move his club into third placein Primera Liga.

Sociedad had got off to a flier with Turkish forward Nihat Kahveci firing them into a fourth-minute lead, but thereafter there was only one side in it - the visitors from the northeast.

Having scored a midweek winner over Lille to take Villarreal through to the last 16 of the Champions League at the first attempt Antonio Guayre was again on target from close range on 35 minutes after Riquelme, over his recent hamstring nightmare, crossed from the left.

Nine minutes after the break Guayre repeated the dose from inside the six-yard box before

Riquelme nonchalantly floated home a beauty from outside the penalty area with 18 minutes left to give Villarreal 26 points from 15 games, five less than leaders Barcelona, who host Seville on Sunday.

That was enough to take Villarreal's "Yellow Submarine" outfit into third spot ahead of Valencia on goal difference and leave Sociedad in midtable obscurity.

Earlier, Valencia had to settle for a 1-1 home draw with struggling Athletic Bilbao, whose coach Javier Clemente saluted a never-say-die showing as his charges exited the bottom three.

Bilbao, one of Spain's oldest clubs, have in recent weeks been pulling themselves up after a disastrous start which threatened their ever-present first division membership.

Joseba Etxebarria's header almost secured a second straight win on their travels and only a

Vicente strike 16 minutes from the end saved Valencia's blushes.

"We closed Valencia down well for the most part and they are normally a very fluid proposition," said former Spanish national coach Clemente, who took the Basques to the last of their eight league titles 21 years ago.

Bilbao's cause was not helped by the dismissal of Francisco Tarantino after an ugly challenge on Miguel Angulo.

Valencia coach Quique Sanchez Flores rued the two points dropped on home soil.

"We did all we could to win it, the draw was a bit of an accident."

On Sunday, Real Madrid, a point adrift of Valencia, head for Malaga for new coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro's first Primera Liga match in charge since replacing the sacked Vanderley Luxemburgo.