Madrid, May 7:

Ruud van Nistelrooy scored two goals in the second half and Robinho added another to help Real Madrid beat Sevilla 3-2 in the Spanish league on Sunday.

The victory at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium lifted Madrid above Sevilla and into second place, two points behind FC Barcelona with five games remaining. Madrid has won six of its past seven games, boosting its hopes of ending a drought without a major trophy which stretches back to 2003.

FC Barcelona has 65 points, while Madrid has 63. Sevilla stayed with 61 points, two more than Valencia.

Enzo Maresca and substitute Javier Chevanton scored for Sevilla, whose defeat was a blow to its hopes of winning three trophies this season. On Thursday, Sevilla reached the final of the UEFA Cup, which it won last season, while it is also challenging for the Copa del Rey.

Robinho was ejected for his goal celebrations in which he took off his shirt in the 78th minute, while Sevilla defender Aitor Ocio followed him moments later for hitting out at Madrid’s Mahamadou Diarra. Sevilla substitute Luis Fabiano also received a red card in the 74th, apparently for insulting the assistant referee while he was warming up on the touchline.

Van Nistelrooy’s goals were his 19th and 20th of the season, lifting him above Sevilla’s Frederic Kanoute and Zaragoza’s Diego Milito at the top of the scoring chart.

Madrid’s lineup included David Beckham, whose suspension for picking up his 10th yellow card of the season was lifted last Thursday, a decision which irritated Sevilla coach Juande Ramos. However, Beckham received a yellow card in the closing stages of Sunday’s game, which means he will miss next weekend’s game with Espanyol.

Beckham, who joins the Los Angeles Galaxy in August, helped to create Madrid’s first chance with an outswinging corner which allowed Diarra to head narrowly wide in the 15th minute.

The visitors took the lead in the 41st when Maresca swiveled and volleyed home from the edge of the area. Jose Maria “Guti” Gutierrez replaced captain Raul Gonzalez in the 59th and within three minutes the midfielder had created his side’s equaliser. Guti evaded Christian Poulsen before threading a through ball to Van Nistelrooy, who took the ball around Palop and angled his shot home.

Guti then created Robinho’s goal. Van Nistelrooy doubled his tally in the 85th, heading over the goal line. Chevanton reduced the deficit direct from a free kick in injury time.

Zaragoza drew 0-0 with Racing Santander, hurting its chances of playing in next season’s Champions League. Also, it was: Espanyol 2, Atletico Madrid 1; Recreativo Huelva 0, Athletic Bilbao 0; Real Betis 0, Getafe 2; Mallorca 3, Osasuna 1; Villarreal 1, Celta Vigo 0; and Levante 2, Gimnastic Tarragona 0.