Madrid, March 12:

Sevilla missed a chance to take over first place in the Spanish league, allowing Javier Portillo to score the winning goal in the 76th minute on Sunday in a 1-0 defeat to Gimnastic Tarragona.

Portillo, on loan from Real Madrid, headed in Jose Maria Calvo’s floated pass to keep FC Barcelona in first place. Sevilla, which had been unbeaten in seven games, needed a draw to reclaim first place but gave a below-par display.

Gimnastic’s victory continued its recent improvement. The 19th-place Catalan club has lost only twice in the past seven games.

Barcelona and Sevilla each have 50 points, although the defending champions are first because of head-to-head results.

Also on Sunday, it was: Real Betis 1, Zaragoza 1; Getafe 1, Recreativo Huelva 1; Real Sociedad 3, Mallorca 1; Celta Vigo 1, Athletic Bilbao 1; and Racing Santander 1, Espanyol 1.