BARCELONA, Spain -- Diego Costa became a one-man wrecking crew to lead Atletico Madrid to a 3-0 home win over Valencia on Sunday, scoring two second-half goals and earning a pair of penalties to ensure Diego Simeones side retained its share of the Spanish league lead with Barcelona. The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. He used a burst of speed capped with a stinging strike to beat goalkeeper Diego Alves on a counterattack for the 59th-minute opener. Raul Garcia went on in the 61st for David Villa to reinforce Atleticos midfield and two minutes later fired in a loose ball. Another charge into the area earned Diego Costa his first of two penalties when Victor Ruiz brought him down, only for Diego Alves to save his spot kick in the 74th. But Diego Costa again forced defender Antonio Barragan to foul him as he penetrated the box. This time he blasted the ball over the goalie in the 81st, sealing Atleticos eighth win in as many league games at Vicente Calderon Stadium. "We just go forward game by game," Diego Costa said. "We know that it will be very tough and the league is long, but we will keep fighting to keep this going." Atleticos title challenge gains strength with each passing round as it keeps pace with defending champion Barcelona and has crosstown Real Madrid trailing by five points. It has allowed a league-low nine goals and has found its scorer in Diego Costa, helped by Villa and Garcia, who have combined for another 15 goals in league play. "I always want more," Simeone said. "I dont want my team to be passive. I want the team to always push and never be satisfied. It is very tough to keep up with Barcelona, its numbers are stratospheric." Elsewhere, Real Sociedads promising playmaker Ruben Pardo set up three goals to mastermind a 5-1 rout of bottom side Real Betis. Sociedad may have flopped out of the Champions League, but has found its form in the domestic competition where it has won six of its last eight games and climbed into sixth place and the Europa League positions. The hosts overwhelmed Betis on the league debut of coach Juan Carlos Garrido, who replaced the fired Pepe Mel. The Seville-based side is now winless in the last nine rounds. Pardo passed for two goals by striker Imanol Agirretxe and another from defender Jon Ansotegi. Antoine Griezmann scored his 10th goal in the league this season, leaving him third overall behind Diego Costa and Ronaldo. Xabi Prieto rounded out the victory. "Its clear this is the way we need keep playing to go forward and not relax at any moment," said the 21-year-old Pardo, who was given an ovation when substituted late. "Everyone loves being applauded and for people to scream your name, but I am staying calm. I need to keep working to please our fans and, above all, help the team." Athletic Bilbao drew 1-1 at Sevilla to remain in fourth place and the last Champions League spot, but eight points adrift of Madrid. Almeria settled for a 0-0 draw at home against Espanyol after its coach was ejected from the dugouts and Jose "Verza" Garcia missed a penalty he had to repeat in the first half. Verza missed a 23rd-minute penalty he had to repeat after Almeria teammate Oscar Diaz had entered the area during his first attempt, which he converted. Almeria coach Francisco Rodriguez was ejected during a scuffle between both teams near the dugouts in the 32nd. 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"The more pressure, the higher he rises," former Knights teammate Dylan Hunter told the Leaf Report.SEATTLE - By the time Trevor Crowe came to the plate in the ninth inning, everything was going right for the Houston Astros. So much so that even a simple foul pop up to the first baseman turned into a run. Houstons four-run rally in the ninth inning to beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Monday night was capped by a bizarre play that started as Crowe fouled out to first baseman Justin Smoak with runners on second and third. Smoaks throw to the plate hit Crowe crouched in foul territory and bounced away, allowing Jonathan Villar to score. "I put my head down, and I felt something hit me," Crowe said. "I looked to the right, and there goes the baseball, and I see Villar scampering home." The crazy run was fitting for a game that featured the Astros rallying for only the third time this season when trailing after eight inning in front of the smallest crowd in Safeco Field history, as well as two rookie starters making their final appearance of the season. "To come back in the ninth was huge. Young team learning how to win games, we did that today. Really good comeback," said Crowe, who also had a single and a run-scoring double in the game. Abraham Almontes first major league homer, a two-run shot in the seventh inning, gave the Mariners a 3-2 lead. Seattle reliever Charlie Furbush got out of a jam in the eighth, but in the ninth the Astros broke through. Danny Farquhar (0-3) walked Marc Krauss and Carlos Corporan with one out, and Jimmy Paredes run-scoring single tied the game at 3. Villar then gave Houston a two-run lead with his hit to centre. "It was good just to see the quality of the at-bats during that ninth inning," Houston manager Bo Porter said. "From the two walks to the base hits by Jimmy and Villar — we strung together good at-bat after good at-bat." It was the fourth blown save of the season for Farquhar, but only his second in the closer role. "Its going to be hard to sleep tonight," Farquhar said. "But its the same thing as usual, whether you pitch good or pitch bad, learn from your mistakes. ... Theres nothing you can do — if you dwell on it youll drive yourself nuts." Kevin Chapman (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth to earn the win, and Josh Fields pitched the ninth for his fourth save in five chances despite giving up a solo homer to Brad Miller. The announced attendance of 9,808 was 10 fewer than the previous low at the 14-yeaar-old park, set April 29 against the Orioles.dddddddddddd Before this season, the previous low was 11,352 — a mark set April 18, 2012, against Cleveland. This year, the Mariners have drawn fewer than that number five times. Houston starter Jarred Cosart gave up an unearned run on two hits, struck out three and walked six. Before the game Porter told him this would be his final start of the season, and hed be limited to five innings, unless he had a no-hitter or a shutout going. "They said go out there, leave it all out there, and I did," Cosart said. "I honestly dont have much left, my bodys tired." Cosart has pitched a total of 153 innings between Triple-A and 10 starts with Houston. He may not have much left, but what hes done has been impressive, as he finishes with a major league ERA of 1.95. Seattle starter Taijuan Walker ended his brief inaugural major league season with a no-decision despite striking out eight over five innings and retiring the final nine batters he faced. The Mariners said leading up to the game it would be Walkers final appearance since he had thrown 151 1-3 inning between his minor and major league starts going into Mondays outing. Two of his three starts in the majors have been against Houston. Walker picked up the win in his debut on Aug. 30, but this time the Astros picked up a pair of runs off five hits. Paredes drove in the first with a sacrifice fly in the second, and Jose Altuve and Crowe opened the third with back-to-back doubles to give the Astros a 2-1 lead. Seattles pitchers retired the next 15 batters but Carter Capps got into a jam in the eighth before Furbush bailed him out. Furbush came on with one out, runners on second and third, and the Mariners clinging to their 3-2 lead. He struck out pinch-hitter Brandon Laird and got Matt Dominguez to ground out, but all it did was delay the rally until the ninth inning. NOTES: Seattle ace Felix Hernandez will not make his scheduled start on Wednesday, the second time his turn in the rotation has been pushed back due to soreness. "I guess youd call it a minor oblique strain on the left side, if you had to put a label on it, but it was more just stiffness," manager Eric Wedge said. Hernandez will throw from flat ground at the end of the week when the team travels to St. Louis. ... The Astros reinstated C Carlos Corporan from the seven-day concussion disabled list before the game and he started at catcher. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '