Even with England skipper David Beckham back in their ranks following an ankle injury Real did not live up to their "galactic" status and a Joaquin volley on 34 minutes for Betis forced them to move up a gear to prevent a morale-sapping fourth league defeat of the season.

Valencia, held to a goalless draw by Valladolid on Saturday, continue to lead the way with 44 points from 20 games as the season enters its second half.

League's top goal better Ronaldo leveled brilliantly on the hour when he seized on a Zinedine Zidane pass, rounding goalkeeper Pedro Contreras before rolling the ball home from an extremely tight angle.

It was the phenomenal striker's 15th goal in the Primera Liga this season and 50th overall in the Real shirt since joining the Spanish giants in 2002 from Inter Milan.

Instead, it was the hosts who had the better chances as Beckham and company suggested they had not forgotten about a 4-1 beating at Sevilla on their last trip south.

Earlier, Deportivo La Coruna kept the heat on the leading pair with a 4-1 whipping of Real Zaragoza to cement their third place.

Diego Tristan hit a double for Deportivo and Juan Carlos Valeron scored twice - although his opening goal after just four minutes into his own net, under pressure from David Generelo.

Tristan fired the equaliser on 22 minutes and Valeron saved face by getting a second five minutes after the interval with a header.

Tristan headed the home side 3-1 up in the 76th minute and Sergio Gonzalez made it four with six minutes remaining after sprinting clear.

"Super Depor" now have 40 points from 20 games, just three behind Real.

Valencia saw their title challenge lose a little steam on Saturday in a goalless draw at Valladolid, where they have now not won for seven years.

As Real struggled to show their pedigree, city rivals Atletico Madrid ensured their campaign for a Champions League slot stayed on the rails with a 2-1 home success over Seville which left them a point clear of Villarreal in fourth.

Fernando Torres swept in from close range to break the deadlock in the 43rd minute and Themistoklis Nikolaidis rose to head in the clincher on 71 minutes before Jose Antonio Reyes, described as the future of the national Spanish side along with Torres, pulled one back with a late penalty.

"The crowd were fantastic and if we can replicate some of this form away we can really achieve something," said Atletico coach Gregorio Manzano.

Real Sociedad, conquerors last weekend of Real Madrid and climbing the table after an inauspicious first half of the season, moved clear of the danger zone with a 3-1 home success over Espanyol.

Russian international veteran Valery Karpin opened the scoring for Sociedad with a seventh-minute penalty.

Igor Gabilondo and Turkey's Nihat Kahveci scored in the final six minutes to make the points safe, leaving former Manchester United man Jordi Cruyff to net a consolation in stoppage time for Espanyol, who remain in the relegation mire.

Fifth-placed Villarreal thanked second-half goals from Argentine defender Rudolfo Arruabarrena and Brazilian veteran forward Sonny Anderson with his eighth of the season to see off Malaga 2-0.

Elsewhere, Australian striker John Aliosi rescued a point for Osasuna in a 1-1 home draw with Albacete which keeps alive the former Coventry forward's dreams of a tilt at a UEFA Cup spot next season with Osasuna in sixth place just ahead of Barcelona.

Barca have a huge fight on their hands to ensure a place in the Champions League next season after squandering two home points Saturday in a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao.