Striker Aritz Aduriz scored twice to help Athletic Bilbao win 2-1 at Levante on Monday.

The victory also strengthened the Basque side's hold on the fourth place in Spanish La Liga.

Bilbao's second victory in its last six games restored its six-point advantage over fifth-placed Sevilla as it clings to the last Champions League berth.

Bilbao defender Mikel San Jose missed a chance to grab the lead in the 12th minute when he misfired a penalty after Juanfran Garcia fouled Iker Muniain.

But Aduriz struck three minutes later when his shot took a deflection off a defender to catch goalkeeper Keylor Navas out of position.

Bilbao continued to dominate both possession and scoring chances, and Aduriz hit again by heading home Ander Herrera's well-placed cross just before halftime.

Aduriz's double gave him a team-leading 13 goals in the league this season.

San Jose compounded his erred spot kick by scoring an own goal in the 66th when Ruben Perez's cross hit his leg and looped into the net.