La Liga winners and losers from Matchday 23: Celta come back, Barcelona win game but lose their captain

We come back to Spain, where this past weekend featured a top-of-the-table clash that benefited Barcelona most of all, as well as some less compelling action from the teams at the bottom. Here’s where things stand in La Liga. Your 6.5-month break from the NFL begins here.

La Liga Winners from Matchday 23

The pro-Real Madrid soccer press

The hacks at Marca and Diario AS were already carping about anti-Real calls in last week’s game, and now they will have a field day about the ludicrous penalty awarded to Atlético by referee César Soto Grado and his VAR crew, without visible contact between ball and hand or defender and attacker. The spot kick was responsible for Atleti’s only goal in a 1-1 draw that Real dominated. Now the Madridistas really get to play victim. Brace yourself.

Barcelona

After the draw in the Madrid derby on Saturday, Barcelona said, “Sí, gracias” the next day in the form of a 4-1 rout of Sevilla at the Estadio Sánchez Pizjuán. Four different players scored, with one goal coming after Fermín López’ red card reduced Barça to 10 men, and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny made a spectacular save from Dodi Lukébakio’s bicycle kick. The results placed Barcelona squarely back in the title race, and neither of the Madrid teams above them in the standings will be happy to see them there.

Oihan Sancet

The big Pamplona native scored all of Athletic Club’s goals in their 3-0 win over Girona. His hat trick brings his total to 11 goals for the season, a career-high with barely half the season gone. He and his team might have had even more if not for some fine stops by Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. Should Spain call this guy up?

Celta de Vigo

This week’s display of character award goes to the team from Galicia, who gave up two goals in the fog at home to Real Bétis before storming all the way back for a thrilling 3-2 win. Their comeback was not a fluke, as they manufactured enough chances to win the game in the first half, but their finishing let them down. Head coach Claudio Giráldez made a double substitution at halftime that made the difference, as Swedish substitute Williot Swedberg saw his shot deflect off a defender for the game-winner.

Brais Méndez

After coming on as a substitute, the Real Sociedad midfielder who wears his full name on the back of his jersey snapped up a loose ball and lifted it over Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García to give his team a win in the 83rd minute.

Enzo Boyomo and Dominik Greif

The home team seemed to have three points wrapped up during the Monday night game in Mallorca, but then it exploded into life during stoppage time. Osasuna’s Cameroonian striker emerged from a goalmouth scrum to grab the equalizer for the Pamplona-based side. The visitors might have had the match-winner as well, but Mallorca’s Slovak goalkeeper made a great leaping save of Alejandro Catena’s header to salvage the draw.

The drop ball

When a Valencia cross hit referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernández from close range, the official did the proper thing and awarded the team a drop ball that became Cristhian Mosquera’s goal. You don’t see this method of restarting a game happen too often in soccer (it’s usually after a player gets hurt), but this drop ball gave Valencia its second straight win during its relegation scrap.

La Liga Losers from Matchday 23

Real Valladolid

When you have by far the worst goal differential in the league, losing a game 1-0 hurts worse than getting pasted. Los pucelanos defended unusually stoutly for 70 minutes on the road against Rayo Vallecano until Álvaro García turned home Jorge de Frutos’ cross. Even then, the visitors had a chance to snatch a precious point against a quality opponent but substitute Juanmi Latasa put a rebound shot wide of an open goalmouth. Valladolid remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

Ronald Araújo

Barcelona’s captain limped off the pitch after 22 minutes and one crunching tackle by Saúl Ñiguez. The Uruguayan just came back at the beginning of January, having spent four months out with a hamstring problem. Maybe that’s why he was in tears as he came out of the game? Or was he in that much pain? Barça fans had better hope his injury isn’t as severe as it looked, because the team can ill afford for their defensive rock to miss much more time.

Leandro Cabrera

The Espanyol defender slipped and left striker Sheraldo Becker unmarked for Real Sociedad’s first goal. The Uruguayan may not have been at fault, but him lying prone on the turf while the shot sailed over him was a bad look.

Alavés and Leganés

Two teams in the midst of the relegation fight came up with limp offensive displays, with Alavés failing to register a shot on target in their loss to Getafe and Leganés not generating pressure on Valencia’s goal until it was too late. Speaking of too late, these teams need to show some fight while they have time to save their place in Spain’s top flight. Oh, look: They play against each other next Saturday.