It was a fantastic Sunday for the Barcelona fans and a dispiriting one for Atlético’s as La Liga’s title picture became a lot clearer after the weekend’s marquee game. Let’s revisit the action from a round of games that was full of comebacks.
La Liga winners
Ferrán Torres
The Barcelona player scored the equalizer and then the one that sealed a key win over Atlético in stoppage time. Barcelona are even on points with Real Madrid at the top of the table, with a game in hand. Will this convince Hansi Flick to hand him more starts down the stretch? We’ll see.
Kylian Mbappé
The Frenchman pounced on two loose balls with dead-eye shots, and his two goals were the reason for Real Madrid’s 2-1 win against a Villarreal side that gave the visitors from the capital a hard time. Coach Carlo Ancelotti whined once again, this time about a lack of rest between this game and the Champions League win in midweek, but his world-beating attacker hauled Real to three points.
Vedat Muriqi
For 90 minutes, the Mallorca striker was having a game to forget against Espanyol. After scoring an own goal off a free kick, the Kosovar served up a weak penalty kick for Joan García to stop which might have tied the game in the first half. Then, when his team won another penalty in stoppage time, it was Manu Morlanes who took it instead of him. García saved his kick, too, but referee Alejandro Quintero González called for a retake because the keeper was off his line. That’s when Muriqi stepped up and softly pitched the ball into the roof of the net for the match-winner. When you’re a striker, you’re as good as your last kick of the ball, and he’s golden right now.
Athletic Club
Yeray Álvarez’ header off a free kick in the 84th minute provided the only goal in their road win over Sevilla and solidified their position in fourth place. In Ernesto Valverde’s third stint managing the Bilbao side, he’s on track to lead them back to the Champions League.
Marcos Alonso
The former Chelsea player slotted home a penalty for Celta de Vigo, and it was the only goal in their win over wretched, condemned Real Valladolid. He was helped by Valladolid’s similar named Marcos Andrés, who had a chance to put his team up in the 79th minute and screwed his shot wide when it would have been easier to score.
Comebacks
Besides Barcelona and Real Betis sneaking wins from losing positions and Las Palmas getting a draw from same (see the losers section), Getafe came back on the road against Osasuna, as two second-half goals from Villarreal loanee Ramón Terrats overcame Ante Budimir’s early penalty. We love games with drama, and La Liga was stuffed full of them this weekend.
La Liga losers
Atlético Madrid
This team used to pride itself as mentality monsters with bloody-minded focus who would never say die. That team is now dead, dead, dead. Presented with a chance to turn around their season at home against Barcelona, they had it all going according to the script as they took a 2-0 lead in the 70th minute. They promptly proceeded to throw it away, and while it was bad enough that they conceded two goals in the next 10 minutes, their total collapse in stoppage time led to the 4-2 loss that turned the title chase into a two-horse race between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Coach Diego Simeone’s approach is known to burn out his players, and he has rejuvenated his team before by bringing in fresh talent. We wouldn’t bet against him doing the same thing again this summer, but for now, los colchoneros are only playing for the Copa del Rey.
Alavés
With 89 minutes gone in their match, they were up 2-0 on the road against Las Palmas. Even after Fábio Silva’s stoppage-time penalty, all they had to do was see out the last few minutes. Instead, nobody picked up Alberto Moleiro outside the box after a Las Palmas shot rebounded off a wall of Alavés defenders, and the attacker equalized for a 2-2 draw. The two points thrown away would have lifted the visitors into 15th place. They did provide more excitement for the neutrals in the relegation scrap, but it’s excitement that they could have lived without.
Leganés
With 61 minutes gone in their match, they were up 2-0 at home against Real Betis. They crumbled completely, with Marko Dmitrović conceding a penalty and then parrying Marc Bartra’s speculative shot into the path of Cédric Bakambu. Betis’ Cucho Hernández (heh heh, “Cucho”) then provided the game-winner. It’s five straight wins for Betis, while the home side are back in the relegation zone.
Rayo Vallecano
What had been a dull game for the first hour suddenly exploded into life as the home team grabbed two goals to take a 2-1 lead, with Pedro Díaz’ screamer of a shot a deserving match-winner. But Real Sociedad reserve team call-up Arkaitz Mariezkurrena put home a rebound to save the draw for the visitors. Rayo had been eyeing European football for next season, but this result drags them back into the mid-table muck with Sociedad.