On the cusp of another title, Barcelona did not mess around and wrapped it up with an easy win over their cross-town rivals at Espanyol. It was a joyful Thursday for the blaugrana, just one of the highlights in this round of midweek matches in La Liga.
La Liga winners from Matchday 36
Hansi Flick
His predecessor Xavi won zero trophies last season, and he has won three. That will always make a coach look good. You can argue that Real and Atlético Madrid’s self-inflicted wounds gave Barcelona an easy path to the championship, but the German coach kept the team on track and molded his young stars into a title-winning outfit ahead of schedule. (Of course, it helped that Lamine Yamal went supernova this season.) After Flick’s tenure as the coach of Germany’s national team ended so disastrously, this has to feel good.
Kylian Mbappé and Jacobo Ramón
He had the tiniest of space to shoot, but Mbappé’s goal against Mallorca didn’t just tie the game. It was his 40th goal of the season, and the first time in history that any Real Madrid player scored that many in his first campaign for the team. (Maybe the most remarkable thing about that is how Real acquired a player who found the net that often and still somehow got worse than they were last year.) Anyway, los blancos needed a wondergoal from 20-year-old Jacobo Ramón to pick up the win, as the 6’6” reserve defender was being undercut in midair and still managed to one-time Jesús Vallejo’s speculative long ball into Mallorca’s net. Incoming coach Xabi Alonso might want to promote the youngster when he takes over.
Álvaro García Pascual
Did Sevilla ever need that. The big striker was called up from the club’s reserves to start the match against Las Palmas and headed home the game’s only goal for Sevilla’s first win in more than two months. A loss would have had them one point outside the relegation zone, but this victory means that this proud club is staying in La Liga next season. Oh, and García Pascual played his college soccer at Coastal Carolina and Marshall, so fans of the Chanticleers and the Thundering Herd should give him a shout.
Joan Jordán
After Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was assessed a penalty in the 79th minute for climbing over the top of Santiago Mouriño, Alavés’ dead-ball specialist kept his cool when he stepped up and slotted the spot kick past Mamardashvili to give the Basque club a vital win. Alavés are still in 17th spot, but they’re four points ahead of Leganés in 18th with two matches to go. Their next game is against terrible Valladolid, too. They’re probably feeling good around the Mendizorroza.
Ayoze Pérez
His first goal took a big deflection off the defender, but ask him if he cares. His brace of goals against Leganés gave Villarreal an easy win that keeps them on track for Champions League soccer.
La Liga losers from Matchday 36
Espanyol fans
Okay, it can’t be pleasant having your bitterest rivals clinch the title on your grounds, and Lamine Yamal shouldn’t have celebrated in front of the fans after his goal put Barcelona in position to win. Still, he scores a goal as sublime as that and you throw garbage at him? It’s sad when you have to point to Real Madrid fans as an example of class, but they gave Ronaldinho a standing ovation 20 years ago because he was just that awesome against their team. That’s the proper response.
Getafe
After Sevilla’s win, Team Bad Juju in Spain is now the blue team from Madrid. For 75 minutes, they looked like they were going to grind out a point in characteristic fashion at home against Athletic Bilbao, with Getafe’s defense stifling the Lions’ offense pretty well. But good teams figure out a way when they’re off their game, and Gorka Guruzeta pounced on a loose ball to open the scoring before Dani Vivian put home a corner kick to seal the game for Athletic. That makes six straight losses for Getafe and seven losses in their last eight, with their one win coming against already-relegated Valladolid. They just need one more point in their remaining games to assure themselves of safety, but it’s been more than a month since they’ve scored a goal.
Atlético Madrid
Awfully neighborly of them to present Osasuna with three points. A few half-chances for Alexander Sørloth were as close as they got to threatening the home team at the El Sadar Stadium. They didn’t have much to play for, but that’s not an excuse for a showing this poor.
Real Betis
There goes the Champions League for them, in all likelihood. They showed great character in coming back for the draw after going two goals down to Rayo Vallecano, but the result leaves them five points behind Villarreal for the last CL place with only two matches left, and Betis have to play against Atlético and Valencia. Even if they don’t win the Europa Conference League final against Chelsea, they’ll still probably be in the Europa League next season.
The relegation zone teams
Valladolid lost a narrow one to Girona, while Las Palmas is officially joining them in relegation after their loss to Sevilla. Leganés still has a chance to survive, but they looked like a team headed down in their defeat to Villarreal. Their two remaining games are against Valladolid and Las Palmas, but even if los pepineros win both of those, it might not be enough to save them.