La Liga
LaLiga talking points
Talking points from the weekend in LaLiga.
Real Madrid are only one point away from being sure of their 35th Spanish league title.
With five games still to be played, the leaders benefited from Rayo Vallecano’s shock 1-0 win at Barcelona on Sunday and, with their 15-point advantage at the top over bitter rivals Barca and Sevilla, who are level in second place, Carlo Ancelotti’s side would clinch LaLiga’s title with a draw at home against Espanyol on Saturday.
Real Madrid did their homework last Wednesday, winning authoritatively 3-1 at Osasuna despite resting several usual starters such as Casemiro, Luka Modric and Vinicius Jr as they prepare to face Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.
Now, thanks to a little help from Madrid’s own Rayo at Camp Nou, they can start preparing the celebration for next Saturday at Santiago Bernabeu.
“Disaster!!!” Catalonia daily newspaper Sport screamed on its front page on Monday, referring to Barcelona’s Camp Nou loss to lowly Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
Barca hit rock bottom with another disappointing result in another disappointing season, earning three consecutive home losses in all competitions for the first time in club history.
After falling in the Europa League quarter-finals against Eintratch Frankfurt, losing for the first time at home to lowly Cadiz and handing Rayo only their second league win since January, Xavi Hernandez’s side are now in danger of not finishing second and missing the 3.4 million euros that the club would make going to the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Barca are also in danger of missing qualification for the Champions League entirely, as only six points separate them from Betis in fifth as the battle to finish in the top four and secure a place in the top European competition intensifies.
The Copa del Rey champions will host Barca in two weeks looking to close the gap further.
Barca, level with Sevilla on 63 points, will have a difficult time against Betis, who are motivated after winning the cup final on penalties last Saturday, their first title in almost 20 years.
Atletico Madrid are fourth on 61 points and even Real Sociedad, sixth on 55 points, are still in play with five games to go.
-Reuters
Barcelona turned the Clasico into a coronation on Sunday, swatting aside Real Madrid 2-0 at a roaring Camp Nou to claim their 29th LaLiga title.
Hansi Flick’s side moved to an unassailable 91 points, 14 clear of second-placed Real with three games remaining.
The triumph capped a dominant campaign in which they lost only four league matches. Villarreal are third on 69 points.
Real arrived needing victory to keep their wafer-thin title hopes alive, but Marcus Rashford crushed those aspirations just nine minutes into the game.
Antonio Rudiger fouled Ferran Torres just outside the box, and Rashford bent a superb free kick into Thibaut Courtois’ top-left corner, giving Barcelona the early lead and sending the home crowd into raptures.
Nine minutes later, Barcelona doubled the lead. Fermin Lopez crossed into the area, and Dani Olmo produced a clever backheel that sent the ball into the path of Torres, who rifled a fierce strike into the top corner.
The win completed back-to-back league titles for Flick, who also delivered the LaLiga and Copa del Rey double in his first season last year.
Both sides were heavily depleted. Barcelona were without Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Jules Kounde from the starting lineup.
Real’s list of missing players was longer, with Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy, Arda Guler and Rodrygo all absent. Federico Valverde also missed out after suffering a head injury following a midweek changing-room fight with team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni, with both players fined 500,000 euros over the incident.
Kylian Mbappe did not travel because of a leg muscle injury, forcing manager Alvaro Arbeloa to start Vinicius Jr alongside academy striker Gonzalo, with Jude Bellingham and Brahim Diaz pushing forward in support.
Real threatened through Vinicius and Gonzalo before halftime, but Barcelona carried the greater menace. Courtois kept the visitors alive with fine saves from Torres and Rashford before the interval.
Barcelona continued to press after the break, Rashford repeatedly tormenting left back Fran Garcia down the right, while Courtois produced another sharp stop with his left foot to deny Torres from point-blank range in the 56th minute.
Bellingham had a goal ruled out for offside in the 62nd minute, and Joan Garcia was quick to deny Vinicius in a one-on-one, preventing the Brazilian from lifting the ball over him.
Real kept probing late on, but there was little bite in their attack, and Barcelona calmly saw out the win before the title celebrations began.
“This title is even more special because we won it at home against Real Madrid. Now it’s time to enjoy it with the fans,” Frenkie de Jong told Spanish broadcaster Movistar Plus.
“Every title has to be celebrated in style. Especially LaLiga, which is a year-long competition. We’ve clearly been the best in Spain.”
-Reuters
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Real Zaragoza goalkeeper Esteban Andrada was sent off for punching Huesca captain Jorge Pulido in a fiery Spanish second division clash on Sunday that descended into a mass brawl, with Huesca keeper Dani Jimenez dismissed for punching Andrada.
Zaragoza’s Dani Tasende was also dismissed after a VAR review of the brawl.
With tensions simmering in a relegation scrap, Argentine Andrada lost his composure moments before the final whistle. Ignoring the run of play, he approached Pulido and struck him in the face with his right hand, sparking chaotic scenes eight minutes into stoppage time.
It was an ugly flashpoint in a match already short on finesse and heavy on nerves, and could carry serious consequences for the goalkeeper.
Huesca manager Jose Luis did not attempt to defend the scenes.
“It’s hard to explain; I think it’s a complete loss of control. I can put myself in their shoes, given what was at stake and all. But it’s unjustifiable. It’s just that I don’t know what to do or how to stop it; a brawl breaks out,” he said.
“It’s ugly; this was supposed to be a celebration of Aragonese football. I’d like people to talk about the match, even though it was ugly, with little play but a lot of hard work.”
Oscar Sielva’s goal secured a 1-0 win for Huesca, lifting them to 36 points in 19th place, while Zaragoza remain second-bottom on 35.
-Reuters
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Joan Laporta has been re-elected as Barcelona president after winning over 68 percent of the vote and will begin his second consecutive term, and fourth overall, from July 1, the club said on Sunday.
The 63-year-old took office in March 2021 and stepped down last month in line with club statutes in order to seek re-election.
Laporta described the election as a “celebration of democracy and civic responsibility” and said the tasks ahead included finishing work on the Camp Nou and strengthening the men’s team.
-Reuters
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