FOOTBALL – Once again, there has been plenty of football action this week in La Liga as the season is nearing the end, and teams fight for promotion and against relegation.
Teams in La Liga are battling for position, and with the semi semi-final and finals of the Champions League and Europa League to take place, the week ahead promises some quality football action.
Barcelona
Following last night´s narrow 0-1 victory away against Real Sociedad, Barcelona moved to second place in La Liga. Barcelona still has a game in hand which will be played at home on Sunday against Rayo Vallecano.
La Liga
But with only 5 La Liga games left to play, Real Madrid remains top of the league on 78 points. Should Barcelona win on Sunday, their points tally will sit at 66. In third place on goal difference is Sevilla. Mathematically, it is still possible for either team to knock Real Madrid off the top spot. However, it is unlikely given the recent performances from the Madrid side.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid was up against Osasuna on Wednesday night. Osasuna having won their last two games were in fine form.
The game got off to an explosive start with Camavinga of Barcelona earning a yellow card just 5 minutes into the match. The following few minutes saw end-to-end chances at goal. Then in the 12th minute, from a free-kick, Alaba aimed at the net but was denied his chance. However, the ball rebounded off the Osasuna goalkeeper and ended up in the net after all.
Celebrations short-lived
Real Madrid´s celebrations were short-lived, when one minute later, Avila took advantage by running with the ball down to the other end. He then passed it to an unmarked Budimir, who slipped it into an empty goal.
Budimir scored once again in the 33rd minute. However, the goal was disallowed due to off-side. Then just before halftime, Ceballos takes a shot on goal which is saved by Osasuna´s Herrera. However, once again, it rebounds and this time Asensio was there to deliver. Halftime finished 1-2.
Penalties
Osasuna came out strong in the second half and almost immediately had attempts on goal. However, 6 minutes in, Real Madrid was given a penalty. Benzema stepped up but missed. A few minutes later, Real Madrid is once again awarded a penalty. For the second time, Benzema took the strike and missed.
For the remainder of the game, Real Madrid had the upper hand with the clincher coming 6 minutes into extra time with a goal from Vázquez. The game ended 1-3 for Real Madrid.
Sevilla
Sevilla was also away yesterday to Levante. They opened the scoreline after 14 minutes with a goal from Corona. José Luis Morales scored the equaliser from a penalty midway through the first half. Five minutes later, Corona scored his second of the match. Both teams were evenly matched throughout the game. The first half ended with Sevilla leading 1-2. The second half was uneventful until the final ten minutes when both teams managed to score.
Having won only one of their last 6 La Liga games, Sevilla was grateful for the 3 points keeping them in third place.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico sits in 4th position, just 2 points behind Sevilla. All 4 teams are currently set to qualify for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage. However, at the other end of La Liga, Granada, Levante, and Alavés will be frantically trying to move out of the relegation positions during the remaining matches.
Also read: Football action
