Can Real Madrid Maintain Their Lead After Sevilla's Stunning Victory Over Barcelona?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Real Madrid leads La Liga after a strong performance.
- Barcelona struggles with key absences and fatigue.
- Sevilla's victory over Barcelona raises their profile in the league.
- Villarreal challenges Real Madrid but falls short.
- Atletico Madrid's draw complicates their standing.
Madrid, Oct 6 (NationPress) Real Madrid has surged to the top of La Liga as the international break approaches, following their victory over Villarreal. In stark contrast, FC Barcelona faced a heavy 4-1 loss against Sevilla on Sunday.
Barcelona, missing key players Lamine Yamal and Raphinha and showing signs of fatigue after their recent 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, struggled in the first half. Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring with a penalty, and Isaac Romero extended Sevilla's advantage. Although Marcus Rashford managed to score before halftime, it wasn't enough to turn the tide.
In the second half, Robert Lewandowski missed a crucial penalty, and Jose Antonio Carmona re-established Sevilla's two-goal lead in the 89th minute. Akor Adams capped off Sevilla's dominant performance with a fourth goal in stoppage time.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid triumphed over Villarreal with a 3-1 scoreline at the Santiago Bernabeu. Vinicius Jr. netted two goals, including one from the penalty spot, before Georges Mikautadze gave Villarreal a glimmer of hope. However, Santiago Mourino was sent off, and Kylian Mbappe secured the win with another goal.
Atletico Madrid faced disappointment with a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo, despite taking an early lead through an own goal from Carl Starfelt. After Clement Lenglet received a red card, Iago Aspas equalized.
In other matches, Elche saw their unbeaten run come to an end with a 3-1 defeat to Alaves, while Real Betis turned around a match against Espanyol with two second-half goals. Rayo Vallecano continued their form with a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad.
Athletic Bilbao snapped their winless streak with a 2-1 victory over Mallorca, and Levante secured a 2-0 win against Oviedo. Girona, despite being reduced to nine players, managed to defeat Valencia 2-1.
On Friday, Osasuna edged out Getafe with a last-minute goal from Alejandro Catena.