La Liga 2024-25: Key Insights from Matchday 26 in Spain

Madrid, March 3 (NationPress) Former champions FC Barcelona have increased their advantage at the top of La Liga, while Atletico Madrid has surpassed Real Madrid in a weekend of football that saw some teams preparing for European contests.

Barcelona currently holds 57 points from 18 victories in 26 matches, closely followed by Atletico Madrid with 56 points and Real Madrid at 54, marking a tight title race.

Here are some key insights from Spain's football weekend.

Barcelona's Perfect Sunday

FC Barcelona secured a three-point lead over Real Madrid and is just a point ahead of Atletico Madrid after a smooth Sunday afternoon against Real Sociedad.

The visitors struck the post early on, but the match was effectively decided when Aritz Elustondo was sent off for bringing down Dani Olmo just 17 minutes in, as reported by Xinhua.

This marks the second consecutive away game in which the San Sebastian side has been reduced to 10 players in the first half. Following Gerard Martin's opening goal for Barca and Marc Casado deflecting Olmo's shot into the net, it became a matter of how many goals Hansi Flick's team would score.

Flick had the luxury of resting players like Pedri and Raphinha, who will appreciate the recovery time ahead of next Wednesday's UEFA Champions League match against Benfica.

Midfield Struggles and Fatigue for Real

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed disappointment in his players after they squandered a 1-0 lead, ultimately losing 2-1 to Real Betis on Saturday. Ancelotti's squad appeared fatigued, a likely result of their busy schedule of two matches per week since the year's start. Additionally, the injury to Dani Ceballos during Wednesday's Copa del Rey win against Real Sociedad further depleted Real's midfield creativity. The bad news for Ancelotti is that Jude Bellingham will be unavailable for the upcoming Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid due to accumulated yellow cards.

Atletico Capitalizes Against Athletic

Julian Alvarez came off the bench to net the sole goal of the match, securing a 1-0 victory for Atletico Madrid against Athletic Bilbao, allowing them to surpass Real Madrid just days before their Champions League showdown. The encounter between the third- and fourth-placed teams was engaging, featuring 90 minutes of thrilling action. The visitors had several promising opportunities, only for the woodwork to thwart two attempts from Inaki Williams and a header from Benat Prados. Athletic aimed for a win to stay in the title race, but Alvarez proved decisive once again, as he has been throughout the season.

Tense Relegation Battle

The lunchtime match on Sunday between Leganes and Getafe was not a classic La Liga showdown, as both teams produced few chances amidst steady rain. Supporters of Leganes were rewarded for their loyalty when Diego Garcia scored a spectacular overhead kick in the second minute of injury time, securing three crucial points in their fight against relegation.

This important victory kept Leganes out of the relegation zone as Valencia, Las Palmas, and Alaves all managed to earn points away from home, intensifying the struggle to avoid the drop.