FC Barcelona and Real Madrid both won and convinced on the return of La Liga this weekend as they prepare to meet for their fifth meeting of the season. Here are some things we learned this weekend on Spain.
1. A Good Saturday for Barcelona
FC Barcelona ensured they would retain their lead at the top of La Liga on Saturday with a 4-0 win away to bottom of the table Elche on an evening when everything went right for them.
Robert Lewandowski ended a La Liga goal drought that had lasted over 450 minutes, with two goals, while Ansu Fati – who has been the target of a lot of speculation about his future, netted an excellent solo goal.
Ronaldo Araujo started, to end doubts of his fitness ahead of Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semifinal against Real Madrid, while Xavi was able to rest Sergio Busquets, with Eric Garcia and Sergi Roberto forming an unexpectedly effective midfield pairing in a game where a surprise could have been on the cards.
2. Benzema ends the doubts
There had been a few question marks over the form and fitness of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema ahead of his side’s game against Valladolid on Sunday. However, the 34-year-old ended those doubts in a seven-minute spell that saw him score a hat-trick as Real Madrid crushed their rivals 6-0.
While it’s true some of Valladolid’s defending was well below that needed in the Spanish top-flight, Benzema showed his predatory instincts with a diving header, a curling shot and an overhead kick.
Wednesday’s Cup game in the Camp Nou promises to be very special.
3. Correa almost books Champions League ticket for Atletico
Angel Correa did what he has done so many times before for Atletico Madrid on Sunday night: come off the substitutes’ bench to score a vital goal.
In this case, Correa’s goal decided a close match at home to fifth place Betis to give Atletico a nine-point lead over Sunday’s rivals and just about assure their place in next season’s Champions League.
Betis still have a decent chance of a top-four finish, however, after Real Sociedad’s 2023 slump continued with a 2-0 defeat away to Villarreal, who also gave themselves options to play in next season’s Champions League against a rival that has forgotten how to score goals.
4. Reasons for Osasuna to be optimistic
There was good news for supporters of Athletic Club Bilbao on Saturday afternoon when Spain Under-21 international Oihan Sancet, considered one of the most promising young players in Spain, announced after his side’s 0-0 draw at home to Getafe that he has signed a new contract to keep him at the club until 2032.
However, before that news, the Athletic fans watched how their side dominated nearly all of the game but we are only able to create one clear chance against a rival dedicated to defending from the start.
Tuesday will see Athletic look to overturn a 1-0 first leg defeat in their Copa del Rey semifinal at home to Osasuna. Osasuna are likely to play a very similar game to Getafe on Tuesday night and after watching Athletic fail to break down a well-organized midfield and defense, the side from Navarra (who drew 0-0 in Mallorca on Friday) will be optimistic of hanging on to book only the second Cup final appearance in their history.
