Not a lot may have changed in the league table but it was a weekend of fine margins; Barça winning by a single goal, Madrid needing to come from behind, and Atlético leaving it late on Monday night. Read on for the full lowdown.
By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert
Barça are the 1-0 specialists
Barcelona’s ninth 1-0 win in LaLiga this season saw the Catalans finish the weekend nine points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table, with El Clásico up next at Camp Nou.
The game at San Mames on Sunday was marked by two major incidents, both reversed by VAR: Raphinha’s goal for Barcelona at the end of the first half was initially ruled offside and then awarded after a check confirmed he was on when Sergio Busquets played the pass; and what Athletic Club thought was a late leveller scored by Iñaki Williams was chalked off after the video assistant referee spotted that the ball had come off Iker Muniain’s arm earlier in the move,
“It has happened to us again,” Xavi said. “We played for 75 minutes at a good level. At San Mames, you end up suffering: balls into the box, set pieces… at 1-0, they make you suffer. It’s a golden win. We keep the nine points [advantage]. We go into the Clásico with confidence.”
Athletic had hit the crossbar in the first half and Barça had goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to thank for a vital same in added time. “Marc has been extraordinary,” Xavi said. And in 25 LaLiga matches this season, Barcelona have still only conceded eight goals.
On the decision which saw Athletic denied an equaliser, he said: “It’s a clear handball from Muniain.” But Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde was frustrated. “It’s something that is far from real football,” he said. “I’ve seen the image on television out of the corner of my eye… and I don’t know. In any case, it’s all the same. It’s not whether it hits him more or less on the shoulder or arm. It’s a question of what football is and what it isn’t. VAR is there to correct flagrant errors, if the ball goes in or there is a penalty, but [this time] the referee is called for a play that has occurred five previous passes [before the goal]… .it has happened to us and other times it will happen to others.”
Athletic’s fans did not like it either. Earlier, they had thrown fake money at Barcelona’s players as the row over the Catalan club’s payment of a former vice-president of Spain’s referee committee rumbles on.
At the weekend, Real Madrid released a statement saying they will appear at the trial when the case is opened up to affected parties. The announcement surprised Barcelona and will add further spice to next weekend’s Clásico clash at Camp Nou. But on the pitch, Barça go into that match safe in the knowledge of their nine point advantage.
100 up for Ancelotti
On Saturday, Real Madrid came from behind to beat Espanyol 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Vinícius Júnior, Éder Militão and Marco Asensio all on the scoresheet for Los Blancos.
With Karim Benzema rested to ease an ankle problem ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash at home to Liverpool, Los Blancos fell behind to a Joselu strike early in the game but came back to win comfortably in the end.
Vinícius levelled with a fine cutback and low drive from just inside the box after 22 minutes and Militão made it 2-1 at the break with a towering header later in the half. Asensio added a third against his former club in stoppage time.
“The beginning wasn’t spectacular, but we came back in the first half and we controlled the second,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said after his 100th LaLiga win for Real Madrid. “We had to win and we did. Onto the next game.”
The next game for Real Madrid in LaLiga is against Barcelona at Camp Nou on Sunday, but before that Los Blancos are at home to Liverpool in the second leg of the teams’ Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.
“A very important week is beginning, with the Champions League and the Clásico,” Ancelotti said. “We’re in good shape.” And on his 100 wins in LaLiga, he joked: “Let’s go for the next 100!”
Morata to the rescue
Atlético Madrid moved three points clear of Real Sociedad in third place as their impressive recent form continued with a last-gasp 1-0 victory at Girona on Monday night.
Substitute Álvaro Morata poked home at the far post from close range after Ángel Correa had diverted an Antoine Griezmann corner into his path in added time. There was a lengthy VAR check to see if the striker was onside, but the goal stood and Atlético came away with all three points.
“I hear from many strategists who like attractive football that 1-0 is also attractive,” Atlético coach Diego Simeone said after the game, in reference to Barcelona’s run of wins by that scoreline this season. “I give a lot of value to winning 1-0 because it speaks of your intensity.”
Atlético look favourites for third now as Real Sociedad were held 1-1 at Mallorca and appear to be fading in the latter part of the season, as they have in previous campaigns. Real Betis remain fifth after a 1-1 draw at home to sixth-place Villarreal.
At the bottom, Sevilla and Valencia both moved out of the relegation zone after big wins. Sevilla beat Almería 2-1 in a hard-fought Andalusian derby and climb to 13th, while Valencia won 1-0 at home to Osasuna and are up to 17th, although still level on points with Getafe below them. Almería are in 19th, with Elche way back on just 13 points in last place.
(Images from IMAGO)
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