La Liga Roundup, Matchday 5
Matchday 5 of La Liga has concluded, featuring exciting matches, impressive player displays, and surprising outcomes. Here’s a summary of the games from this round in La Liga.
Real Betis 2-0 Leganes
Real Betis achieved their first victory of the new La Liga season with a 2-0 win against Leganés, thanks to goals from Abde Ezzalzouli and Vitor Roque. This result marks the fifth consecutive home win for Los Verdiblancos in their head-to-head matchups in the top division. The home team comfortably managed the final moments of the game to claim a confidence-boosting three points. Meanwhile, Leganés will be eager to recover against Athletic Club on Thursday following two consecutive losses.
Mallorca 1-2 Villarreal
Villarreal continued their unbeaten run in the new La Liga season with a late 2-1 victory against 10-man Mallorca. The team will be pleased to have ended their unfavorable record against Mallorca, achieving only their second win in eight matches at the Estadi de Son Moix. Meanwhile, the home team will feel frustrated to leave empty-handed after having the upper hand before the red card was issued.
Espanyol 3-2 Alaves
Espanyol achieved consecutive wins with a 3-2 victory against Alavés, who missed the opportunity to enter the top three in La Liga. After not winning any of their first three matches, Espanyol has recovered and is just behind Alavés but tied on seven points after five matches. This outcome also ended Alavés’ three-game unbeaten streak, and they will aim to get back to winning form when they play Sevilla next Friday.
Sevilla 1-0 Getafe
Sevilla, playing with ten men, secured their first La Liga win of the season by defeating Getafe 1-0. Getafe is yet to win this season, with only three consecutive draws so far. In the last 20 minutes, Getafe made several attacking substitutions in search of an equalizer and were given a boost when Juanlu Sánchez received a second yellow card for simulation with five minutes remaining. Nevertheless, Sevilla managed to hold on for the victory. Meanwhile, Getafe has fallen into the relegation zone and must improve on their single goal scored this season to turn around their poor start.
Real Sociedad 0-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid maintained their perfect start to the La Liga season with a 1-0 victory against Real Sociedad, marking the hosts’ fourth consecutive home loss in the top division for the first time since 2007. Sociedad appeared demoralized, and despite their efforts to regain control of the match, it was too late. The evening was dominated by Madrid, who have now gone 18 away league matches without defeat.
Celta Vigo 3-1 Real Valladolid
Celta Vigo extended their unbeaten home record against Real Valladolid in La Liga to an impressive 14 matches with a 3-1 victory at the Estadio de Balaídos. The visitors’ hopes of making a comeback faded with just under 10 minutes remaining when Mario Martín fouled Williot Swedberg, leading referee Francisco Maeso to issue a red card. Valladolid did benefit from a VAR decision that disallowed a goal by Javi Rodríguez, but this was only a brief moment of relief, as Anastasios Douvikas secured the win in stoppage time, maintaining his team’s unbeaten streak at home in the top division to nine matches.
Girona 1-4 Barcelona
Barcelona maintained their lead at the top of the La Liga table by defeating Girona 4-1 in a Catalan derby, breaking a three-match winless streak against them. Girona managed to score a consolation goal through Cristhian Stuani’s close-range effort with 10 minutes remaining, providing some excitement for the home supporters. However, it was a challenging day for Girona, who were never really in the match. On the other hand, Barcelona maintained their impressive form, achieving their fifth straight win to start the season.
Las Palmas 2-3 Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao climbed into the upper half of the La Liga standings with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Las Palmas, marking only their second away win against Los Amarillos this century. Concerns about securing the three points seemed to fade when Aitor Paredes scored Athletic’s third goal with 15 minutes remaining, despite the team being down to 10 men. Inaki Williams provided the assist, keeping the ball alive at the back post for Paredes to easily score. However, the visitors faced a tense finish when substitute Álex Muñoz scored to narrow the gap, but Athletic’s strong defense managed to hold on for the win.
Atletico Madrid 3-0 Valencia
Atlético Madrid secured their fifth consecutive unbeaten match in La Liga this season by defeating Valencia 3-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano, a stadium where Valencia has never won since Atlético took over in 2017. Valencia, currently at the bottom of the table, has not won in their last 12 league matches, marking their worst run in the competition since Gary Neville’s time as manager eight years ago. This loss also extends their winless streak to 14 games when playing against Atlético. Meanwhile, Simeone’s team has achieved their fourth straight league clean sheet, a feat not accomplished since December 2020.
Rayo Vallecano 3-1 Osasuna
Rayo Vallecano overcame a deficit to defeat Osasuna 3-1, marking their third consecutive home league victory against them for the first time since 1995. This win propelled Rayo above Osasuna into 7th place. As a result, Osasuna sits in 11th place in La Liga and aims to bounce back against Las Palmas on Saturday, while Rayo will take on city rivals Atlético Madrid the next day.
