La Liga Roundup, Matchday 18
The 18th round of the 2025/26 La Liga season has come to an end, showcasing thrilling matches, remarkable individual performances, and unexpected results. Here is a summary of these La Liga games.
Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Getafe
A last-minute goal by Mauro Arambarri equalized Jorge de Frutos’ first-half goal in the Madrid derby between Rayo Vallecano and Getafe at the Estadio de Vallecas. This result prolongs Rayo’s winless streak in the league to seven matches, while Getafe snapped their three-game losing run.
Celta Vigo 4-1 Valencia
Celta Vigo began 2026 with a victory, defeating Valencia 4-1. Valencia continue to struggle on the road in La Liga this season, with no away wins so far (3 draws, 6 losses). Corberán’s team is still in serious trouble, sitting 18th and are two points away from safety, having won only three of their 18 league games this season.
Osasuna 1-1 Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao halted their two-match losing streak in La Liga by rallying to secure a 1-1 draw against Osasuna at Estadio El Sadar. This outcome moves Osasuna up one spot to 12th place, keeping them four points above the relegation zone for now, while Athletic Bilbao stays in eighth position, missing the opportunity to narrow the gap to the European qualification spots.
Elche 1-3 Villarreal
Villarreal snapped Elche’s nine-match unbeaten streak at home in La Liga by securing a 3-1 victory at the Estadio Martínez Valero. With this win, the Yellow Submarine moved up to third place in the standings, while Elche fell to ninth, missing out on their first consecutive wins of the season.
Espanyol 0-2 Barcelona
Barcelona continue to hold their position at the top of the table after a tough 2-0 win at the RCDE Stadium, ending Los Periquitos’ run of five straight victories. With this outcome, Espanyol have yet to secure a win against Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium, where Barcelona have now triumphed in 10 of their last 11 matches.
Sevilla 0-3 Levante
Levante broke an eight-game winless streak in La Liga by defeating Sevilla 3-0, moving up from the bottom of the standings. Sevilla has now won only once in their last six league matches (drawing one and losing four). This was Levante’s first win at this stadium since January 2014, marking the eighth time out of their last nine top-division victories that they won by more than one goal. The result marks a disappointing start to 2026 for Sevilla.
Real Madrid 5-1 Betis
Real Madrid secured their third consecutive La Liga victory with a 5-1 win against Real Betis Balompié, highlighted by a hat-trick from Gonzalo García. This win brought them to just four points behind the league leaders, Barcelona. It was only Betis’s second defeat in their last eight matches (with three wins and three draws). The result also means that Real Madrid remain unbeaten in the last seven head-to-head matches held in Madrid (three wins and four draws), while Betis stay in sixth place and missed the opportunity to close the gap on Espanyol.
Mallorca 1-2 Girona
Mallorca’s streak of four unbeaten matches in La Liga was halted as Girona, also fighting relegation, secured a 2-1 win at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix. This victory moves Girona up to 17th place, escaping the relegation zone, while Mallorca slipped down to 16th following this disappointing loss.
Alaves 1-1 Oviedo
Deportivo Alavés and Real Oviedo both continued their winless streaks in La Liga as a pair of second-half goals resulted in a 1-1 draw at the Mendizorrotza Stadium. The Azules remain stuck at the bottom of the standings after going 11 league matches without a win (6 draws, 5 losses).
Sociedad 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Pellegrino Matarazzo’s debut match as head coach of the struggling Real Sociedad concluded with a respectable 1-1 draw. Atlético Madrid missed the opportunity to overtake Villarreal for third place in La Liga and secure their fifth consecutive victory across all competitions. In the end, despite a back-and-forth finish that featured Soler missing a great chance, neither side managed to score the winning goal. However, this result has lifted Sociedad two spots to 15th place.
