La Liga 2022-23 Archives

Kessie winner gives Barcelona Clasico victory to flatten Real title hopes

BARCELONA: Franck Kessie scored a stoppage-time winner as Barcelona snatched a 2-1 Clasico win over Real Madrid on Sunday at Camp Nou and moved 12 points clear of the arch-rivals at the top of La Liga.

The thrilling victory strengthened Barca’s chances to win the title for the first time since 2019 as Madrid’s hopes to defend the championship had been effectively dented with only 12 games of the season left.

The visitors took the early lead through a freak own goal from Ronald Arujo in the ninth minute but Barcelona rebounded strongly when Sergi Roberto struck the equalizer on the stroke of half-time.

Both teams created chances in the second half and Marco Asensio tucked home for Real but ht effort was ruled for offside after a long VAR check.

Instead, Alejandro Balde set up Kessie in the second minute of additional time who sent the ball past goalkeeper Rudiger into the bottom left corner.

The intensity from the crowd was phenomenal as Kessie wrapped up Barcelona’s 100th win against arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Earlier, Getafe beat Sevilla 2-0 as they jumped past the opponents to 13th place in the standings.

Meanwhile, Villareal wreaked havoc on Osasuna as they sealed a commanding 3-0 win thanks to a brace from Jose Luis Morales and Samuel Chukwueze’s early goal.

Real Sociedad came out on top against Elche with a 2-0 win after Takefusa Kubo and Ander Barrenetxea hit goals each.

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Atletico Madrid thump Valencia 3-0 to stretch unbeaten LaLiga run

MADRID: Antoine Griezmann, Yannick Carrasco and Thomas Lemar scored goals to give Atletico Madrid a commanding 3-0 win over Valencia on Saturday and extend their unbeaten run in La Liga to 10 games.

The home side at Metropolitano Stadium dominated the opponents completely and registered its third consecutive win in the Spanish League.

Griezmann opened the scoring in the first half, slotting home from a close range before Carrose doubled the lead after the break.

Substitute Lemar wrapped up Atletico’s win in the 67th minute, finishing eloquently from Alvaro Morata’s cross as Diego Simeone’s side produced another contest on high note.

Following the victory, Atletico jumped to 51 points and strengthened their claim on third place in the standing, six points ahead of fourth-placed Real Sociedad, who face Elche on Sunday.

However, Valencia are left on the edge of the relegation zone, equal on 26 points with Almeria and Getafe.

Earlier, Celta Vigo breezed past Espanyol 3-1 as goals from Gabri Viega, Iago Aspas and Carles Perez took the side to 10th place.

Almeria held Cadiz to a 1-1 draw after Gonzalo Merelo scored the equalizer on a penalty deep into the stoppage time.

Rayo Vallecano ended on a 2-2 draw against Girona.

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Barcelona edge Athletic Club to restore nine points lead over Real Madrid

BARCELONA: Barcelona claimed a fortunate 1-0 away win over Athletic Club on Sunday, thanks to Raphina’s stand-alone goal which powered them nine points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Amid a dramatic week off the field, the former champions found a moment of cherish with a narrow 1-0 victory over hosts Athletic Club that propelled them nine points clear of arch-rivals Madrid despite their resounding 3-1 win over Espanyol.

The visitors started off strongly in a crucial clash which almost paid them in terms of an early lead but Ferran Torres’ strike passed just wide of the left post.

The hosts then looked to turn things around as Williams sneaked through a bunch of Barcelona defenders and managed to create the shooting pace only for his side-footed effort to be tipped wide by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Garcia then stole a header from the subsequent corner and it appeared to have dodged Ter Stegen all along, but the ball thud back off the crossbar.

With the first half coming to its closure, Raphinha buried the ball into the nets which, however, was initially deemed offside.

After a VAR check, however, it was determined that there was no offside amid the passage of play and thus the Brazilian’s goal was termed legal.

Barcelona’s star player Robert Lewandowski then had a vital chance to double his side’s lead in the 55th minute but the Polish striker botched it wide.

Both sides then made desperate efforts in the closing minutes of the game but failed. Athletic Club’s Gorka Guruzeta and Yuri Berchiche came close to firing the equaliser for their side but the visitors, somehow, managed to hang on.

In another La Liga fixture on Sunday, Valencia stunned eighth-placed Osasuna 1-0 to escape the relegation zone, just ahead of Getafe on goal difference.

Later, Mallorca held fourth-placed Real Sociedad for a 1-1 draw while Villarreal and Real Betis drew an alike outcome from their clash.

Furthermore, in another Sunday fixture, Sevilla recovered to claim a 2-1 victory over Almeria, who failed to escape the relegation zone, sitting in 19th place.

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Real Madrid narrow gap on Barca in La Liga after Espanyol win

MADRID: Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Marco Asensio made strikes as Real Madrid fought back after conceding an early goal to beat Espanyol 3-1 at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Second-placed Real Madrid cut leader Barcelona’s advantage to six points at the La Liga top and maintained their thin chances to defend the title by moving up to 56 points.

Barcelona, however, have a chance to regain nine points lead when they face Atheltic Club on Sunday.

Espanyol, who remain 13th, took the lead early on as Joselu smacked the ball into the top corner past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois following Ruben Sanchez’s cross in the 8th minute.

Madrid made a forceful response to the poor start as Eduardo Camavinga had a shot on target before Vincus stepped up with his masterful skills to pierce into the box, evading two defenders and firing in the leveller in the 22nd minute.

The 22-year-old registered his 19th goal this season in all competitions and moved ahead of Karim Benzema as the club’s top scorer this season.

Pushed back to their own area, Espanyol had no answer to Militao’s thunderous header through Aurelien Tchouameni’s cross six minutes before halftime.

Madrid kept the pressure on the opponents after the break with Rodrygo nearly scoring on a free kick but the ball deflected off the crossbar.

Asensio wrapped up the win for Madrid in the added time as he produced a superb finish with his left foot after a brilliant sprint from Nacho.

In another La Liga fixture on Saturday, Celta Vigo thrashed Rayo Vallecano 3-0 thanks to Iago Aspas’ brace.

Later, Valencia prevailed at home as they beat Osasuna 1-0.

Earlier Elche held Valladolid to a 1-1 draw through Tete Morente’s leveller deep into the stoppage time.

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Barcelona edge Valencia, go nine points clear after Real held at Betis

BARCELONA: Barcelona claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Valencia on Sunday, thanks to Raphina’s stand-alone goal, and moved nine points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Reigning champions Real, however, stumbled at Benito Villamarín later on and ended the frustrating week with a nil-nil draw against Real Betis.

Barcelona, who defeated the arch-rivals at home in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday, bagged three more points and cemented their claim on the La Liga title as they top the standings with 62 points after 24 games.

The home side at Camp Nou started strongly, led by Raphinha, who missed a couple of early chances before heading the ball over the goalkeeper off a superb long pass by midfielder Sergio Busquets in the 15th minute.

But, in the second half, Ferran Torres missed a penalty and Ronald Araujo was sent off to leave the hosts battling tooth and nail to maintain the lead.

At Seville, holders Madrid dominated the proceedings but could not find a way to break the deadlock against the threatening Betis.

Karim Benzema’s effort from a free-kick was disallowed while Betis goalkeeper Claudio Bravo made a string of fine saves to deny the French forward and Vinicius Junior.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was also put to test in the second half by Betis but made two superb stops while the game intensified.

In another Sunday’s La Liga fixture, Valladolid cruised past Espanyol 2-1 on the back of Ivan Sanchez and Alvaro Aguado’s goal in each half.

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Atletico Madrid rout Sevilla 6-1 to go third in LaLiga

MADRID: Dutch forward Memphis Depay got off the mark with two goals for Atletico Madrid as the side thrashed Sevilla 6-1 in La Liga on Saturday.

Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco also scored goals each before Alvaro Morata had a brace in the win that marked manager Diego Simeone’s record 613th game as coach.

Atletico seized the opportunity to go third in the standing with 45 points after Real Sociedad drew at home 0-0 against 14th-placed Cadiz on Friday.

Sociedad now sit fourth on 44 points, while holders Real Madrid are second on 52 points with leaders Barcelona seven points ahead of them, both with a game in hand.

Sevilla end up 16th with 25 points, only one point clear of the relegation zone, after consecutive defeats in the last three games.

Atletico dominated the visitors completely throughout the game to record Simone’s 359th win as the club’s manager compared to Luis Aragones’ 308.

Playing his first game for Atletico since he transferred from Barcelona in January, Depay received a long pass from the French forward Griezmann and slotted past the goalkeeper to open the scoring in the 23rd minute.

The Dutch striker doubled the lead three minutes later with another assist from Giezmann.

Sevilla retaliated through Youssef En Nesyri, who was quick enough to beat goalkeeper Jan Oblak inside the box from close range and made it 2-1 in the 39th minute.

Atletico, however, unleashed a more vigorous attack in the second half with Griezmann regaining the two-goal cushion for his side eight minutes after the break.

Carrasco extended Atletico’s lead in the 69th minute, before Ivan Rakitic missed a penalty, hitting the post from the spot.

Substitute Morata delivered the final blows to a hopeless Sevilla, who had Pape Alassane Gueye sent off in the 81st minute.

Earlier Mallorca beat Elche thanks to Lucas Boye’s late winner two minutes before time while Villarreal dominated Almeria 2-0 to go sixth on the table.

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Cadiz dent Real Sociedad grip at third spot with a goalless draw

SAN SEBASTIAN: Real Sociedad fired dry in the goalless draw against Cadiz and were unable to consolidate the third spot in the La Liga standings.

After failing to secure three vital points against 14th-placed Cadiz, the Sociedad left room for Atletico Madrid to go past them in the latter’s next fixture.

The Basques had the upper hand in the dry contest but their tenacious opponents, three points above the relegation zone, hung on for a crucial point.

Consequently, the Sociedad, who held the third position since November, are in trouble of falling behind Atletico Madrid if they beat Sevilla on Saturday.

The hosts dominated possession at the Reale Arena, and Carlos Fernandez came close before the break with a shot that sailed narrowly wide.

Cadiz almost cut the deadlock when Roger Marti went around goalkeeper Alex Remiro but hit the post from a tight angle.

Both sides then settled for a goalless draw after an 11-minute stoppage time.

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Almeria shock LaLiga leaders Barcelona to cut advantage to seven points

ALMERIA: Barcelona faced a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Almeria in the top Spanish League on Sunday thanks to the winner scored by El-Bilal Toure.

La Liga leaders Barcelona wasted the opportunity to extend their lead to 10 points over arch-rivals and second-placed Real Madrid who finished a tense 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

The disappointing result ended the seven-game winning streak of the Catalan Giants in La Liga and came just days after the team was knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday by Manchester United.

Almeria capitalized on the home advantage and proved their dominance n the first half with a goal in the 24th minute when Luis Suarez sent a superb long pass to Toure who was ghosting behind the opponents’ defence. The Malian forward rushed towards the area and hit a tremendous strike in off the crossbar.

It was only the eighth goal Barcelona conceded in the current season.

Barcelona made five substitutions in the second but failed to find an equalizer against Almeria’s disciplined defence.

Almeria earned their first win after eight games and gained three crucial points in their bid to leave the relegation zone.

In another fixture LaLiga fixture on Sunday, Osasuna sealed a thrilling win over Sevilla by 3-2 thanks to the 85th-minute decider by Abde Ezzalzouli.

Earlier Celta Vigo breezed past Valladolid 3-0 at Balaídos while Girona stunned Athletic Club 3-2 at San Mames.

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Jose strikes late on penalty as Real Betis edge last-placed Elche

ELCHE: Real Betis scripted an astounding comeback from being two goals to beating home side Elche 3-2 with Willian Jose scoring on a penalty in the stoppage time.

Last-placed Elche were off to a dream start to their home clash with Real Betis as the side attained a two-goal lead within the first 10 minutes into the game with Fidel Chaves and Lucas Boye scoring for the hosts.

Yet Pablo Machin’s team’s fortunes began to deteriorate in the second half. The visitors made several significant adjustments and soon benefited from having an extra man as the referee sent back Pape Cheikh Diop in the 57th minute.

The advantages soon resulted in Betis pulling back first through Borja Iglesias’s penalty in the 65th minute. Iglesias then fed Juan Miranda who struck three minutes later to equalize the hosts’ lead at 2-2.

Iglesias had another penalty opportunity two minutes before regulation time, but Elche’s goalkeeper Edgar Badia made a fine stop on his effort from 12 yards out to bar Betis from taking the lead.

Elche were then looking solid for holding Betis for a point but the hosts conceded another penalty in the stoppage time, which Jose made no mistake in converting and steered his side to victory.

Following the victory, Betis moved one point within the fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, while Elche remained at the bottom at 13 points from safety.

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Barcelona thrash Cadiz to regain eight-point LaLiga lead over Real

BARCELONA: Sergio Roberto and Robert Lewandowski scored first-half goals to steer Barcelona to a 2-0 home win over Cadiz in La Liga on Sunday.

Leaders Barcelona regained their eight-point lead over defending champion Real Madrid following the seventh consecutive win in the top Spanish league.

Real narrowed the gap to five points on Saturday when they beat Osasuna in an away game but Barcelona earned three points to strengthen their claim on the 27th La Liga title.

The Catalan giants, who now top the table with 59 points, ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the Europe League earlier this week.

Manager Xavi Hernandez made six changes to the starting lineup that last played at Camp Nou on Friday, but there was no slowing down.

Roberto broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute from a rebound after Lewandowski had a header cleared off the line.

The Polish striker doubled the lead three minutes later by slotting home a low shot from the edge of the box.

Barca had a chance to make it 3-0 in the second half but Lewandowski’s shot hit the crossbar.

Earlier Atletico Madrid edged past Athletic Club 1-0 at Metropolitano Stadium, thanks to a 73rd-minute winner scored by Antoine Griezmann.

In another Sunday fixture, Rayo Vallecano ended in a 1-1 draw against Sevilla. Meanwhile, Espanyol sealed a thrilling win over Elche with a late decider by Sergi Darder.

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