La Liga highlights were always guaranteed on a weekend when we witnessed the return El Clasico fixture of the campaign.
However, there was plenty aside from Barcelona’s Bernabeu romp to keep La Liga fans entertained this weekend at both ends of the table, including potentially decisive victories in the bid to beat the drop.
Cadiz dare to dream
Ruben Sobrino – remember the name.
Cadiz fans will after his last-gasp winner moved the Andalusian club out of the drop zone and damaged the Yellow Submarine’s European hopes.
Ninety minutes were on the clock when the ball broke on the edge of the box to the lively Oussama Idrissi. He then spread it wide to Lucas Perez whose shot across the box to the far post was toe-poked into the net by Sobrino.
The euphoria was tangible in the stadium as Cadiz moved themselves out of the bottom three for the first time since November, edging a point above Mallorca.
How significant could that be!
Getafe and Soria have spirit
If Getafe stay in the top flight this season, as I fully expect, then they may look back on their Friday evening in mid-March in the Basque country with a wry smile.
It all started with an in-form front man and ended with a superb shot-stopper.
Since making his debut as a 16 year old he’s shown flashes, but apart from one impressive loan season at Twente which prompted Villarreal to buy him, he’s yet to really catch fire – until now.
At the Estadio San Mames it didn’t take too long, getting away from his marker to head them in front after just three minutes.
Yuri Berchiche levelled for Bilbao on the half hour mark but that was the only time they could find a way past David Soria who turned in a match winning final quarter of an hour after Jorge Cuenca had been sent off for Getafe.
The visitors actually finished with nine men with Jakub Jankto also dismissed in the final minute but Getafe weren’t to be denied a valuable point.
Pivotal weekend for Alaves and Granada?
If Getafe made their point on Friday, I suspect this was a decisive Saturday for two teams just below them.
When Alaves led Granada 2-1 with 16 minutes remaining they were set to move level with them in the standings.
Instead, the gap now stands at six points after Antonio Puertas and Luis Suarez, with three minutes remaining, earned a first win for new Los Nazaries manager Ruben Torrecilla.
Alaves, who also saw a first half penalty saved, may have left it just too late to embark on a run for survival. Certainly, this defeat hurt and there is much work to do if they are to earn a seventh successive season in La Liga.
Sunday night special in Bernabeu
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti hinted he had more or less has decided on his starting XI against Barcelona but knew he wouldn’t be able to count on two of his regulars at the Bernabeu.
Ancelotti was without left-back Ferland Mendy (groin) and, more importantly, Karim Benzema – the Paris St Germain slayer (calf) – who had been training alone during the week.
Did it matter?
Well, yes and no.
Real already have one hand on the La Liga title and I doubt this home humbling will affect that one iota.
Let’s make no mistake though, this will hurt.
Barcelona, fresh from a Europa League win in Turkey and the competition favourites, have the bit between their teeth again, none more so than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who has scored in each of his last five meetings with Real Madrid (six goals), making him the first player to score in five successive games against Real in the 21st century (La Liga and Champions League).
He is also the first player to be directly involved in three goals in his first appearance in El Clasico in all competitions in the 21st century (two goals and an assist).
Throw in Ousmane Dembele, as he became the second Barcelona player to provide two assists in a first half of the fixture in Madrid since the turn of the millennium – since Xavi Hernández (now his manager) in May 2009 – and you can see why this was a milestone night for the Catalan giants as they turned the SBOTOP La Liga betting odds on their head.
Quite a way to end five consecutive El Clasico defeats. Real are still the team to beat though.
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