La Liga Table 2016: Latest Standings Following Friday's Week 12 Results
Real Betis cruised past Las Palmas in La Liga on Friday night, climbing up to 12th in the table after a 2-0 victory at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
Bruno Gonzalez Cabrera opened the scoring for the hosts midway through the first half, and Aissa Mandi struck on half-time to double the lead.
The visitors struggled to make an impression on the match, and they were well beaten at the final whistle despite a late surge forward.
Here are the latest standings from Spain:
| 1 | Real Madrid | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 10 | +21 | 27 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 13 | +19 | 25 |
| 3 | Villarreal | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 7 | +12 | 22 |
| 4 | Atletico Madrid | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 8 | +17 | 21 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 21 |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 19 |
| 7 | Athletic Club | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 13 | +2 | 17 |
| 8 | Celta Vigo | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 21 | -3 | 17 |
| 9 | Las Palmas | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 16 |
| 10 | Malaga | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 15 |
| 11 | Eibar | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 15 |
| 12 | Real Betis | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 22 | -9 | 14 |
| 13 | Alaves | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 15 | -4 | 13 |
| 14 | Espanyol | 11 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 17 | -4 | 12 |
| 15 | Valencia | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 21 | -6 | 10 |
| 16 | Leganes | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 22 | -13 | 10 |
| 17 | Deportivo La Coruna | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 16 | -8 | 10 |
| 18 | Sporting Gijon | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 22 | -12 | 9 |
| 19 | Osasuna | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 21 | -9 | 7 |
| 20 | Granada | 11 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 25 | -16 | 4 |
Friday Recap
The hosts claimed a deserved lead in the first half, as the visitors were unable to get going on their travels.
Joaquin was the creator for El Glorioso, as Bruno attacked the ball to head home from the corner of the six-yard box after 27 minutes.
Las Palmas appeared flat as they surrendered control, and a second goal was likely as the hosts accelerated.
It came in injury time shortly before the half-time interval, as defender Mandi was the hero.
The importance of Joaquin was once again underlined, as the attacker provided another assist, allowing the Algerian to head home from close range.
Betis fans provided footage of their support celebrating in the stands after the second goal went in:
Los Amarillos attempted to find a way back into the game in the latter stages of the match. David Simon went close to grabbing a goal back, but he fluffed his lines at the vital point.
Simon's chance was a rare opportunity, and Betis concentrated on maintaining a clean sheet as the night wore on.
The three points were certainly earned by Betis on the night, but Las Palmas found the away day more difficult than they should have against a team who recently sacked coach Gustavo Poyet.
The weekend sees one of the great matches in La Liga, as Real Madrid travel to Atletico Madrid in the capital city derby.
Los Blancos are finding the net with remarkable ease, despite a glut of injuries, and Diego Simeone's men are not experiencing their best moment in their form.
However, Atleti's resolve is one of their core strengths, and Real will need to be at their best if they want to win maximum points in the lion's den of the Vicente Calderon Stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo is still attempting to find full match fitness after a summer of injury, but the Portugal icon will be motivated to be Simeone's tormentor once again—as he has been so many times in the past.
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