La Liga Table 2014: Updated Standings Following Matchday 9 Results
Real Madrid booked a dominant win over Barcelona in the first Clasico of the 2014-15 season, as the hosts ran away with a clear 3-1 win.
The result closes the gap at the top of the standings to a single point, and with Valencia also winning and Sevilla still to play on Sunday, the race for the Spanish title appears wide open.
Los Blancos have been in sensational form, however, and an emotional win over their biggest rivals could start another run of results as we head toward the middle part of the season.
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The schedule for Matchday 9:
| Friday, Oct. 24 | Celta Vigo | 3-0 | Levante |
| Saturday, Oct. 25 | Almeria | 0-1 | Athletic Bilbao |
| Saturday, Oct. 25 | Real Madrid | 3-1 | Barcelona |
| Saturday, Oct. 25 | Valencia | 3-1 | Elche |
| Saturday, Oct. 25 | Cordoba | 1-1 | Real Sociedad |
| Saturday, Oct. 25 | Eibar | 1-1 | Granada |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 | Malaga | 4 - 0 | Rayo Vallecano |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 | Espanyol | 0 - 0 | Deportivo La Coruna |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 | Sevilla | 2 - 1 | Villarreal |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 | Getafe | 0 - 1 | Atletico Madrid |
The updated La Liga table:
| 1 | Barcelona | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 3 | 20 | 22 |
| 2 | Sevilla | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 22 |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 10 | 23 | 21 |
| 4 | Valencia | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 20 |
| 5 | Atletico Madrid | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 20 |
| 6 | Celta Vigo | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 16 |
| 7 | Malaga | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 15 |
| 8 | Villarreal | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 14 |
| 9 | Rayo Vallecano | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 16 | -5 | 11 |
| 10 | Espanyol | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 10 |
| 11 | Eibar | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 10 |
| 12 | Getafe | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 10 |
| 13 | Almeria | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 9 |
| 14 | Granada | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 9 |
| 15 | Athletic Bilbao | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 8 |
| 16 | Deportivo La Coruna | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 19 | -8 | 8 |
| 17 | Real Sociedad | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 14 | -4 | 6 |
| 18 | Cordoba | 9 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 5 |
| 19 | Elche | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 21 | -13 | 5 |
| 20 | Levante | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 23 | -19 | 5 |
Sunday, Oct. 26 Recap
Sevilla needed a last-minute comeback to beat Villarreal 2-1 on Sunday, tying Barcelona at the top of the La Liga Standings.
Both clubs had a number of chances throughout the match but lacked any real presence in the attacking third, as fans started to voice their displeasure at the lack of goals after 75 minutes.
The visitors responded in the 80th minute, as Argentine super talent Luciano Vietto finally broke the deadlock. The 20-year-old timed his run perfectly before producing a breathtaking chipped finish, putting the hosts in real danger of missing out on the chance to catch up to the top two title contenders.
Sevilla woudn't roll over, however, scoring twice in the final minutes through Denis Suarez and Carlos Bacca. As shared by ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, the Colombian hitman made it clear every knew who was taking the spot kick:
Mario Mandzukic scored the only goal in Atletico Madrid's 1-0 win over Getafe, with the hosts forced to chase the one-goal deficit down to 10 men for the last 30 minutes.
The Croatia international reacted fastest to a loose ball after a corner, expertly finishing to put his team ahead. Mandzukic then engaged in a battle with Alexis that lasted until the 58th minute, when the 29-year-old Getafe defender elbowed the former Bayern Munich man away from the ball.
As shared by OptaJose, the Argentine knows what it feels like to grab an early shower:
Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruna played out a draw 0-0 draw, while Malaga thrashed Rayo Vallecano 4-0.
Samuel Garcia, Sergi Darder, Juanmi and Nordin Amrabat gave the hosts a comfortable win against a direct rival, and Malaga are now just one point out of the Europa League spots.
Saturday, Oct. 25 Recap
Real Madrid comfortably won the first Clasico of the 2014-15 season, beating Barcelona 3-1 at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
The Blaugrana took the lead within minutes of the opening whistle, as Luis Suarez found Neymar with space on the left wing. The Brazil international cut inside and blasted a shot into the bottom corner, giving Iker Casillas no chance.
Real Madrid responded well, however, nearly equalising through Karim Benzema. The striker hit the woodwork twice in a matter of seconds, aiming his header onto the cross bar before hitting the post with his rebound.
The equaliser eventually came from the penalty spot, after Gerard Pique was judged to have handled the ball in the penalty box. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and confidently tucked home the spot kick, ending Claudio Bravo's La Liga record for most minutes without conceding to start the season, via Daily Monitor:
Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the first half, although the hosts appeared to have the upper hand. The pattern continued in the second hand, and poor marking on a corner left Pepe wide open to head Los Blancos into the lead.
Real's blistering speed shone through in a devastating counter-attack 10 minutes later, as a beautiful attack over several stations ended up at the feet of Benzema, who finally got his deserved goal.
The Blaugrana tried to push for a winner but could hardly muster any chances, and instead, it was Real who looked more threatening to add a fourth. Luis Enrique didn't mince his words, via Inside La Liga:
While the Catalans' back four took some heat on social media, it was the squad's attacking inefficiency in the second half that decided the match. Lionel Messi was uncharacteristically invisible, perhaps held back by the opportunity to become La Liga's all-time top scorer.
Suarez's debut was promising, showing some nice movement skills, but the Uruguayan was obviously lacking match rhythm and couldn't make a difference after a strong opening 20 minutes.
Enrique told reporters he didn't regret starting the former Liverpool ace, however, via Barcastuff:
"Luis Enrique: "I don't regret letting Suarez start. He's with the squad from the start, he did well, better than I expected." #fcblive
— barcastuff (@barcastuff) October 25, 2014"
Valencia had no difficulties taking care of Elche, winning 3-1 to jump back into the top-three. Shokdran Mustafi and Daniel Parejo both scored headed goals from corners just minutes apart to give the hosts the lead, and Elche were powerless to fight back.
Pablo Piatti continued his fine form, picking up assists on both goals and forcing a third in the second half, as David Lomban put the ball in his own net.
BeIN Sports USA's David Cartlidge is enjoying the Argentine's return to form:
Athletic Bilbao recorded a pivotal 1-0 win over Almeria in the early match, with Xabier Etxeita netting the only goal of the afternoon. The visitors have been toiling at the bottom of the standings all season, and Saturday's result may spark a run that sees the Basques return to a more prominent position.
Manager Ernesto Valverde sure hopes so, as reported by Inside Spanish Football's Heath Chesters:
"When you’re immersed in a negative run, the most important and the most difficult thing to do, is get out of that dynamic. You just have to play the games and then the results mark your situation. From now on though, we need to play with more calm. What gives us calm in the world of football, are the results. Today we got one playing worse than we’re accustomed to, but the result is one we needed and hopefully it will be a turning point for us.
"
Saturday's round of action will conclude when Real Sociedad travel to Cordoba and Eibar host Granada.
Friday, Oct. 24 Recap
Celta Vigo recorded a routine 3-0 win over Levante in Friday's lone fixture, with top striker Joaquin Larrivey bagging a brace to fire the hosts into the top six.
The Argentine forward opened the score after 27 minutes, finding himself on the end of a beautiful passing move over five different Galician players. Levante could hardly muster any chances in the first half, as the hosts comfortably held possession without playing particularly well.
The pattern continued in the second half until the 71st minute, when the visitors nearly equalised out of nowhere. Leading the counter attack, Andreas Ivanschitz received the ball back and blasted a shot from 20 yards out, hitting the bottom of the cross bar.
This seemed to wake up Celta, who doubled their advantage 10 minutes later. Nolito's shot was saved by Diego Marino, but the stopper was unlucky to see the ball fall to Larrivey, who bagged his second of the night. Via OptaJose, he seems to enjoy playing Levante:
The visitors pressed for a late consolation goal, but it was Alex Lopez who made it 3-0 with a little help from Marino. Lopez fired his shot right at the Levante goalkeeper, who somehow muffed the ball and was forced to watch it hobble across the line.
AS English does not like Levante's chances to stay in La Liga this season:
Celta Vigo didn't play particularly well on Friday, but a 3-0 win is nothing to complain about. Os Celestes leap over Villarreal in the standings with the result, sitting just three points behind second-placed Sevilla.
Larrivey's six goals are good for fourth-best in La Liga, and powered by his clinical finishing, the Galicia-based club are far exceeding expectations in the 2014-15 campaign.
Things are tight at the bottom of the standings, a saving grace for Levante. But if the club don't turn things around in a hurry, Relegation to the Segunda Division seems a very real possibility for Les Granotes.
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