La Liga Table 2015: Updated Standings Following Matchday 24 Results
Barcelona blew the chance to supplant bitter rival Real Madrid at the summit of the La Liga table. The Catalan club was bested at home by a single goal—one created by a defensive blunder.
The shock result wasn't just great news for Los Blancos. It also presented an opportunity for capital city neighbours Atletico Madrid.
The reigning champions seized the moment and dispatched Almeria 3-0 to move within four points of first place.
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Getafe began the week's fixtures by emerging as 2-1 victors against Espanyol on Friday to stave off the battle against relegation and move within touching distance of the top half.
Read on for a look at the La Liga standings, along with updates of Week 24's scores.
| 1 | Real Madrid | 24 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 74 | 22 | +52 | 60 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 24 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 67 | 14 | +53 | 56 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 24 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 50 | 22 | +28 | 53 |
| 4 | Valencia | 24 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 43 | 21 | +22 | 50 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 24 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 42 | 30 | +12 | 45 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 24 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 22 | +16 | 44 |
| 7 | Malaga | 24 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 27 | -1 | 38 |
| 8 | Celta Vigo | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 31 |
| 9 | Espanyol | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 31 | 36 | -5 | 29 |
| 10 | Real Sociedad | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 28 | 34 | -6 | 27 |
| 11 | Eibar | 24 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 33 | -8 | 27 |
| 12 | Athletic Club | 24 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 31 | -10 | 27 |
| 13 | Rayo Vallecano | 24 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 24 | 41 | -17 | 26 |
| 14 | Getafe | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 32 | -12 | 26 |
| 15 | Deportivo La Coruna | 24 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 38 | -18 | 24 |
| 16 | Elche | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 21 | 44 | -23 | 23 |
| 17 | Almeria | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 22 | 39 | -17 | 23 |
| 18 | Levante | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 44 | -25 | 22 |
| 19 | Granada | 24 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 37 | -22 | 19 |
| 20 | Cordoba | 24 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 18 | 38 | -20 | 18 |
| Friday, Feb. 20 | 7.45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET | Getafe | 2-1 | Espanyol |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Barcelona | 0-1 | Malaga |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 | 5 p.m. GMT/12 p.m. ET | Cordoba | 1-2 | Valencia |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Atletico Madrid | 3-0 | Almeria |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 | 9 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET | Deportivo La Coruna | 0-2 | Celta Vigo |
| Sunday, Feb. 22 | 11 a.m. GMT/6 a.m. ET | Real Sociedad | 4-3 | Sevilla |
| Sunday, Feb. 22 | 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET | Athletic Bilbao | 1-0 | Rayo Vallecano |
| Sunday, Feb. 22 | 6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET | Villarreal | 1-0 | Eibar |
| Sunday, Feb. 22 | 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | Elche | 0-2 | Real Madrid |
| Monday, Feb. 23 | 7.45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET | Levante | 2-1 | Granada |
Friday Recap
Granada came within minutes of sealing a crucial three-point haul on Monday but fell victim to a late comeback in Valencia to lose 2-1 at Levante.
There were late fireworks at Ciutat de Valencia, where three players were sent off in the last 25 minutes—Ivan Ramis for the hosts, Adrian Colunga and Youssef El-Arabi for Granada.
That one-man advantage gave Levante the opening they needed to prise open their guests' defence, with Victor Camarasa and David Barral striking in the 88th and 94th minutes, respectively.
As Spanish newspaper AS illustrated, the win isn't enough to take Levante out of the bottom three, but they do edge away from the bottom of the table and now sit four points above Granada:
Ramis and El-Arabi were given their marching orders after entering into a scrap just 10 minutes from the full-time whistle, putting both of their sides in jeopardy.
However, Levante came out best against the nine men of Granada and are just a point off Elche in 17th, ultimately triumphing in what will likely come to be a season-altering result.
Sunday Recap
La Liga proceedings couldn't have hoped for a more exciting start on Sunday as Real Sociedad scored twice in the final 10 minutes to beat Sevilla 4-3 at the Anoeta.
David Moyes' men secured their first win for four matches in emphatic style, with Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC outlining just what an irregularity the goalfest was considering the venue:
After 81 minutes, goals from Carlos Bacca, Kevin Gameiro and Timothee Kolodziejczak saw Sevilla into a 3-2 lead, but an own goal from Alejandro Arribas was followed up by Xabi Prieto's second of the game to secure La Real's win.
Real Madrid TV presenter Phil Kitromilides asserted that Sevilla ended as the dominant side, but the scoreline is the only area in which Moyes will care if his side came out on top:
Speaking of Carlo Ancelotti's side, Real extended their lead at the Spanish summit with victory over Elche in Sunday's evening fixture thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Benzema completed his collection of goals against all teams currently in La Liga with his 19th of the season, per Squawka:
Elche managed to hold Los Merengues until half-time, but a 56th-minute breakthrough from Benzema showed off the perseverance and depth in talent among Ancelotti's ranks.
A goal against Schalke in midweek brought an end to Ronaldo's three-game scoring drought, but as Spanish newspaper AS pointed out, this was the Portuguese's first in La Liga for more than a month:
Following Barcelona's defeat to Malaga on Saturday, Real's lead at the top of the table once again stands at four points, with Atletico Madrid another point behind the Blaugrana in third.
Earlier in the day, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal each earned 1-0 home victories against Rayo Vallecano and Eibar respectively, though both left it until late to seal those wins.
Luciano Vietto came off the bench to snag a 71st-minute winner for the Yellow Submarine, while Aritz Aduriz struck just four minutes from time to give Athletic their first win in four.
As David Cartlidge of beIN Sports attests, Argentine Vietto has been a hugely encouraging prospect for Villarreal and is enjoying some prolific form in front of goal:
Villarreal keep their place at sixth thanks to Sunday's victory and remain just a point off Sevilla in fifth, but Athletic are just happy to be making their way back toward the top half.
Despite the wins not coming in great number, Aduriz's winner this weekend gave the Lions their second win in four La Liga outings, hoping to recapture some of their former consistency in order to seal a top-10 finish.
Saturday Recap
The big story of the day was Barcelona's recent fine run stumbling to an end. Javi Gracia's Malaga pounced on a rare error from full-back Dani Alves.
His ill-timed back pass only served to set Juanmi free to score what would be the winning goal. After that initial shock, Malaga settled into a determined and well-drilled defensive structure.
A key to their strategy was the performance of goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. The Cameroonian stopper was in inspired form, as WhoScored.com detailed:
Kameni was the commanding figure at the heart of a stubborn rearguard that kept Barca frustrated. More specifically, it reduced a team that usually thrives keeping the ball on the ground and attacking between the lines to adopting an uncharacteristic aerial approach.
Opta Jose detailed how often Barca players were forced to take things to the air:
A major problem was how star strikers Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Luis Suarez received so little supply from midfield. Manager Luis Enrique must surely rue leaving clever pass-masters Ivan Rakitic and Xavi Hernandez on the bench.
But while Enrique was left smarting, Atleti gaffer Diego Simeone will be grateful for the slip. But he should be even more gratified by his decision to sign Antoine Griezmann last summer.
The roving French forward helped himself to two more goals. The former Real Sociedad star's movement remains some of the best and most incisive you'll see anywhere in Europe's top five leagues.
In particular, Griezmann's electric pace and live wire instincts dovetailed superbly with aerial powerhouse Mario Mandzukic. The rugged Croatian netted Madrid's opener from the penalty spot.
After the game, Griezmann described his burgeoning partnership with the former Bayern Munich man, per AS: "The truth is that it’s easy to get along with him because he’s a great striker, along with Fernando Torres and Raúl García."
With this many weapons, the current champs are still viable contenders in this season's title race.
Meanwhile, Valencia maintained a stranglehold on fourth place and entry into next season's UEFA Champions League. Los Che won 2-1 away to bottom side Cordoba.
The win was sparked by irrepressible playmaker Andre Gomes. He scored the opener and ran the show with some skilled touches and quality passing.
The final match of the night saw Celta Vigo take the honours in the Galicia derby, following a two-goal away win over Deportivo La Coruna. Centre-forward Joaquin Larrivey put himself back among the goals when he netted the second.
But it was the performance of winger Fabián Orellana that really caught the eye. Opta Jose detailed the Chilean's recent fine form:
One week removed from beating Atletico, scoring a derby victory represents great news for Celta boss Eduardo Berizzo. But while he'll be relishing his side's recent solid form, Enrique will be cursing missing the chance to go top.
Friday Recap
Getafe got Matchday 24 off to a booming start by climbing four places in the standings following an essential 2-1 victory over Espanyol on Friday.
Despite winning only two of their previous 10 matches, this was the club's third consecutive victory on home soil, furthering Los Azulones' record as a difficult opponent to visit.
Pablo Sarabia and Alvaro Vazquez netted either side of the break to give Quique Flores his third win in the last five matches and the club's survival hopes a terrific boost.
Espanyol held a controlling stake in possession, per WhoScored.com, but were largely unable to make it count, as Sarabia was particularly impressive for the hosts, assisting the second after netting the opener. David Cartlidge of beIN Sports hailed the playmaker's talents:
Getafe now sit just three points off Espanyol in ninth and can look to use their home form as a foundation to look to bigger things, but performances away from the Coliseum Alfonso Perez remain a worry.
Right-back Anaitz Arbilla pulled the visiting team back to within one goal of Getafe in the 89th minute, denying the home team what would have been their first clean sheet in 2015.
For Los Periquitos, it's another slump in consistency that promises to tarnish their campaign. Espanyol is still 12 points off Villarreal in sixth and assuredly losing any hope of European qualification.
