La Liga Table 2015: Updated Standings Following Matchday 25 Results
Week 25 of the 2014-15 La Liga season saw Real Madrid draw 1-1 with Villarreal on Sunday, while city rivals Atletico Madrid played out a goalless match against Champions League hopefuls Sevilla
Barcelona visited Granada and were comfortable 3-1 winners, closing the gap at the top.
David Moyes and Real Sociedad travelled to Valencia with momentum on their side, but were defeated 2-0 by their superior opponent.
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Here's the full results schedule for Week 25:
| Friday, Feb. 27 | Espanyol | 1-0 | Cordoba |
| Saturday, Feb. 28 | Granada | 1-3 | Barcelona |
| Saturday, Feb. 28 | Rayo Vallecano | 4-2 | Levante |
| Saturday, Feb. 28 | Almeria | 0-0 | Deportivo La Coruna |
| Saturday, Feb. 28 | Malaga | 3-2 | Getafe |
| Sunday, Mar. 1 | Valencia | 2-0 | Real Sociedad |
| Sunday, Mar. 1 | Eibar | 0-1 | Athletic Bilbao |
| Sunday, Mar. 1 | Sevilla | 0-0 | Atletico Madrid |
| Sunday, Mar. 1 | Real Madrid | 1-1 | Villarreal |
| Monday, Mar. 2 | Celta Vigo | 1-1 | Elche |
The current La Liga table:
| 1 | Real Madrid | 25 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 75 | 23 | 52 | 61 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 25 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 70 | 15 | 55 | 59 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 25 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 50 | 22 | 28 | 54 |
| 4 | Valencia | 25 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 45 | 21 | 24 | 53 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 25 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 42 | 30 | 12 | 46 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 25 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 23 | 16 | 45 |
| 7 | Malaga | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 41 |
| 8 | Celta Vigo | 25 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 32 |
| 9 | Espanyol | 25 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 32 | 36 | -4 | 32 |
| 10 | Athletic Bilbao | 25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 31 | -9 | 30 |
| 11 | Rayo Vallecano | 25 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 29 |
| 12 | Real Sociedad | 25 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 28 | 34 | -6 | 27 |
| 13 | Eibar | 25 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 33 | -8 | 27 |
| 14 | Getafe | 25 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 22 | 35 | -13 | 26 |
| 15 | Deportivo La Coruna | 25 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 38 | -18 | 25 |
| 16 | Almeria | 25 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 22 | 39 | -17 | 24 |
| 17 | Elche | 25 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 22 | 45 | -23 | 24 |
| 18 | Levante | 25 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 48 | -27 | 22 |
| 19 | Granada | 25 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 39 | -24 | 19 |
| 20 | Cordoba | 25 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 39 | -21 | 18 |
Monday Recap
In Monday's only match, Celta Vigo climbed one place up to eighth in the La Liga table after a disappointing 1-1 draw with lowly Elche.
It was the hosts who made the quicker start, with striker Charles coming closest for Celta. Fabian Orellana played an inviting ball into the attacker's path but the Brazilian failed to convert his header.
Orellana continued to cause havoc in the Elche half, and twice went close himself with individual efforts on Przemyslaw Tyton's goal.
The game remained 0-0 at half time, with the Galicia club remaining in control into the second period.
But Elche slowly began to creep their way back into the fixture as they started to pass the ball in the attacking third in a much more controlled manner.
But it was Celta who took the lead on the hour as Michael Krohn-Delhi finished Jonny's assist with aplomb.
However, Krohn-Dehli turned from hero to villain in the 88th minute, fouling Victor Rodriguez and conceding a penalty.
And David Lomban made no doubt of his strike from the spot, grabbing Elche a surprising point.
Sunday Recap
Four fixtures were on the Sunday slate, headlined by the league leaders in Real Madrid. They had a chance to extend their lead in the La Liga table as a heavy favorite at Bernabeu Stadium, but were spurned by host Villarreal.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty kick in the 52nd minute after a scoreless gridlock in the first half. Bleacher Report UK noted the compelling scoring battle Ronaldo is in down the stretch:
But Villarreal Moreno Balaguero notched a 64th-minute equalizer to ultimately secure a 1-1 draw.
Villarreal will be happy with the point to keep their Champions League aspirations afloat. Although it was a missed opportunity of sorts for Real Madrid, ESPN Stats & Info references their favorable odds to win the league trophy—despite just a two-point edge over Barcelona:
Another club that failed to gain a valuable three points was Sevilla, who failed to score in a though draw with Atletico Madrid. Sevilla could have edged closer to the top four, yet are now in a tougher place seven points behind Valencia.
That's because Los Che got the job done Sunday in a critical 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad. Both goals were scored by Pablo Piatti as the hosts gave the crowd plenty to cheer for his double that occurred in a three-minute span amid the second half.
The club's official Twitter account noted how relentless Valencia's attack was in a one-sided affair:
Left back Lucas Orban weighed in after the match, per ValenciaCF.com:
"We are very happy with the win. They played the ball around well in the first half, but in the second half we were able to come through with everything we were looking for and get the win. You try to do your job well and be at the disposal of the team, ready to give your all at all times. Where I am called upon to play, I will always do my best. We are happy because we did our job well. We have a big game next week; we are taking things gradually but taking firm steps forward.
"
Valencia now trails Atletico Madrid by just one point for third place in the league table, so that Champions League qualification race is really heating up.
Another less significant match on the day saw Athletic defeat Eibar 1-0, pushing the latter to 13th in the standings and positioning the winners for a modest late-season ascent.
All that remains on Matchday 25 is a Monday showdown between Celta Vigo and Elche. The big storyline from that match is Elche's one-point edge over Levante, as they hope to at least gain one point to avoid falling into the bottom three and in being in danger of relegation.
Saturday Recap
Saturday saw Barcelona move within a point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, as they swept Granada aside in a 3-1 victory.
Ivan Rakitic opened the scoring, before Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi found the net either side of a Fran Rico penalty for the hosts.
The victory was nothing more the Barca deserved, either, as they dominated from the outset against a side that they’d previously demolished 6-0 at the Camp Nou back in September.
There was a certain amount of fortune about how they took the lead midway through the first half, though.
After Suarez was played in behind the Granada line, his shot lacked power and accuracy but the ball fell kindly into the path of Rakitic, who made no mistake from seven yards.
The Croatian, who was sensational in the 2-1 Champions League victory over Manchester City in midweek, then turned provider for Suarez just four minutes after half time.
A delicate through-ball put the Uruguayan in, and he duly dispatched it under goalkeeper Oier Olazabal. Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett was impressed with the slick move:
Rico put Granada back in the match with a well-taken penalty after Marc Bartra brought down Lassana Bangoura on 53 minutes, before Messi had the final say on proceedings after 70.
Suarez was once again heavily involved, as he rounded Olazabal before squaring the ball to Messi for an easy tap-in, as Soccer Gods’ video shows:
It was rather un-Suarez like not to shoot, but his selflessness was great to see.
Following the match, manager Luis Enrique praised the brilliance of the Uruguayan, labelling his impact to the side “special”—per Marca:
"Ever since he [Suarez] started playing he has been top quality, and now with his goals he is doing things which are even more to the liking of our fans, but for us he has always done a special and useful job.”
Suarez’s dynamic display took Barca up to 59 points and one off Real Madrid, who face Villarreal at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Rayo Vallecano dispatched fellow strugglers Levante 4-2, with Alberto Bueno scoring all four goals for the hosts in a 15-minute spell, as Squawka Football revealed:
Levante went 1-0 13 minutes in through Victor Casadesus, but 10 minutes later, the Bueno party began.
His fourth goal of the game on 38 minutes was enough to see Vallecano in at half time 4-1 up with the game dead and buried.
Kalu Uche bagged a consolation for Levante, but the day belonged to Bueno and Vallecano.
Almeria and Deportivo then played out a lifeless 0-0 draw, before Malaga and Getafe treated us to a thriller.
Juanmi, Sergi Darder and Ricardo Horta found the net in a 3-2 victory for Malaga, although a brace from Alvaro Vazquez pegged the hosts back and kept it interesting in the later stages.
However, the win was enough to see Malaga keep up their chase for a Europa League place, sitting just three points Villarreal ahead of their trip to Real Madrid on Sunday.
The spotlight will be on that clash at the Bernabeu, but Athletic Bilbao are also in action away to Eibar, and champions Atletico Madrid face a tough trip to Sevilla.
So, it was Barcelona’s day on Saturday in La Liga, but Real Madrid will be determined to re-establish their four-point lead at the top on Sunday.
Friday Recap
Espanyol and Cordoba played out a drab encounter on Friday, with the hosts eventually emerging victorious thanks to a solitary goal in the first half.
The Catalans clearly had their minds on the upcoming Copa del Rey match against Athletic Bilbao and seemed disinterested in playing, while the visitors were missing a number of key player. At half-time, La Liga Time didn't hide their feelings about the level of the match:
"Not a good game at all. Espanyol thinking in the Copa del Rey, Córdoba missing Bebe and Ghilas. Abraham scored a ‘golazo’.
— La Liga Time (@laligatime) February 27, 2015"
A lethargic first half saw little action outside of a number of cynical fouls, with Hector Moreno and Juan Rafael Fuentes quickly running into bookings.
Play was mostly limited to the centre of the pitch, and while the Catalans dominated possession, they did little with the ball—until the 43rd minute, that is. Abraham Gonzalez produced a moment of magic, unleashing a fantastic shot from huge range that skipped past goalkeeper Mikel Saizar.
Sport's Samuel Marsden was impressed:
Cordoba introduced Bebe at half-time, and the on-loan winger immediately made an impact, revitalising the visitors' attack. He found himself with a clear bit of space after 70 minutes, blazing a shot high over the bar.
Bebe continued to look dangerous, but Cordoba couldn't translate possession into any real chances. After 90 minutes, the official mercifully ended an altogether dull encounter.
Manager Sergio Gonzalez insisted ahead of the match that his players were focused on the task at hand and not the upcoming clash with Bilbao, as reported by Inside Spanish Football's Heath Chesters.
"We never hold anyone back. The team that will play will be the most competitive, to beat a complicated opponent," he said. "For us, next Wednesday doesn’t exist right now, just Cordoba and it’s an important game."
That prediction didn't come true on Friday. Fortunately for him, though, Espanyol escaped with the 1-0 win.
The victory sees the Catalans leap over Celta Vigo in the standings, but with the top clubs battling for the European tickets holding a significant lead in the standings, Espanyol won't be pushing for a top-six finish anytime soon.
Cordoba remain dead last in La Liga and are starting to grow desperate for some results. The addition of Bebe has given the team a little more bite moving forward, but as long as the forwards don't convert their chances, the side will continue to lose the battle against relegation.
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