La Liga Table 2015: Updated Standings Following Matchday 26 Results

Barcelona took control of the top spot in La Liga with a massive 6-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in Week 26, taking full advantage of Real Madrid's 1-0 loss against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

With just two weeks left to play before the massive Clasico at the Camp Nou, the title race is starting to heat up tremendously. The Catalans have the advantage and all of the momentum, so Luis Enrique's men must be feeling confident they can get the job done.

Here's the full schedule for Week 26:

Date	Home	Score	Away
Friday, March 6	Levante	2-1	Eibar
Saturday, March 7	Deportivo La Coruna	3-4	Sevilla
Saturday, March 7	Athletic Bilbao	1-0	Real Madrid
Saturday, March 7	Elche	1-0	Almeria
Saturday, March 7	Granada	1-0	Malaga
Sunday, March 8	Barcelona	6-1	Rayo Vallecano
Sunday, March 8	Real Sociedad	1-0	Espanyol
Sunday, March 8	Villarreal	4-1	Celta Vigo
Sunday, March 8	Atletico Madrid	1-1	Valencia
Monday, March 9	Cordoba	1-2	Getafe

The current standings:

#	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Barcelona	26	20	2	4	76	16	+60	62
2	Real Madrid	26	20	1	5	75	24	+51	61
3	Atletico Madrid	26	17	4	5	51	23	+28	55
4	Valencia	26	16	6	4	46	22	+24	54
5	Sevilla	26	15	4	7	46	33	+13	49
6	Villarreal	26	14	6	6	43	24	+19	48
7	Malaga	26	12	5	9	29	30	-1	41
8	Athletic Club	26	9	6	11	23	31	-8	33
9	Espanyol	26	9	5	12	32	37	-5	32
10	Celta Vigo	26	8	8	10	27	29	-2	32
11	Real Sociedad	26	7	9	10	29	36	-7	30
12	Rayo Vallecano	26	9	2	15	29	49	-20	29
13	Getafe	26	8	5	13	24	36	-12	29
14	Eibar	26	7	6	13	26	36	-10	27
15	Elche	26	7	6	13	23	45	-22	27
16	Deportivo La Coruna	26	6	7	13	23	42	-19	25
17	Levante	26	6	7	13	23	49	-26	25
18	Almeria	26	6	6	14	22	40	-18	24
19	Granada	26	4	10	12	17	40	-23	22
20	Cordoba	26	3	9	14	19	41	-22	18

Monday Recap

Getafe snatched a last-gasp win from Cordoba's clutches on Monday evening after two late goals from Fede Vico and Juan Rodriguez saw the visitors overturn a 1-0 deficit in dramatic fashion.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Following the Nuevo Arcangel result, Getafe caretaker manager Pablo Franco praised the spirit of his side and their willingness to fight against the odds, per Inside Spanish Football:

"We’ve calmed down a bit now, we’re enjoying the moment and that’s easier to do when you finish the game with a win. The ambition amongst this group of players is without limits, we made a great comeback and secured what’s a very important victory for us."

A seventh successive defeat leaves Cordoba stranded at the base of La Liga, seven points adrift of 17th place, as pointed out by Spanish newspaper Sport:

Getafe, meanwhile, move into 13th and will be awfully upbeat about their chances of moving on from this morale-boosting result and staking a further claim to finish among the top half.

Sunday Recap

David Ramos/Getty Images

Barcelona claimed the La Liga lead in emphatic fashion on Sunday, crushing Rayo Vallecano 6-1 at the Camp Nou thanks to a Lionel Messi hat-trick.

Luis Suarez added a brace and Gerard Pique completed the score for the Catalans, while Alberto Bueno pulled one back for the visitors via Penalty. Dani Alvez saw a straight red card in the second half.

As shared by SportsCenter, Messi's hat-trick puts him back in front of eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to most three-goal matches in La Liga history:

Incredibly enough, Messi wasn't even the star performer against Rayo Vallecano. The Argentina international had a solid first half before exploding in the second, and it was team-mate Luis Suarez who stole the show.

The Uruguayan was fantastic playing up top, doing far more than his numbers indicated. He tortured the Rayo defence throughout the match, creating acres of space for his Blaugrana team-mates.

Bleacher Report UK's Rik Sharma had to highlights just how good the former Liverpool man really was, with Messi taking many of the plaudits due to his hat-trick:

As shared by NBC Sports Soccer, manager Luis Enrique is happy to see new signing and Messi continuing to build chemistry, particularly in light of the upcoming Clasico:

The Catalans host Real Madrid in two weeks in a match that will likely decide the outcome of the La Liga title race. Barcelona are in top form, and with Los Blancos slumping in recent weeks, it seems like the perfect time for the Blaugrana to put some distance between themselves and their biggest rivals.

Sergio Canales scored the only goal during the first half of Real Sociedad's 1-0 win over Espanyol, taking advantage of some bad defending. With the result, it seems increasingly likely the Basques will be saved from the drop at the end of the season.

Job well done for David Moyes then, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

Luciano Dario Vietto was once again on point for Villarreal's 4-1 win over Celta Vigo, keeping the Yellow Submarine in the race for one of the European tickets.

Atletico Madrid and Valencia shared the spoils in Sunday's final match, playing out a 1-1 draw to keep the hosts in the driver's seat for third place.

Saturday Recap

Athletic Bilbao blasted the La Liga title race wide open by beating Real Madrid 1-0 at the San Mames on Saturday, as shared by Goal UK:

Aritz Aduriz scored the only goal of the match after 27 minutes, a powerful header that gave goalkeeper Iker Casillas no chance.

Los Blancos put together a miserable performance and hardly had any chances of note, although Gareth Bale came close to pulling one back in the second half with a long lob that looked more like a failed cross. New signing Lucas Silva also saw a shot skim just over the crossbar.

Real failed to dominate possession in their usual matter, and Aduriz quickly took advantage, opening the score with a header that even had Real Madrid TV's Phil Kitromilides acknowledging its beauty:

The Basques easily controlled the tempo and gave away few chances. Toni Kroos was lucky to escape with a yellow card after lashing out at a Bilbao player, although replays showed the German's kick wasn't as bad as it first seemed.

The former Bayern Munich man had a miserable afternoon overall, per OptaJose:

Real showed more urgency in the second half, but the hosts kept things locked down at the back. Bale nearly shocked the San Mames with a long lob that bounced off the post, but the Wales international seemed as shocked as everyone else on the pitch when the ball flew goalwards.

Ultimately, Athletic deservedly hung on to their lead, and AS' Nicholas Rigg gave the Basques due credit, even if the visitors looked dreadful for much of the afternoon:

As shared by ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, manager Carlo Ancelotti was particularly harsh on his star-studded attack in his post-match analysis:

Following the result, Barcelona now have the chance to move into first place with a win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Sevilla and Deportivo La Coruna served up a real spectacle during the afternoon, with a Vitolo brace eventually leading the visitors to a 4-3 win.

Deportivo had taken the lead through Oriol Riera after 28 minutes, but Vitolo scored the first of his two goals just five minutes later to tie things up at 1-1. He doubled his tally in the second half before earning his side a penalty, which was converted by Kevin Gameiro. Per MisterChip English, the forward had a solid afternoon overall:

Riera pulled one back for the hosts before an own goal from Sidnei restored Sevilla's two-goal advantage, and while things got tense when Lucas scored for Deportivo from the penalty spot in injury time, Sevilla held on for a road win, their first in five tries.

SPORT English had been quite entertained:

Elche beat Almeria 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Victor Romero Rodriguez, while Granada shocked Malaga by the same score.

Friday Recap

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Levante booked a pivotal 2-1 win over Eibar on Friday, exiting the relegation zone for the first time in months following the result. For Eibar, it's the seventh consecutive loss after a bright start to the season, and with plenty of football still to play, the team's lead over the bottom three is now just three points.

A drab first half was followed by an entertaining second on Friday, and based on the latter, the hosts deservedly beat Eibar.

As shared by La Liga Time, the Eibar players would be going up against a familiar face:

"

Levante player Morales will meet his former teammates. He played on loan for Eibar last season. https://t.co/A9l9TQ5fVi

— La Liga Time (@laligatime) March 6, 2015"

The first half was a dreadful affair, as Eibar tried to press the action against a Levante team completely disinterested in playing football. The hosts needed the points but showed little urgency, and chances were rare.

Author Sid Lowe made a big deal of being at the stadium for the match before the first whistle, and the tone of his half-time update shows exactly what kind of game it was:

Fortunately for him—and the other people watching—the hosts opened things up more in the second half, knowing a win was vital in the fight against relegation.

As so often happens, however, the attacking intentions opened up some gaping holes along the back line, and Eibar took full advantage.

Saul Berjon Perez took full advantage after 55 minutes, breaking the deadlock with a fantastic volley. Lowe was impressed:

All season long, Levante have responded poorly to conceding, a big reason for their current predicament. But on Friday, things were different. The hosts continued to push forward and caught a lucky break when David Barral's shot took a slight deflection, taking goalkeeper Jaime by surprise.

Two minutes later, the score was 2-1. Kale Uche prodded home from close range after a bit of a scramble in the box. Lowe noted substitute Nabil El Zhar played a big role:

After the two quick goals, the pace of the match dropped considerably, with Levante threatening the most on the counter-attack. No more goals were scored.

Eibar's Gaizka Garitano told reporters before the match he knows his players are going through a slump, something that showed on Friday, via Inside Spanish Football's Heath Chesters:

"The team could improve in that regard. It’s a difficult situation when it comes to our morale, without a doubt. We know we can do much better, whilst also remaining conscious of who we are and where we want to be right now."

For Levante, the win is huge. The club has now won three of their last six, climbing out of last place and finding themselves in a safe position for the first time in months.

The battle is far from over, but in terms of momentum, few clubs at the bottom of the standings are as hot as Levante right now. If they can keep this run going for three or four more weeks, they may be safe for the rest of the campaign.

The same can't be said for Eibar, who have gone from the ultimate Cinderella story to just about where people expected them to be at the start of the season. Seven consecutive losses is bad no matter where you sit in the standings, and Eibar are venturing very close to the relegation zone heading into the latter part of the campaign.