La Liga Winners and Losers from Week May 1-3: Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez Unstoppable
With just three more matchdays to go in Spain's top flight, another crucial weekend of action made for some exciting and impressive viewing.
We begin our roundup of the biggest talking points by looking at the top two, who netted 11 goals between them, but we also keep a close eye on the good and the bad happening elsewhere in La Liga. As the title race continues to heat up, we bid a first goodbye of the season to one team at the other end of the table.
Here are all our winners and losers from Gameweek 35.
Winners: The Pure Attacking Force of the Title Challengers
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Real Madrid faced a massive challenge at the weekend and came up trumps, becoming the first team in La Liga to beat Sevilla on their own turf this season. A back-and-forth game, exciting from the first minute to the last was eventually settled by the incredible scoring prowess of Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted a hat-trick in a 3-2 win for his team.
That only served to keep Real in second and two points behind leaders Barcelona, who picked up a memorable 8-0 win at Cordoba.
After a tough opening 40 minutes, the Catalan side simply blew away the bottom club, rattling in eight goals in under 50 minutes. Luis Suarez scored a treble, Lionel Messi managed a brace and passed up a hat-trick of his own to let Neymar notch a penalty.
Attacking wins titles, too, you know.
Losers: Cordoba, Relegated with a Thrashing
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As Barcelona were notching their fourth, fifth and so on, the reality of the situation must have been hitting home hard for the home fans: Cordoba were being relegated.
Comfortably the weakest attack in the league, Cordoba have been bottom for some time and will make a swift return to the second division. Even if Almeria receive a points deduction, Deportivo La Coruna are 10 points ahead of Cordoba with three games to go, so there's no coming back for the Andalusian outfit.
Their rise was unexpected—some would say undeserved, given they finished outside the playoff spots last season—and their demise has been rapid, marred by managerial sackings and finished off in brutal style.
Winners: Elche, Safe Once Again
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While Cordoba and other teams are struggling at the bottom, Elche have gotten themselves to safety with three games remaining after a tremendous run of four wins from five to move 10 points above the dotted line.
Cordoba, Real Sociedad, Depor and now Malaga have all been bested by the team from the Valencia region, with star forward Jonathas netting his 12th goal of the season to help beat Malaga on Sunday.
It means they'll remain in La Liga for a third consecutive campaign, with manager Fran Escriba having worked wonders again over the second half of this term.
Losers: The 3 out-of-Form Sides, Stay out of Form
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End-of-season blues or just running out of steam? Either way, it has been a torrid past few weeks for Villarreal, Malaga and Getafe.
The Yellow Submarine have lost their way entirely, playing nice football at times but being too open at the back, lacking confidence in attack and without a win since early March. Malaga have only won once since the end of February and this weekend dropped down into eighth place after losing to Elche. Getafe, who should be safe from relegation, have now lost four on the bounce and are somewhat anxiously peering over their shoulders.
The end of the season can't come soon enough for these sides.
Winners: Athletic, Espanyol and Rayo as They Build for Next Term
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Athletic Bilbao continued their much-improved 2015 with a 0-0 draw at Atletico Madrid, who remain in third place. The Basque side, however, moved up to seventh—their best position of the entire campaign in a meaningful league table.
Rayo Vallecano and Espanyol drew 1-1, and while that's not a stellar result for either team, it's another game without defeat for both. They have both enjoyed good seasons overall, and should they also finish in the top half, there will be ample reason for positivity for next term.
Real Sociedad also won 3-0 to end a winless streak, and they could really do with finishing strongly to have similar positive vibes for 2015-16.
Losers: Eibar on a Huge Fall
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The real relegation worry right now has to be Eibar, who sat in the top eight close to the winter break and have had a phenomenally bad run of form since—a 3-1 loss at Valencia on Sunday makes it 14 losses from their last 16.
Eibar are now one point above the relegation zone, and it's tough to see where they can take points before the final game, as they face Espanyol and Getafe.
They'll likely have no option but to win their last match, at home against bottom club Cordoba. Will it already be too late by then?
