La Liga Table 2015: Sunday's Week 7 Results and Updated Standings
Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid shared the spoils in Sunday's big La Liga derby, with Luciano Dario Vietto canceling out Karim Benzema's opener at the Vicente Calderon.
Athletic Bilbao caused a minor shock by beating Valencia 3-1, grabbing their second win of the season. Newly promoted Real Betis beat Rayo Vallecano 2-0, and Levante shocked Villarreal, handing the Yellow Submarine their first loss of the season. Here are the full results for Week 7:
| Friday, October 2 | Celta Vigo | 0-0 | Getafe |
| Saturda, October 3 | Sevilla | 2-1 | Barcelona |
| Saturda, October 3 | Granada | 1-1 | Deportivo La Coruna |
| Saturda, October 3 | Espanyol | 1-2 | Sporting Gijon |
| Saturda, October 3 | Las Palmas | 0-2 | Eibar |
| Saturda, October 3 | Malaga | 3-1 | Real Sociedad |
| Sunday, October 4 | Rayo Vallecano | 0-2 | Real Betis |
| Sunday, October 4 | Athletic Bilbao | 3-1 | Valencia |
| Sunday, October 4 | Levante | 1-0 | Villarreal |
| Sunday, October 4 | Atletico Madrid | 1-1 | Real Madrid |
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
The current standings:
| 1 | Villarreal | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 16 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 15 |
| 3 | Celta Vigo | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 15 |
| 4 | Barcelona | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 15 |
| 5 | Atletico Madrid | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 13 |
| 6 | Eibar | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 12 |
| 7 | Deportivo La Coruna | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 12 |
| 8 | Real Betis | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 11 |
| 9 | Espanyol | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 16 | -9 | 9 |
| 10 | Valencia | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 9 |
| 11 | Sporting Gijon | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 8 |
| 12 | Sevilla | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 8 |
| 13 | Athletic Club | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 7 |
| 14 | Getafe | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 7 |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 7 |
| 16 | Malaga | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 6 |
| 17 | Real Sociedad | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 6 |
| 18 | Levante | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 6 |
| 19 | Las Palmas | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 5 |
| 20 | Granada | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 4 |
Recap
Real Madrid came within minutes of grabbing the top spot in the standings, but a late goal from Vietto saw the two rivals from the capital play out a 1-1 draw instead.
Benzema gave the visitors the early lead with a bullet header after a lovely cross from Dani Carvajal, and, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC, the France international only underlined his incredible form:
While the goal gave fans the fast start they were hoping for, Sunday's big derby didn't live up to its expectations. There were plenty of emotions and tough battles in midfield, but chances were few, and the overall quality on the pitch wasn't the greatest.
Sergio Ramos was lucky not to get sent off when he took out Tiago inside the box, and his luck carried over to the penalty, as Keylor Navas produced a fine stop to deny Antoine Griezmann. Griezmann's effort went to the corner but wasn't struck far enough, allowing the Costa Rican to push the ball out of harm's way.
Per Bleacher Report's Karl Matchett, Navas is having an impressive season:
The second half played out in much the same way as the first ended, with Real closing down everything defensively and clinging onto the lead. Fans of pretty football will not have enjoyed Sunday's clash, but Los Blancos were more concerned with grabbing a result for obvious reasons.
Unfortunately for the visitors, it wasn't to be. Vietto poked the ball over the line after a cross got past Navas inside the final 10 minutes, ruining the defensive effort Rafa Bentiez's troops had put together, per Corrigan:
A single Deyverson goal was enough to hand Villarreal their first loss of the season, nearly pushing the Yellow Submarine out of the top spot in the standings with a 1-0 loss at the hands of Levante.
The 24-year-old blasted home a volley in the final 10 minutes that had fans and pundits screaming at the top of their lungs. AS English was impressed:
The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the first half after Bojan Jokic received his marching orders for a second bookable offence, and while Villarreal had their chances to grab the win, Levante struck the decisive blow, moving out of last place in the standings in the process.
The Yellow Submarine weren't the only European hopefuls to suffer a shocking defeat on Sunday, as Valencia left the San Mames with no points, losing to Athletic Bilbao 3-1.
Daniel Parejo had given the visitors the lead before the Basques struck back through Aymeric Laporte, and Markel Susaeta and the inevitable Aritz Aduriz put the final score on the board.
Afterward, manager Nuno Espirito Santo conceded his team simply wasn't good enough, via the club's official website:
"We made attacking and defensive mistakes that affected the outcome. We did not have the defensive strength and effectiveness that we should have had, and that played a part in the result. The mistakes are group mistakes. After two victories, we were coming here with the intention of extending our run and trying to make the team improve.
"
It was Bilbao's second win of the season, a much-needed result as the Basques battle for a ticket to the Europa League. The result sees Valencia tumble out of the European spots.
Real Betis have looked mighty impressive in their return to La Liga and once again sparkled on Sunday, beating Rayo Vallecano 2-0. Heiko Westermann and Ruben Castro Martin scored for the visitors, who already sit five points above the relegation zone and appear to be headed for a comfortable season.
