La Liga Table 2016 Week 9: Updated Standings Following Friday's Results
Real Betis moved into the top half of the La Liga table on Friday after a stoppage-time goal from Felipe Gutierrez gave them a 2-1 win at Osasuna.
Betis took the lead thanks to a delicate finish from veteran forward Joaquin, before Roberto Torres equalised for the hosts early in the second-half.
Osasuna's Emmanuel Riviere was red-carded late on for a terrible challenge, and just as the game looked to be petering out into a draw, Gutierrez drilled home a long-range free-kick. The Andalusians jump up into ninth with these three points, while the home side remain down in 19th.
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Here is the revised table following Friday’s result and a look ahead to what should be an absorbing weekend in Spanish football’s top flight.
| 1 | Atletico Madrid | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 3 | +18 | 18 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 8 | +14 | 18 |
| 3 | Sevilla | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 17 |
| 4 | Barcelona | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 10 | +16 | 16 |
| 5 | Villarreal | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 16 |
| 6 | Athletic Club | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 15 |
| 7 | Las Palmas | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 12 |
| 8 | Eibar | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 11 |
| 9 | Real Betis | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 19 | -8 | 11 |
| 10 | Leganes | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 10 |
| 11 | Celta Vigo | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 10 |
| 12 | Alaves | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 10 |
| 13 | Real Sociedad | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 10 |
| 14 | Malaga | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 9 |
| 15 | Valencia | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 15 | -4 | 9 |
| 16 | Deportivo La Coruna | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 8 |
| 17 | Espanyol | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 7 |
| 18 | Sporting Gijon | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 18 | -11 | 7 |
| 19 | Osasuna | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 19 | -8 | 6 |
| 20 | Granada | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 23 | -15 | 2 |
| Friday, Oct. 21 | 7:45 p.m. | Osasuna | Real Betis |
| Saturday, Oct. 22 | Noon | Espanyol | Eibar |
| Saturday, Oct. 22 | 3:15 p.m. | Valencia | Barcelona |
| Saturday, Oct. 22 | 5:30 p.m. | Real Sociedad | Alaves |
| Saturday, Oct. 22 | 7:45 p.m. | Granada | Sporting Gijon |
| Sunday, Oct. 23 | 11 a.m. | Celta Vigo | Deportivo |
| Sunday, Oct. 23 | 3:15 p.m. | Sevilla | Atletico Madrid |
| Sunday, Oct. 23 | 5:30 p.m. | Malaga | Leganes |
| Sunday, Oct. 23 | 5:30 p.m. | Villarreal | Las Palmas |
| Sunday, Oct. 23 | 7:45 p.m. | Real Madrid | Athletic Club Bilbao |
Friday Recap
The early stages saw Osasuna counter-attack well, while Betis probed with little penetration. However, after 19 minutes, the visitors were rewarded for their patient play, as Joaquin rushed on to a lofted through ball and then showed his class with a clever finish over the onrushing Nauzet.
Callum Read of Fplbet.com was far from impressed with the quality of goalkeeping from the Osasuna man:
The home side responded well after conceding the opener, with Oriol Riera seeing his shot cleared off the line and Sergio Leon flashing wide after some fancy footwork.
However, at the break, home supporters made their displeasure known, with Betis preserving their one-goal lead comfortably.
They were much happier after the break, as Osasuna emerged with greater intent. First, Alejandro Berenguer smashed the ball against the post, before Torres was able to manufacture some space on the edge of the box and thrash an excellent strike past Antonio Adan in the Betis goal.
The match did settle down after the equaliser, and while the home side provided more incision in their attacking play, Betis had their moments. Particularly through Joaquin, who came agonisingly close to grabbing his second of the night as his shot drifted just wide of the post. Antonio Sanabria also brought a fine stop out of the Osasuna keeper.
Just as the game seemed to be meandering towards a draw, there was a flash of late drama. First, Riviere was given his marching orders four minutes from time after inexplicably lashing out at Darko Brasanac. And just as Osasuna looked to have seen out the final few minutes, Gutierrez struck.
It's not one Nauzet will like to see again, as he was slow getting down to the long-range strike. However, on the balance of play, it was a goal the visitors just about deserved.
Weekend Preview
The standout contest of the weekend will see fast-starting Sevilla host league leaders Atletico Madrid at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Under new manager Jorge Sampaoli, the Andalusians have been involved in some superb matches this term and have shown a real determination to edge most of their contests. Given how well former boss Unai Emery had done in his spell at the club, the transition has been impressively smooth under the new man.
Atletico will pose a tough test, too, having found an attacking groove to complement their defensive robustness. It’s not just Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro finding the back of the net either, as we can see courtesy of OptaJose:
Seeking to chase down Atletico are city rivals Real Madrid and champions Barcelona. Real will face Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, while Barca will travel to Valencia on Saturday.
After their run of four successive draws, Real returned to form last weekend with a 6-1 win over Real Betis. In midweek in the UEFA Champions League, they were among the goals, too, netting five times in an emphatic win over Legia Warsaw.
Encouragingly for Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, the team doesn’t seem to be relying too heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo at the moment either, per ESPN FC’s Dermot Corrigan:
Barca face an intriguing challenge in Valencia, who have slowly started to find their feet after a disappointing start to the season. New boss Cesare Prandelli won his first game in charge of Los Che last time out, although this will be a huge step up for his team.
The visitors could potentially be vulnerable, though. While Lionel Messi hasn’t taken long to get up to speed following his injury layoff, netting four goals in two games since returning, defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba will both miss the visit to the Mestalla with injuries.
