La Liga Results 2017: Scores and Updated Table After Saturday's Week 26 Matches
Barcelona and Real Madrid both took care of business on Saturday, comfortably winning their Week 26 La Liga matches to keep the title race as tight as ever.
The Catalans cruised to a 5-0 win over Celta Vigo, led by Lionel Messi's two goals in a fantastic performance. Earlier in the day, Karim Benzema also bagged a brace, as Real Madrid beat Eibar 4-1 in the Basque Country.
Here's a look at Saturday's results:
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| Leganes | 1-0 | Granada |
| Eibar | 1-4 | Real Madrid |
| Villarreal | 2-0 | Espanyol |
| Barcelona | 5-0 | Celta Vigo |
The current La Liga standings:
| 1 | Barcelona | 26 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 76 | 21 | +55 | 60 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 25 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 67 | 26 | +41 | 59 |
| 3 | Sevilla | 25 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 49 | 29 | +20 | 55 |
| 4 | Real Sociedad | 26 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 48 |
| 5 | Atletico Madrid | 25 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 45 | 22 | +23 | 46 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 26 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 38 | 19 | +19 | 45 |
| 7 | Eibar | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 42 | 37 | +5 | 39 |
| 8 | Athletic Club | 25 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 38 |
| 9 | Espanyol | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 36 |
| 10 | Celta Vigo | 25 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 39 | 44 | -5 | 35 |
| 11 | Alaves | 25 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 25 | 31 | -6 | 33 |
| 12 | Las Palmas | 25 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 35 | 39 | -4 | 29 |
| 13 | Valencia | 25 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 43 | -8 | 29 |
| 14 | Real Betis | 25 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 27 | 41 | -14 | 27 |
| 15 | Malaga | 25 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 32 | 42 | -10 | 26 |
| 16 | Leganes | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 21 | 40 | -19 | 24 |
| 17 | Deportivo La Coruna | 24 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 27 | 40 | -13 | 20 |
| 18 | Granada | 26 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 24 | 54 | -30 | 19 |
| 19 | Sporting Gijon | 25 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 27 | 54 | -27 | 17 |
| 20 | Osasuna | 25 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 25 | 59 | -34 | 10 |
Recap
Barcelona reclaimed their spot at the top of the standings just a few hours after Madrid jumped into first place, courtesy of a simple 5-0 win over Celta.
Messi gave the hosts an early lead and Neymar doubled their advantage before half-time. Both goals were stunning, and ESPN FC's Samuel Marsden loved it:
Vigo have struggled with consistency all season long and didn't make life hard on the Catalans, but that shouldn't take away from Barcelona's superb performance. Ivan Rakitic and Samuel Umtiti added to the lead after the break before Messi put the final score on the board with another beauty.
Per Marsden, the fans at the Camp Nou loved the performance, and they displayed optimism ahead of the return leg in the UEFA Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain:
It was a great win for Barcelona, capping off a solid week for a team that appeared to be headed for a major crisis not so long ago.
But while the Blaugrana still sit at the top of the standings, Madrid remain the favourites for the title thanks to their match in hand. Los Blancos needed a big result in Week 26 to grab some momentum, and the team delivered against Eibar.
The minnows have enjoyed a fine season so far, but they were no match for Benzema and his team-mates. The Frenchman scored the first two goals, and James Rodriguez added a third before the half-hour mark.
Marco Asensio made it 4-0 in the second half, and Ruben Pena gave the home fans something to celebrate.
As shared by ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, manager Zinedine Zidane was pleased after the match:
If Los Blancos can take this result and use it to regain some momentum, the team should like its chances of winning the title. Maintaining momentum will be key moving forward.
Elsewhere, Leganes grabbed a huge win over Granada, with Darwin Machis scoring the only goal. The result leaves the hosts five points above the relegation zone, with Deportivo La Coruna still having two matches in hand.
Villarreal's win over Espanyol boosts the Yellow Submarine's chances of qualifying for a European competition, with Eibar losing ground.
