Match Day 33 saw Celta Vigo pick up another huge win in their battle for safety while Getafe thumped Sevilla in the race for 4th. There was no time to rest and reflect though as all twenty clubs returned to action in midweek with plenty of significant results leading to sides gaining or losing several places.
Here was the best of the action on match-day 34 in the 2018/19 Spanish Primera Division:
La Liga Match Day 34 Results, Expected Goals & Highlights
Tuesday 23rd April 2019
Huesca 2-0 Eibar (xG 1.19-0.65)
Real Valladolid 1-0 Girona (xG 0.94-0.31)
Alaves 0-2 Barcelona (xG 0.22-2.51)
Wednesday 24th April 2019
Atletico Madrid 3-2 Valencia (xG 1.73-2.06)
Espanyol 1-1 Celta Vigo (xG 1.88-2.81)
Leganes 0-1 Athletic Club (xG 0.52-0.16)
Levante 4-0 Real Betis (xG 1.57-0.3)
Thursday 25th April 2019
Sevilla 5-0 Rayo Vallecano (xG 3.63-0.76)
Real Sociedad 0-1 Villarreal (xG 0.84-1.06)
Getafe 0-0 Real Madrid (xG 0.57-1.54)
Links lead to Youtube highlights via the official LaLiga channel and may contain ads.
Valladolid Win Six-Pointer to leave Girona in Big Trouble
Valladolid 1️⃣-0️⃣ Girona
(@realvalladolid) (@GironaFC)
Míchel 67′ pic.twitter.com/q2fSHYmWVd— Yo soy Javi (@Yo_soy_Javi77) April 23, 2019
These aren’t good times for Girona who again lost a relegation six-pointer. This time it came at the Jose Zorrilla as Valladolid claimed a priceless three points. Michel’s 67th minute goal was the only one of the game and piles the pressure on Girona boss Eusebio. He has since been given the dreaded vote of confidence by the board but with the Catalans now in the drop-zone, there is real pressure on them to perform this weekend when they host Sevilla.
Levante hit Four past Betis
Levante 4️⃣-0️⃣ Betis
(@LevanteUD) (@RealBetis)
Campaña 9′
Loren(pp) 32′
Morales(P) 56′
Coke 81′ pic.twitter.com/WIKszAhaJn— Yo soy Javi (@Yo_soy_Javi77) April 24, 2019
Another coach whose days appear to be numbered is Quique Setien. Having received fresh calls for him to leave last time out in the defeat to Valencia, an abject Betis display saw them hammered 4-0 away to Levante. Like Eusebio, Setien looks like he will see out the season but it would be no surprise if there is a new man in charge come next season. It was a much needed win for Levante who climbed to 15th and 3 points outside the drop-zone as a result but they still have work to do to ensure their top flight survival.
Read more – LLE attended two games last weekend and we’ve a full write-up on what to expect from a trip to see Levante play in Valencia.
A Cracker at the Wanda
Atletico Win Five-Goal Thriller With Valencia To Delay Barca Celebrations – https://t.co/mkeiAa99DP Madrid forward Angel Correa (C) is congratulated for his goal by teammate Diego Godin (L) dur… pic.twitter.com/JzxZgttpai
— NewsBoard (@newsboard_ng) April 24, 2019
The Wanda Metropolitano hasn’t always been the place to go for goals and entertainment but there was a surprisingly good game on Wednesday night with five goals scored in the meeting of what was the two sides with the best defensive records in the league. Atleti twice led only for Kevin Gameiro and Dani Parejo to score levellers for the visitors. However the game had one final twist as Angel Correa fired in a spectacular winner to seal a 3-2 win for Atleti, who now look set to finish as the pride of Madrid again after Real were held by Getafe on Thursday night.
Match Day 34 in Numbers
- Girona suffered their 6th straight defeat in La Liga. Their last 3 have all been against fellow strugglers.
- Barcelona made it 21 competitive games unbeaten (doesn’t include Catalan Super Cup) since losing to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey in January.
- Bryan Gil become the 1st player born in the 21st Century to score in La Liga with his goal for Sevilla against Rayo.
- Villarreal recorded their 3rd straight win for the 1st time this season by beating Sociedad.
- Levante are now the joint 4th highest scorers after they put 4 past Betis.
Up Next…
The weekend action in La Liga is likely to result in Barcelona being crowned champions. They only need to match Atletico Madrid’s result this Saturday to ensure that. Elsewhere Girona’s home game with Sevilla is huge for both clubs with Getafe and Valencia also in action on a big Sunday in the race for 4th. Athletic’s clash with Alaves also may well go a long way to deciding who gets Spain’s final Europa League place.
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Article via Mark Sochon – Contact: marksochon(at)hotmail.co.uk | @marksoc1 on Twitter
Mark Sochon is an experienced football writer and editor of LaLiga Expert. Based in Madrid, he has covered La Liga and Spanish football for many years. He also covers Spanish and European football for Goal and Betfred, while his work has previously been published by the Guardian and World Soccer.