Barcelona and Girona were unable to capitalize on Real Madrid’s stumble in the Spanish league.
The defending champions, Barcelona, were held to a goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, while Girona suffered a 1-0 loss to Mallorca.
Both Catalan clubs missed the opportunity to narrow the gap on league leader Madrid, who drew 2-2 against Valencia on Saturday. With Madrid increasing their lead over second-place Girona to seven points and maintaining an eight-point advantage over third-place Barcelona, the weekend’s results solidified their position at the top.
Atletico Madrid in fourth place managed to reduce Madrid’s lead with a 2-1 victory over Real Betis. However, Diego Simeone’s team stayed in fourth position, trailing their city rival by 11 points after 27 matches.
Barcelona suffered a blow as two of its key players, Pedri and Frenkie De Jong, were forced off due to injuries and had to be substituted before halftime in Bilbao.
Athletic maintained their fifth-place position in the league standings, trailing the last Champions League spot by five points. Prior to the match, the club honored a fan who tragically passed away following a stroke during the Copa del Rey match against Atletico on Thursday.
The match at San Mamés Stadium was evenly contested, with both teams managing only two attempts on target each. João Cancelo and Robert Lewandowski stood out for Barcelona with some of the most notable chances.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández expressed disappointment, stating, “We didn’t perform well today. It’s a missed opportunity. We could have done better.”
The coach attributed the team’s performance to the early injuries. De Jong exited the match in the 26th minute due to an ankle twist, while Pedri seemed to injure a leg muscle in the 45th minute.
“These are injuries to two very important players, and it’s unfortunate,” Xavi stated. “We are saddened by the prospect that they may be sidelined for several matches.”
ATLETICO REBOUNDS
Atletico bounced back from their Copa del Rey semifinal elimination by Athletic, reinforcing their hold on fourth place in the league.
This victory marked only the second win in eight matches for Diego Simeone’s side, following losses to Inter Milan in the Champions League round of 16 first leg and to Sevilla in the Spanish league.
The win at the Metropolitano Stadium narrowed Atletico’s gap to three points behind Barcelona and four points behind Girona.
“We are heading in the right direction,” remarked Simeone. “We’ve been performing well, and hopefully, this victory will provide us with a lift.”
Betis, in sixth place, has recorded just one win in its last five matches across all competitions, defeating Athletic in the previous league round.
Atletico, on the other hand, hadn’t secured a win in three consecutive matches across all tournaments. They took the lead with an own-goal by Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva in the eighth minute, following a defensive lapse.
Striker Álvaro Morata broke his seven-game scoreless streak by adding to the lead with a close-range header in the 44th minute. Morata had previously missed a penalty kick with Atletico leading 1-0 in the first half.
Betis managed to get on the scoreboard with a long-range strike by midfielder William Carvalho in the 62nd minute.
Atletico continued to be without forward Antoine Griezmann due to an ankle injury.
GIRONA’S SETBACK
Girona’s loss for the third time in four matches hindered their opportunity to narrow the gap with Madrid.
Despite ending a three-match winless streak by defeating Rayo Vallecano last week, Girona couldn’t overcome Mallorca, who had secured a spot in the Copa del Rey final by eliminating Real Sociedad in a penalty shootout on Tuesday.
José Copete sealed the victory for Mallorca with a goal in the 33rd minute, propelling them to 15th place and placing them eight points clear of the relegation zone.
SORLOTH’S HAT TRICK
Alexander Sorloth netted a hat trick as Villarreal cruised to a 5-1 victory over second-to-last Granada, propelling them to 12th place in the standings.
Theodor Corbeanu managed a consolation goal for Granada in stoppage time, but their winless streak extended to seven consecutive matches.
Villarreal’s win marks their second consecutive victory after enduring three straight losses.
