Four matches highlighted Saturday’s action in La Liga, as Barcelona and Atlético Madrid looked to get back to winning ways in the league. Here’s a round-up of the matches on Saturday.
Málaga vs. Espanyol
Espanyol continued their winning ways in La Liga with a 1-0 victory over Málaga on the road. The winning goal came in the 17th minute when Pablo Piatti’s long distance shot found the back of the net. Málaga’s winless streak now stands at eight; their last victory name on the 26th November.
Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao
The gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid was reduced to one point in the table as Barcelona defeated Bilbao 3-0 at the Nou Camp. Paco Alcácer scored his first league goal for the club to open the scoring, and Lionel Messi made it 2-0 with his free-kick right before half-time. Alex Vidal scored a rare goal in the second half to put the result beyond any doubt.
Messi has now scored in four of last five appearances for the club and increased his league total to 16 goals, which ties him with team-mate Luis Suárez for the top scorer in La Liga. Bilbao saw their five-game unbeaten run come to a close, but they will remain in the top half of the table heading into next week.
Atlético Madrid vs. Leganes
Fernando Torres’ brace led Atlético Madrid to a 2-0 win over Leganes, as the club ended a four match winless streak. It was the first time the Spanish forward has scored in La Liga in over four months. Additionally, they closed the gap to seven points on league leaders Real Madrid.
Leganes remain near the bottom of the table in 17th place. They have not won a league match since November.
Valencia vs. Eibar
Eibar exploded for four goals on Saturday against ten-man Valencia to record their second consecutive victory in the league. Sergi Enrich scored a brace to lead the way for Eibar. The red card came in the first minute of added time in the first half, as Carlos Soler was sent off for striking a player in the box during a corner.
Other goal scorers for Eibar included Adrián and Dani Garica. The 57th minute goal from Garcia was one of the goals of the season as his volley flew into the top corner of the net. The Basque club are up to seventh in the table with today’s result.
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