The return of La Liga brought us plenty of pulsating football, talking points, and exciting action. Lei Wu secured a vital win for basement side Espanyol as they saw off Alaves in Catalonia. Meanwhile, Espanyol’s neighbours Barcelona stormed back into action putting Mallorca to the sword.
Sevilla saw off rivals Real Betis to win the latest Seville derby. While the Valencia derby finished all square after a dramatic finish at the Mestalla. Elsewhere, they were vital wins for Granada, Real Madrid, Real Valladolid, and Villarreal
Lei Wu Secures Vital Win For Espanyol
Wu Takes His Goal Tally to Four
Rock bottom Espanyol secured a priceless win against Alaves. La Liga’s strugglers have given their chances of survival a huge boost thanks to Bernardo Espinosa and Lei Wu.
A disappointing afternoon for Alaves who will see Federico Pacheco’s red card as the game’s major turning point.
It was an even start to the match with neither side managing to sustain control of a nervy contest. However, the game’s major turning point arrived when Alaves goalkeeper was given a straight red card for handling the ball outside the box.
Espanyol attempted to seize the initiative and squandered several good chances. Adrian Embarba, Didac Vila and Lei Wu all wasted chances for Espanyol. However, the breakthrough arrived on the cusp of half time thanks to centre back Bernardo. The defender leapt above everyone else to head Embarba’s dangerous free-kick past substitute goalkeeper Roberto.
It took just two second-half minutes for Espanyol to seal a first win in five games thanks to Wu. The Chinese striker latched onto Embarba’s fantastic pass before slotting past Roberto.
The result sees Espanyol stay bottom but results elsewhere have meant they are just three points adrift of safety. They also move level on points with 19th placed Leganes. Alaves drop to 15th but remain seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Rampant Barcelona put Mallorca to the Sword
Barcelona returned to La Liga with a thunderous 4-0 win at Mallorca. Goals from Arturo Vidal, Martin Braithwaite, Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi saw the Catalan club maintain top of the table. Mallorca slump to a second loss in three matches.
The visitors started brilliantly opening the scoring inside the opening two minutes courtesy of Vidal. The Chilean midfielder headed in Jordi Alba’s cross after just 65 seconds of the contest.
Danish striker Martin Braithwaite scored his first goal for Barcelona just before the break smashing the ball past Reina to double Barcelona’s lead. Jordi Alba made it three late in the second half latching onto Lionel Messi’s pass to tap the ball past the keeper.
Barcelona’s rout was completed by Messi who in the process took his La Liga total to 20 and 25 in all competitions. Barcelona’s talisman went on a terrific run before seeing his shot deflect past Reina to crown an excellent night for the Catalonian giants.
A disappointing night for Mallorca who created decent opportunities but could not manage to find the net. Real Madrid loanee Takefusa Kubo wasted their best chance shooting straight at Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
The result sees Barcelona maintain top of La Liga while Mallorca stay in the bottom three and continue to be within a point of safety.
LWOF’s La Liga Predictions
LWOF’s original predictions are in bold on the left, while the actual results are on the right.
Sevilla 2-1 Real Betis – Sevilla 2-0 Real Betis
Granada 0-1 Getafe – Granada 2-1 Getafe
Valencia 3-1 Levante – Valencia 1-1 Levante
Celta Vigo 1-0 Villarreal – Celta Vigo 0-1 Villarreal
Espanyol 1-1 Alaves – Espanyol 2-0 Alaves
Leganes 1-0 Valladolid – Leganes 1-2 Valladolid
Mallorca 0-2 Barcelona – Mallorca 0-4 Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Atletico Madrid – Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid 3-0 Eibar – Real Madrid 3-1 Eibar
Real Sociedad 2-1 Osasuna – Real Sociedad 1-1 Osasuna
Up Next
Round 29 kicks off on Monday, June 15 with this mid-week round of matches spread across the next four days.
Monday’s Games
Levante vs Sevilla – 18:30 pm
Real Betis vs Granada – 21:00 pm
Tuesday’s Games
Barcelona vs Leganes – 21:00 pm
Getafe vs Espanyol – 18:30 pm
Villarreal vs Mallorca – 18:30 pm
Wednesday’s Games
Eibar vs Athletic Bilbao – 18:30 pm
Osasuna vs Atletico Madrid – 21:00 pm
Valladolid vs Celta Vigo – 18:30 pm
Thursday’s Games
Alaves vs Real Sociedad – 18:30 pm
Real Madrid vs Valencia – 21:00 pm
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