LaLiga Highlights: Key Moments From Matchweek 19
Gameweek 19 of La Liga 2023/24 season proved to be a week of late goals with captivating moments for a number of clubs. The top four in the table, Real Madrid, Girona FC Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid were all involved in nail-biting clashes over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao continues with their wonderful form in the current season and will be targeting the Champions League qualification spots being well clear of the likes of Real Sociedad and Real Betis in the table.
The battle in the bottom half of the table has been intense as well with just three points separating five clubs near the drop zone.
Defending Champions started New Year with a narrow victory
La Liga Champions of the previous season, FC Barcelona were successful in winning the three points Garcia Pimienta’s Las Palmas over the weekend at the Gran Canaria stadium. Having been struggling this season with a number of problems in their defence, the Blaugranas were once again on the backfoot after a goal from the Canary Islands side in the initial few minutes.
Later on in the second half, an equalizer from Ferran Torres and a stoppage time penalty from Ilkay Gundogan sealed a decisive victory for the Blaugranas in their hopes of defending the title. Barca are currently third in the table with 41 points in 19 games, three clear of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid who were involved in a thriller against Girona.
Another positive from the game for Xavi’s men was the debut of newly signed Vitor Roque. The Brazilian youngster played only a few minutes after coming on as a substitute and missed an easy chance in the final minutes of the game but was impressive with his runs and pressing nonetheless.
Also Read: LaLiga Standings and Table After Matchweek 19
Girona beat Atletico Madrid in a seven-goal thriller
Girona’s fairytale run in La Liga continues this season with a thrilling win against Atletico Madrid at home. The Catalonian side drew first blood with Valery Fernandez’s strike in the second minute of the game but was quickly canceled out by Alvaro Morata ten minutes later.
Later on, a second goal from Valery Fernandez and Daley Blind helped Girona retake the lead but Diego Simeone’s men weren’t going to back down without a fight as Alvaro Morata scored another two goals completing a brilliant hattrick in the process to draw Atletico level.
The game was beautifully poised at 3-3 and it took a stoppage-time winner from Ivan Martin to ensure the three points for Girona. They are now second in the table, tied with Los Blancos on 48 points.
Antonio Rudiger’s header saves the day for Madrid while Bilbao closes in on the top four
Table toppers, Real Madrid were up against Mallorca at the newly built Santiago Bernabeu in the midweek and needed to win the game in order to stay at the top.
It took 80 minutes for Los Blancos to break through the stubborn Mallorca defence and it was the German international who made the difference. Antonio Rudiger perfectly headed the ball into the net through a Luka Modric corner to win three important points at the start of the new year.
The Royal Whites have now won four of their last five games in the league and continue to stay at the top with 48 points in 19 games, tied with Girona and seven points clear of their arch-rivals, FC Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Athletic Club Bilbao won their third league game in a row, defeating 16th-placed Sevilla 2-0 away at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium. Ernesto Valverde’s side have leaped to the fifth position in the table, tied with Atletico Madrid on 38 points, and would be looking forward to ending the season with a place in next season’s Champions League group stages.
Also Read: LaLiga Top Scorer: Players with the Most Goals after Matchweek 19
With games coming up thick and fast, the season intensifies and gets interesting with each passing gameweek, and with 18 gameweek to go until the season ends, we could see several ups and downs throughout the league table.