MADRID — The penultimate weekend of games in La Liga left the relegation
question and who will claim the last two places in Europe for next season
unanswered.
With Barcelona claiming the title and Real Madrid assured
a close second place finish, it is things at the lower end of the table that
are keeping things interesting in the final weeks.
Here are four
things we learned this weekend in Spain:
1. Athletic Club
Bilbao makes a case for defense
Alex Berenguer's brilliant goal 20 minutes from time gave
Athletic Club Bilbao a 1-0 win away to Valencia to ensure the Basque side
finishes fourth in the La Liga table (behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and
Atletico Madrid) and claims a place in next season's Spanish Supercup, reports
Xinhua.
It has been an intense season for the Europa League
semifinalists, with barely a rest all campaign leading to injuries for key
players in recent matches.
However, a defense marshalled by Dani Vivian and Unai
Simon in goal has remained rock solid, with Sunday the fifth consecutive match
Athletic has kept a clean sheet.
Athletic has lost just five games all season (fewer than
anyone in La Liga) and with just 26 goals against, has the best defensive
record in Europe.
And if your rivals don't score, that makes things much
easier in attack.
Villarreal's 3-2 win away to Barcelona is maybe not as
surprising as it first appears, given that Barca won the La Liga title on
Thursday and celebrated long into Friday night.
However, it is still an excellent result for Marcelino
Garcia Toral's exciting side and assures a place in next season's Champions
League after five consecutive league wins.
Villarreal has certainly benefitted this season from an
early exit in the Copa del Rey and not playing in Europe, which has meant the
team has focused on just one game every weekend, but with Ayoze Perez (19
goals), Thierno Barry (11 goals) and Alex Baena (six goals) it has arguably the
fastest attack in La Liga, able backed up by experienced players such as Raul
Albiol, Dani Parejo and Juan Foyth in defense and midfield.
3. Race for Europe
goes to final day
Celta Vigo looked to have everything in its favor this
weekend with a home win against Rayo Vallecano set to ensure seventh place and
a spot in the Europa League, however, Rayo was able to ambush them in the
Balaidos Stadium to move a point behind in the standings.
Osasuna's 2-0 win at home to Espanyol keeps the side from
Pamplona in the hunt, with striker Ante Budimir scoring his 21st goal of the
season.
Celta will still finish seventh with a win away to
Getafe, while Rayo has to beat Mallorca, whose European hopes were ended by
Getafe, and Osasuna makes a short trip to face an Alaves side that is now safe
from relegation.
With a place in the Conference League also up for grabs,
it will give some emotion to the last day of the season.
4. Kike Garcia. Old
warhorse, unsung hero
Veteran striker Kike Garcia kept his calm to stroke home
the sixth minute penalty that saw Alaves to a 1-0 win away to Valladolid that
assures the team from Vitoria will spend another season in La Liga.
The 35-year-old Kike has had his best season in goal
scoring terms with 13 goals, but his contribution is much more than just that,
offering a target up front and a constant battle with rival defenders.
Some fans of bigger clubs may not even know who Kike is,
but 10 seasons in the elite make him one of La Liga's unsung heroes.
