The battle to win La Liga is still a matter of two teams: Atlético and Barcelona.
With one game between them and a seven-point difference, Los Blaugranas need to keep themselves away from trouble, and that's just what they did against Rayo. Valverde's team had its fair share of problems after going down 1-0 before the first 30 minutes of the game, but goals by Piqué, Messi and Suárez sealed the deal.
Speaking about the Argentine ace, the league's all-time top scoreer moved past Andrés Iniesta as the player with the second highest tally of games for Barcelona in history. At the current rate, Messi could surpass the owner of the top spot next year.
Lionel Messi moves up to No. 2.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 9, 2019
Three legends pic.twitter.com/dcDyk62LwY
Speaking about Real Madrid, the season seems to be over for Los Blancos, but some of their players are still making an effort to shine in what has been a disappointing campaign. One of those players is Karim Benzema, who netted a brace to help the Spanish capital side in their efforts to earn a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.
2 - Against Real Valladolid, @realmadriden's Karim Benzema scored as many goals (two) as the number of passes he misplaced (2/41). Exquisite. pic.twitter.com/K0THjEysoS
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 10, 2019
Another striker that has made his presence felt this week is Christian Stuani. The former Barcelona target and current Girona player found the back of the net with a trademark PK shot. His accuracy rate is the envy of some top-caliber strikers!
"Stuani has taken 17 penalties throughout his career. How many has he scored? 17!"
Cristhian Stuani lleva pateados 17 penales a lo largo de su carrera. ¿Cuántos anotó? ¡17! pic.twitter.com/xKzsvoUGpZ
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) March 10, 2019
Pichichi race
Lionel Messi extended his lead as the best striker in La Liga. Curiously, two French strikers made their way to the top five in that category with their performances this weekend.
Messi
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) March 11, 2019
Suarez
Stuani
Ben Yedder
Benzema #LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/ZlkYjaIzm8
La Liga standings after Matchday 27
With things between the three top clubs remaining the same after this weekend's games, the focus shifts to the lower side of the table, where Celta Vigo is now one of three teams involved in the battle to avoid relegation. Villarreal's win has made things even more interesting for the last 11 games of the 2018-19 campaign!
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 36 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 83 | 22 | +61 | 93 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Barcelona | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 74 | 43 | +31 | 79 | WWLWL | |
| 3 | Girona | 36 | 23 | 6 | 7 | 75 | 45 | +30 | 75 | LDWWW | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 36 | 23 | 4 | 9 | 67 | 39 | +28 | 73 | WWWWL | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 36 | 17 | 11 | 8 | 58 | 37 | +21 | 62 | LDWLD | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 36 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 49 | 37 | +12 | 57 | WLWLD | |
| 7 | Real Betis | 36 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 48 | 43 | +5 | 56 | DWWDW | |
| 8 | Villarreal | 36 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 51 | WWLWW | |
| 9 | Valencia | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 37 | 40 | -3 | 48 | LDLLL | |
| 10 | Getafe | 36 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 41 | 51 | -10 | 43 | LLLWD | |
| 11 | Deportivo Alavés | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 34 | 45 | -11 | 42 | LDWWW | |
| 12 | Sevilla | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 47 | 50 | -3 | 41 | LLWDW | |
| 13 | Osasuna | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 40 | 54 | -14 | 41 | DDLLL | |
| 14 | Las Palmas | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 32 | 46 | -14 | 38 | DLLLL | |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 36 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 29 | 44 | -15 | 38 | WDLLW | |
| 16 | Celta de Vigo | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 54 | -12 | 37 | WLWLW | |
| 17 | Mallorca | 36 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 41 | -12 | 36 | DWLDL | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 36 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 25 | 49 | -24 | 32 | WWLDL | |
| 19 | Granada | 36 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 37 | 70 | -33 | 21 | LLLWD | |
| 20 | Almería | 36 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 35 | 72 | -37 | 17 | LLWLL |
