Girona and Barcelona could not take advantage of Real Madrid’s setback on Saturday at Mestalla against Valencia (2-2), as Míchel Sánchez’s team was defeated in Mallorca (1-0) and Xavi Hernández’s team also tied. in San Mamés against Athletic (0-0).
Of the first classified, the only one that emerged victorious this weekend was Atlético de Madrid, which carried out, not without notable difficulties, the visit of Betis to the Cívitas Metropolitano, which they won 2-1.
As things stand, Real Madrid now has a seven-point lead over Girona, eight over Barcelona and eleven over Simeone’s block.
Girona succumbed in Son Moix against a Mallorca that continues to be sweet. After their historic qualification for the final of the Copa del Rey by eliminating Real Sociedad, they once again surprised Míchel’s team, whom they already left in the gutter in the ko tournament
The Mexican Javier Aguirre made four changes to the starting eleven and once again the performance of the block gave results. This time it was worth a goal in the first period (m.33) from José Manuel Arias Copete to get rid of his rival and take a decisive step towards league tranquility, since right now he has eight points clear of relegation.
Girona, which has only won one game in the last five, was not good. He did not know how to unravel the tactical disposition of the Balearic team nor was he successful in actions of individual imbalance that have given him so much profit this campaign.
The defeat separated them by one more point from Real Madrid and could mean they would lose second place, but Barcelona could not beat the other cup finalist, Athletic, either, despite the fact that Ernesto Valverde made seven changes to the eleven that beat Atlético de Madrid .
The worst thing for Barcelona was not only the result, but the injuries, in the first half, to the Dutchman Frenkie de Jong, with a sprained ankle, and to Pedri González, once again a victim of muscle problems.
Athletic was not as electric and vibrant in the Cup match, nor did it have the effectiveness it had then, but the display of the ‘cubs’ was choked by a Barcelona that returned to its old ways of blundering and lack of punch. A game had not ended with a goalless draw since the opening day against Getafe.
With these results, the big beneficiary is Atlético de Madrid. Even without the Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, they took some revenge after their elimination from the cup with a difficult victory against Betis (2-1) that allows them to consolidate the fourth place so important to access the next Champions League.
Despite these final difficulties, the red and white team complied with tradition, having not lost at home against the Sevillian team since December 2011, and Chilean Manuel Pellegrini’s team is not at all good at facing Argentine Diego Pablo’s men. Simeone.
A fortunate play with a rebound included the ball by the Argentine Germán Pezzella and the goalkeeper Rui Silva opened the victory for Atlético early (m.8), which was sealed on the edge of half-time by Álvaro Morata (m.44), who had failed just before the half hour a maximum penalty for the good intervention of the Portuguese goalkeeper.
Betis improved after the intermission, shortening the gap with a beautiful shot from outside the area by also Portuguese William Carvalho (m.62) and entrusted itself to the Slovenian Jan Oblak, the savior in the 79th minute, with a great intervention, in a shot from the Argentine Guido Rodríguez who touched the back.
The victory gives Simeone’s team five points ahead of Athletic and brings them closer to Girona (four points ahead) and Barcelona (three), while Betis remains in the European zone, but the defeat prevents them from opening more than two points the income it has with respect to Real Sociedad.
Villarreal maintains its upward trend as palpably as the difficulties of Granada, penultimate and already ten points clear. The situation of Uruguayan Alexander ‘Cacique’ Medina’s team is desperate and that of Marcelino García Toral’s block is already far from hardship and fear.
The Norwegian Alexander Sorloth, with a hat trick, and Dani Parejo, with three assists, were the protagonists of the 5-1 victory in La Carámica. The match was decided in the first half, in which the ‘yellow submarine’ took advantage of the weakness behind the Andalusian squad. EFE
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