If you have a penchant for drama, then you could do a lot worse than La Liga.
Not so much at the top of the table this time where the race for the title has long been over but more at the other end where there was a mix of success and setbacks for some of the strugglers this weekend.
Title cruise continues
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid are in dominant form at home and abroad.
With brilliant Benzema the star for Ancelotti’s aces at the home of the reigning European champions in midweek, it was back to the comparably mundane task of entertaining Getafe for the runaway league leaders.
And, sure enough, all went to plan at the Bernabeu as Casemiro headed them in front from a sublime outside-of-the-foot cross by Vinicius Junior before half-time.
Lucas Vazquez side footed home from Rodrygo’s pass in the second half in what was a controlled display with Real registering 26 shots to Getafe’s eight.
They are edging closer to the La Liga crown which is currently held by their city rivals and the soon to be dethroned champions who were stunned by one of the basement battlers.
Muriqi is Mallorca’s main man
Indeed, the name of Vedat Muriqi will long be hailed in the Balearic Islands if it means Real Mallorca preserve their top flight status.
That’s after his penalty midway through the second half moved them out of and a point cleat of the drop zone at the expense of Atletico Madrid.
Despite dominating possession, Atletico struggled to create and had just one shot on target as Mallorca ended a run of seven defeats.
The result could be as crucial to Atletico’s hopes of a top four finish as it is to Mallorca’s survival bid.
There’s late – and then there’s late!
Sevilla needed to reset their goals according to my SBOTOP colleague.
That’s after Julen Lopetegui’s top four hopefuls had fallen off the pace in recent weeks, including a reverse to Barcelona last weekend which left their Champions League place under threat.
Against relegation-threatened Granada they looked set to suffer yet another setback as Friday brought a contest full of La Liga highlights.
Although Darwin Machis fired the visitors into an early lead, the form book seemed to have been restored when Diego Carlos quickly levelled and Lucas Ocampos poked the hosts in front midway through the second period.
Yet there would have been audible groans around much of the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium when their Andalucian neighbours levelled with two minutes of normal time remaining through captain Victor Diaz.
There was to be another final twist though and 93 minutes were on the clock when Rafa Mir volleyed home an Ocampos knockdown before Papu Gomez swept home a fourth goal in the 99th minute!
How there was such a lengthy period of stoppage time I do not know but Sevilla will not care, while Granada may struggle to recover from such a setback.
Sevilla’s top four destiny remains very much in their own hands.
From joys to woes as Betis fightback flaws Cadiz
Just as hopes briefly sprung eternal in Granada, there was also optimism for other fans in Andalusia.
That’s because with just over 12 minutes remaining, the majority of supporters inside the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla had something to cling onto.
Cadiz led Copa del Rey finalists and Europe chasing Real Betis through an Ivan Alejo goal and the La Liga betting odds were being chewed up and spat out.
That is until a composed turnaround, spearheaded by a 78th minute equaliser from Cristan Tello and a Borja Iglesias penalty five minutes from time, turned the game around in favour of Manuel Pellegrini’s team.
That late defeat, coupled with Mallorca’s victory a few hours later, meant Cadiz dropped into the danger zone. How much damage psychologically that could have caused remains to be seen.
Only a matter of time for Alaves
While Cadiz still have plenty to play for, the death knell may have sounded for rock bottom Alaves.
Their six year spell in La Liga looks certain to end after a last gasp defeat to another side chasing a European spot in the shape of Osasuna.
It seemed as if they had managed to hang on for a point when Fernando Pacheco saved Ruben Garcia’s 38th minute penalty and after they survived a disallowed goal from Ante Budimir.
However, their resistance was finally broken in the closing moments of the game, in the second minute of injury time, as Budimir did find the net again for their inland Basque neighbours to leave Alaves on the precipice of relegation. They have gained just two points from a possible 21 and that is relegation form in anyone’s book.
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