Madrid, Oct 6 (IANS) — Real Madrid returned to the summit of La Liga heading into the international break, while FC Barcelona suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat at Sevilla on Sunday.
Barcelona, missing key players Lamine Yamal and Raphinha and showing signs of fatigue after Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, struggled from the start. Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring from the penalty spot, followed by Isaac Romero doubling Sevilla’s lead. Marcus Rashford pulled one back for Barcelona in first-half stoppage time, but Robert Lewandowski missed a second-half penalty, and Jose Antonio Carmona restored Sevilla’s two-goal cushion in the 89th minute. Akor Adams added a fourth in stoppage time to seal the emphatic victory.
On Saturday, Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Vinicius Jr. scored twice after halftime — including a penalty — before Georges Mikautadze gave Villarreal hope in the 73rd minute. The visitors’ challenge ended when Santiago Mourino received a second yellow card, and Kylian Mbappe scored the third goal eight minutes later, though he later hobbled off with a minor ankle issue.
Atletico Madrid dropped points with a 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo. An early own goal from Carl Starfelt put Atletico ahead, but Clement Lenglet’s 40th-minute red card shifted momentum. Iago Aspas equalized in the second half after Jan Oblak had saved Borja Iglesias’ attempt.
Elche’s seven-game unbeaten streak ended with a 3-1 loss to Alaves. Carlos Vicente converted a penalty and Toni Martinez added a second for Alaves, before Andre da Silva pulled one back in stoppage time, but Lucas Boye restored the two-goal margin immediately.
Real Betis came from behind to beat Espanyol 2-1. Pol Lozano had given the hosts the lead, but second-half goals from Cucho Hernandez and Ez Abde secured the win, with former Espanyol keeper Pau Lopez saving a 100th-minute penalty from Javi Puado.
Rayo Vallecano continued their momentum from Thursday’s Conference League win with a 1-0 victory at Real Sociedad, courtesy of Alfonso Espino’s late goal.
Athletic Bilbao ended a four-game winless run by defeating Mallorca 2-1 at home. Inaki Williams scored an early penalty, Samu Costa equalized for Mallorca, but Alejandro Rego netted the winner assisted by Jesus Areso.
Levante claimed a 2-0 win over Oviedo with goals from Carlos Alvarez and Etta Eyong, while Girona, despite being reduced to nine men, held on to a 2-1 win over Valencia through goals by Vladislav Vanat and Arnau Martinez. Diego Lopez scored for Valencia before Ivan Martin and Alejandro Frances were sent off late in the match.
On Friday, Osasuna secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Getafe with Alejandro Catena heading in the winner in the final minute.
