Matchday 28 of LaLiga EASports has been one of the busiest and most exciting so far this season. FC Barcelona return to the top of the table, despite having a game in hand, after beating Atlético de Madrid in an epic duel to the end. Real Madrid and Athletic Club also handled business with wins at Villarreal and Sevilla, two of the toughest sides in the division. At the bottom, the relegation places have changed again: Deportivo Alavés moved out of the red zone after a last-gasp point against UD Las Palmas, who remain second-bottom, and CD Leganés slipped into relegation after a tough defeat at Real Betis. LaLiga Overtime 28th round extra time kicks off!
LaLiga Overtime 24/25 – Match Day #28:
Real Madrid take a breath of fresh air at the Estadio de la Cerámica:
After the Champions League match, Real Madrid travelled to one of the stadiums they have found most difficult in recent years. Los Blancos had gone eight years without a win at Villarreal and needed the points if they were to keep up the pressure on FC Barcelona. Ancelotti’s side did not disappoint, a great Kylian Mbappé sealed the win with a brace on the day that Vinicius Jr started the game from the bench and the debate resurfaced as to whether the Frenchman plays better without the Brazilian.
Villarreal CF came into a very intense match with a lot of pace. Juan Foyth gave Marcelino’s side the lead and in the first few minutes ‘The Yellow Submarine’ dominated possession and came dangerously close to Courtois’ goal. With this victory, Real Madrid remain in the fight for the title, while the visitors occupy 5th place, which we will see if it gives access to the Champions League.
VAR and RCD Mallorca overshadow Joan García:
What we saw this Saturday at Son Moix was one of the best performances by a goalkeeper so far this season, again by Joan García. The Catalan is undoubtedly the goalkeeper who gives the most points to his team, but his performances are starting to make us realise that he probably already has the level to play for a big club. RCD Espanyol took the lead in Mallorca and it looked as if they were going to take a tremendous advantage to move away from relegation at a very difficult ground.
In the second half, the VAR decided to award a penalty with 0-1 on the scoreboard, which provoked protests from Manolo González’s men, as the contact seemed insufficient. Joan García did his job and throughout the match continued to show his characteristic assurance, until in the 89th minute, with the score level at 1-1, the referee pointed to another penalty and Joan García saved Abdón’s spot-kick and the rebound. However, the penalty was retaken because the referee interpreted that a visiting player had entered the halfway line before the kick was taken, and even the RCD Espanyol goalkeeper was unable to prevent the controversy from taking centre stage.
FC Barcelona’s key victory:
FC Barcelona stormed the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in the final match of the day. Atletico Madrid went 2-0 up as Julián Álvarez opened the scoring with another fine display from his partner Antoine Griezmann. A home win seemed imminent and would turn the championship race upside down, but in the 72nd minute, a goal from Robert Lewandowski had Hansi Flick’s side smelling blood.
When it seemed that the scales were tipped in favour of Siemone’s side, Ferrán Torres entered the game and after five minutes on the pitch brought the game to a 2-2 draw. With the home side’s spirits already very low, Lamine Yamal popped up to score the third, scoring in LaLiga 140 days later and putting an end to the criticism. The fourth and final goal was scored again by ‘the shark’, who appeared as an unexpected hero. It was therefore necessary to highlight it in this week’s LaLiga Overtime.
Main image: Edit Pablo Benítez.
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