We end the first half of the season with the 19th match day edition of LaLiga Overtime. After the Christmas break, previous to the arrival of the Three Wise Men, LaLiga has returned to write the last chapter of a first round that is already in the books.
19 matches that have ended with Real Madrid as winter champions, but tied in points with this season’s revelation: Girona. On the opposite end of the table, Andalusia takes up the entire relegation zone, as Cádiz, Granada and a historically bad Almería side occupy the three bottom positions. With all of that said, let’s get to the last edition of LaLiga Overtime relative to the first half of the season.
LaLiga Overtime – Match Day #19:
Almería receive coal:
During this time of the year, it is common for misbehaving children to see a small piece of coal in the morning of January 6th. A reprimand for not being good during the year, meant to incentivize an improvement in their behavior. In LaLiga, as a result of their very poor performance, Almería are the ones to get the coal. They are also one of the protagonists of this week’s edition of LaLiga Overtime.
The Andalusian side has been an absolute disaster, it does not matter the way you look at it. They resemble the kind of friend who, whenever he has an idea, you know it is going to turn out badly. Like going out to party the night before an exam. That is exactly what Almería have been this season, a team that cannot even rely on their intention anymore. We could say that they are souls in pain that walk lightly towards their inevitable fate, which is relegation to the Second Division.
In addition, it seems like they want to do it in big fashion. After a round of the championship, they have only scored five points, such a poor total that it is only second to another in history, Sporting de Gijón‘s in 1998. On another note, they have yet to win a match and are getting dangerously close to the negative record of the Asturian side, who did not come out victorious before the 24th match day. Almería get the coal in LaLiga, let’s just hope that they do not choke on it even further.
Athletic Club take flight:
Girona are hoarding all of the covers due to their excellent performance and results, but there are many teams who are completing a fantastic season. One of them is Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club. A team that ended the first round in fourth position after defeating Sevilla, who find themselves in the midst of a major crisis that includes an argument between Sergio Ramos and a fan.
A project led by ‘El Txingurri’ on the bench and the Williams brothers on the pitch, although Iñaki will miss the upcoming month due to the celebration of the African Cup of Nations. A manager that does not stand out for his verbosity of charisma. Valverde stands out a lot by being an ordinary man and an exceptional manager.
And after a magnificent first half of the season, he has led ‘The Lions’ to the top portion of the table, earning well-deserved recognition in this match day’s edition of LaLiga Overtime. Athletic Club dream of achieving a historical feat: qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2014. A team that has taken flight with Nico and Iñaki Williams and who are well on their way to the top European club tournament.
Girona-Atlético de Madrid: an ode to football:
In a league marked by time wasting, scarce effective play and excessive protagonism of the referees, it is wonderful to get a present like the match that Girona and Atlético de Madrid offered. Two of the most offensively loaded teams in the league gifted the audience an early Three Wise Men present.
Often times, we find the European football enjoyer that labels LaLiga as a boring competition that mostly hosts 0-0 draws. But further from the truth, we have had a really entertaining season, and this match is clear proof of that. Changes on the lead, comebacks, suffocating pace, etc. All of those factors combined to make up a historical match.
Girona began the fixture on a roll, even getting a 3-1 lead at some point, but a spectacular performance by Álvaro Morata took the match by storm. Atlético de Madrid’s striker scored his first-ever hat-trick for the ‘colchonero’ side and has recorded 12 LaLiga goals so far (his second best total ever).
Atleti went on a rampage to complete the comeback, but found themselves up against a team that defies all logic. Against all odds, an unreal goal by Iván Martín gave the team managed by Míchel the win, allowing them to follow Real Madrid’s lead. A perfect ending to an ode to football.
Translated by Nuño Alonso.
Main image: Edit by Pablo Benítez.
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