Atleti drop more points at home to Betis
An entertaining watch at the Wanda on Sunday night, didn’t produce any goals but the game certainly wasn’t short on excitement.
Quique Setien’s Betis played a full part and had Atleti stretched for long periods in the first half with full-backs Aissa Mandi and Jordi Amat raiding at will.
Fernando Torres would come closest to opening the scoring before half time, but his neat, chipped finish just didn’t carry enough weight to creep over the line.
Dani Jimenez was forced off before the break, Setien having to rely on his third choice keeper, Pedro Lopez.
The second half was more of the same, and it was nice to see the entire stadium give Joaquin a round of applause when he came on in the 65th minute for Betis.
Chances came and went for both sides with Cristian Tello hitting the bar for the visitors, and although Antoine Griezmann injected a bit of life into Atleti’s attack shortly after coming on, neither side had enough quality on the night to earn three points.
Getafe’s third win in a week sees Europe beckoning
What a difference a week makes.
Before their victory over Espanyol, Getafe were languishing in the lower reaches of the table. Just a week later, and with follow up wins on the road against Valencia and now Eibar, Jose Bordalas’ side now sit on the cusp of a European adventure.
Dominated in almost every facet of the game, Getafe made use of their chance when it came - in the 23rd minute via Mathias Olivera.
The visitors willingly ceded possession against their hosts, knowing that their compact defence, for whom Bruno Gonzalez was excellent, would keep Los Armeros at bay.
Though it didn’t please the home crowd, Bordalas’ enthusiastic encouragement throughout showed exactly what the scoreline meant to him.
With Mathieu Flamini back from a ban shortly, a Europa League spot is theirs to lose in the last four games of the campaign.
@SDEibar 0-1 @GetafeCF
#VamosGeta #EibarGetafe
Moreno at the double
In the Catalan derby, it was a day to forget for Girona, but one to remember for Espanol’s Gerard Moreno.
After sacking Quique Sanchez Flores in the week, the Periquitos looked to be free of the shackles and were good value for their victory against an opponent who is fading fast.
Though the numbers will show that the hosts were well on top, they simply didn’t do anything worthwhile with their possession or chances.
Espanyol, on the other hand, were lethal.
Moreno’s first came at a vital time, just before the break, and his second on 55 effectively killed the game as a contest.
Relegated Malaga stun revitalised Sociedad
After being relegated last weekend, the home fans voted with their feet, and parts of La Rosaleda looked half empty.
No doubt many stayed away, expecting another defeat, especially given how well Sociedad have played of late, including a 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.
As so often happens, once the pressure is off, players can go out and express themselves, and it was an easy day’s work in the end for Los Boquerones.
An early goal from Gonzalez settled everyone down and the hosts stroked the ball about. Just as the Basque side were starting to get a foothold in the game, a second from En-Nesyri stopped them in their tracks.
Try as they might to break down the home defence in the second half, La Real weren’t inventive enough in their approach play to open up the gaps needed to execute their rehearsed moves.
Leganes struggle to bore draw against Depor
Spanish football is generally known for its technical quality and skill, neither of which were on show at Butarque on a windy Friday night in southern Madrid.
Clarence Seedorf can’t be too disappointed with another point as Depor fight tooth and nail to stay in the division, but his players needed to do a little bit more in the final third.
Lucas Perez was a livewire early on, but his finishing was poor. Leganes, for their part, were getting in some great positions consistently throughout the game, but their aim was off too.
Far too many bitty challenges weren’t overlooked by the ref and so the game had a staccato feel to it.
That it was a relief when the final whistle went tells you all you need to know about this 0-0.
