Lionel Messi fired Barcelona eight points clear at the top of La Liga with his 600th career goal as the leaders beat second-placed Atletico Madrid.
More than 90,000 fans jammed into the Camp Nou to witness one of the biggest football games of the season and, quite possibly, the title decider; and it was Barca’s hero Messi who made the difference. Sports betting players who back anyone else to win the league now know that it’s a long shot.
Barcelona 1-0 Atletico Madrid
It was asking a lot for Atletico to win this game, with handicap betting odds of 4.80, let alone the Primera Division. They have been in great form, reducing the deficit at the top from 11 to five points, but it’s an uphill task they face once again. Messi’s beautifully struck free-kick was enough to win it, though Atleti’s Kevin Gameiro had a late effort chalked offside.
Real Madrid 3-1 Getafe
There was a landmark too for another legend of European football, arguably the second-best player in Spain, as Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 300th La Liga goal in a 3-1 win over Getafe. Ronaldo’s brace and another from Gareth Bale were more than enough to see off the visitors, who had Loic Remy sent off. Francisco Portillo made the score respectable from the spot.
Valencia 2-0 Real Betis
Valencia stay in fourth, just a point behind Los Blancos, with two incisive strikes by in-form attackers against a Real Betis side which usually travels well. Rodrigo scored his tenth after a speedy break before Simone Zaza bagged his 11th of the season early in the second half.
Sevilla 2-0 Athletic Bilbao
Fifth-placed Sevilla are eight points behind Valencia, so a Champions League place is a tall order; however, a convincing first-half performance saw off Athletic Club at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Luis Muriel put the hosts in the lead before Franco Vazquez doubled the advantage to give the home fans a relaxing second half.
Villarreal 0-2 Girona
Girona shrugged off their recent poor run on their travels with an impressive win over sixth-placed Villarreal. Cristhian Stuani, with his 14th league goal this season, and Anthony Lozano lifted the visitors to seventh and just a point behind the Yellow Submarine.
Deportivo La Coruna 1-1 Eibar
An early bath for new Depor keeper Maksym Koval looked to have handed Eibar a golden opportunity against their struggling hosts. But after Takashi Inui had given them the lead, Florin Andone equalised as Depor held on for a crucial point. They are still in deep trouble though in 19th.
Celta Vigo 2- 1 Las Palmas
An 89th-minute bullet from Pablo Hernandez gave Celta Vigo a hard-fought victory and left Las Palmas in the bottom three. Erik Exposito fired low into the corner to give the visitors a lead, but that woke Celta and they responded quickly through Jonny Castro before going on to win with Hernandez’ late strike.
Real Sociedad 2-1 Alaves
Real Sociedad leapfrogged Alaves up into 12th place thanks to two early strikes from Hector Moreno and Asier Illarramendi. Alfonso Pedraza did pull one back for Alaves, but Real played the game out for the win. Both should be safe.
Leganes 2-0 Malaga
After six defeats in a row, rock-bottom Malaga must be getting close to preparing for life in the Segunda Division. It was all too easy for Leganes as Javier Eraso and Nordin Amrabat showed Malaga what a Primera Divison team can do, no matter how small.
Levante 1-1 Espanyol
Fifteen games without a win were enough for the Levante board to sack coach Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz, but he’ll be thinking what might have been after his side led through a Jose Morales penalty. Leo Baptistao broke Levante hearts in stoppage time, marking the end for Muniz.
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