Barcelona manager Xavi left El Sadar with mixed emotions on Tuesday. Despite getting a 2-1 victory over hosts Osasuna to extend their lead in the La Liga standings, he will have to deal with the fact that he’ll miss two of his key players for their next domestic match.
Robert Lewandowski and Gerard Pique were both sent off before halftime and Xavi himself was also given a yellow after complaining to the referees.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid got back on the winning track against Cadiz, while their city rivals Atletico Madrid are currently in shambles.
The 14th matchday of the Spanish top-flight is done and dusted, and we’re now headed to the international break. So read on below as SBOTOP brings to you the latest La Liga 2022 updates.
Barca pull further ahead
Gerard Pique’s final game didn’t go exactly as planned, but he’ll take the win anyway. This could’ve been his final appearance before he officially retires. Instead, he was sent off after barking continuously at referee Jesus Gil Manzano at halftime.
Barcelona were angered by several decisions from Manzano. They were frustrated when he refused to rule out Osasuna’s goal after Unai Garcia hit Marcos Alonso during a corner that led to David Garcia’s opener.
Things went from bad to worse for Barca as Robert Lewandowski was sent off after 30 minutes for his second yellow card. Lewy was booked previously for his foul on Nacho Vidal, and his second was his rude bump on David Garcia as they fought for a loose ball.
Pique was then sent off too despite being on the bench, although Ferran Torres’ goal that was ruled offside gave Barcelona a glimmer of hope before the break.
In the second half, Barcelona roared back as Pedri converted a cross from Jordi Alba and then Raphinha put the game away during the 85th minute. Chimy Avila could have won it for Osasuna in a sequence prior to Raphinha’s match-winner, but Marc -Andre ter Stegen saved the day.
With the win, Barcelona’s La Liga 2022 odds of winning the title have improved now that they have a two-point lead over Real Madrid at the table.
Toni Kroos the hero for Real Madrid
Speaking of Real Madrid, they’ve returned to winning ways by beating Cadiz last night with a 2-1 scoreline. Los Blancos scored one apiece in both halves and Toni Kroos had a hand in those goals.
Cadiz were content in defending all evening and Real Madrid struggled to breach their defence. Los Piratas almost took a shock lead when Alfonso Espino rifled a long-range shot that hit the woodwork at one point to test Thibaut Courtois.
But after enough persistence, Real Madrid took the lead for good in the 40th minute when Kroos teed up Eder Militao for a header from a short corner.
After halftime, Real Madrid controlled the match and Kroos extended their lead via a strong strike from a rebound during the 70th minute.
Luka Modric almost added a third for Los Blancos after receiving a cross from Vinicius Junior and Cadiz grabbed a consolation goal when Lucas Perez hit the ball past Courtois at the 81st minute.
This was a nice bounce back effort from the defending La Liga champions after losing 3-2 against Rayo Vallecano on Monday, their first league defeat this season.
Cadiz, meanwhile, are still in the relegation zone – placing 19th with only 11 points.
Atletico Madrid’s top four hopes in jeopardy
The resurgent Mallorca heaped further misery to Atletico Madrid, as they defeated them 1-0 at Son Moix last night.
Atletico Madrid outshot Mallorca 17 to 9, but it was Vedat Muriqi’s goal at the 16th minute that proved to be the difference. Muriqi has now scored in five straight matches and he remains on top of Mallorca’s scoring charts with seven goals and one assist.
Los Rojiblancos could’ve equalised if Alvaro Morata didn’t stray offside before scoring at the top corner few minutes after halftime. Since then, Atletico Madrid were mostly passive and Mallorca were content with that.
But Morata had another chance in the game’s dying minutes as Antoine Griezmann teed him up for a header, only to be denied by Predrag Rajkovic. On the other end, Amath Ndiaye almost put the hosts up by two goals.
It didn’t matter, though, as Toni Amor’s side are now unbeaten in their last four, moving them up to 11th in the standings. Atletico Madrid, in contrast, have fallen to fifth place as Diego Simeone’s coaching seat is apparently getting warmer.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
