The Pamplona-based club was the talk of Spain last week after holding Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at Estadio Reyno de Navarra. While Osasuna’s injury time equalizer was an own goal from Gerard Pique, the Navarrans had performed with guts and guile – with Carlos Aranda particularly wreaking havoc in the Catalans’ back line – and deserved the point.

Success is a rare thing at Osasuna, with the club having finished in the bottom half of the table eight of the last nine years (including three 17th place finishes). The exception to the rule was 2005-06, when Osasuna stunningly finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League. They were dismissed by Hamburg in the qualifying stages, but made it the semifinals of the 2007 UEFA Cup, where they were nipped by a 2-1 aggregate against eventual champion Sevilla.

The draw against Barca was the continuation of an impressive run for Osasuna, as it gave them three wins and two draws in its last six league matches, with a 2-1 road win at Xerez in the Copa del Rey round of 32 mixed in. That stretch had the team sitting comfortably in mid-table, and with the league season almost a quarter over, possibilities of a challenge for a European spot loomed.

And then they went to Almeria Sunday.

As good as they were against Barcelona, they were poor against their Andalucian opponents. Osasuna were down a goal less than two minutes, Josetxo heading into his own net a cross from Almeria’s tireless 21-year old Brazilian left back, Guilherme. The visitors were inept throughout, getting just one shot on goal the entire match before Almeria striker Kalu Uche put them out of their misery with an insurance tally in the 90th minute.

One day, Osasuna was on top of the world. The next, they look like they’re headed for another relegation battle. Such is life in La Liga.

So who are the darlings du jour this week? Let’s travel 250 miles west from Pamplona to the Asturian coast where Sporting Gijon – 1-0 winners over Espanyol this weekend – incredibly sit seventh in the table with 16 points, just one point behind Mallorca for a Europa League spot.

A very modest side that barely survived the drop last season and didn’t have the money to make any significant additions over the summer, Sporting hasn’t lost since a Sept. 27 defeat at Osasuna (2-1). Since then they have taken 11 of the 15 points on offer, with the two draws coming at home to Real Madrid (0-0) and at fifth place Deportivo La Coruna (1-1), both impressive results.

Former Atletico player Miguel de las Cuevas has been in good form for the Asturians with a team-leading four goals. And the defending has been stingy, with Sporting allowing just 10 goals through 10 games this season, tied with Valencia and Espanyol for the fourth-best defensive record in La Liga.

Sporting host Segunda side Recreativo de Huelva Tuesday in its Copa del Rey second leg match, having drawn 1-1 in Huelva in the first leg. After the international break, Sporting travel to hapless Xerez, scorers of just three goals (one being an own goal) this season. It’s all set up for Sporting to continue its unexpected early success.

Which means, given the way this season has gone thus far, Xerez will find a way to win.

A couple other talking points:

* Two cracking games of football took place the Vicente Calderon and Sanchez Pizjuan. In the former, Real Madrid took a 3-0 lead, put Raul on, had Sergio Ramos sent off, and barely clung to a 3-2 win over its city rivals. The beginning of the end of Raul’s reign over all things Real Madrid appears to finally be coming – even the supporters are getting annoyed with him. For Atletico – still in the drop zone with just seven points – the despair goes on.

In Sevilla, Robert Pires and David Fuster answered an early Luis Fabiano goal to put Villarreal ahead of the hosts, 2-1. But Fabiano answered in the 61st minute, just two minutes after Fuster’s goal, to equalize, and substitute Frederic Kanoute headed in the winner just five minutes later for Sevilla. Manolo Jimenez’s men remain in third place, just four points behind Barcelona and three behind Real Madrid. Villarreal, despite the loss, appear to have righted the ship.

* Goals from Juan Mata, David Villa and Pablo kept an impressive Valencia side in the top four (just five points out of first) with a 3-1 home win over Zaragoza. Just as big a story, though, was the visitors’ introduction of striker Alex Sanchez 15 minutes from time. Sanchez, who was born without a right hand, is reportedly the first player with just one hand to appear in a La Liga match.

* Racing Santander made Juan Carlos Mandia the second manager in the league to be sacked this season after Sunday’s dismal 2-0 home loss to Athletic Bilbao. Racing have fallen on hard times after a sixth place finish two seasons ago, dropping to 12th last year and sitting just above Atletico for 17th so far this season. Racing has taken just one point from five home matches this season, surrendering 12 goals in those games.

The results:
Getafe 0-2 Deportivo La Coruna; Tenerife 2-2 Malaga; Barcelona 4-2 Mallorca; Atletico 2-3 Real Madrid; Almeria 2-0 Osasuna; Racing Santander 0-2 Athletic Bilbao; Sporting Gijon 1-0 Espanyol; Valladolid 0-0 Xerez; Valencia 3-1 Zaragoza; Sevilla 3-2 Villarreal.

The table:
Barcelona 26 points; Real Madrid 25; Sevilla 22; Valencia 21; Deportivo La Coruna 19, Mallorca 17; Sporting 16; Athletic 16; Espanyol 13; Osasuna 12; Almeria 12; Getafe 12; Zaragoza 11; Valladolid 10; Tenerife 10; Villarreal 9; Racing 7; Atletico 7; Xerez 6; Malaga 5

Osasuna had started Sunday in eighteenth place but were hosting a Real Madrid side that has been in freefall. Los Rojillos got their three points, as did seventeenth place Sporting Gijon, who pulled back an early goal given to Recre and got the three points they would need to survive. With Getafe drawing at Racing, relegation was decided in Seville. If Real Betis defeated a Valladolid side that has looked helpless for months, they would survive. A draw or a loss for the Verdiblancos would see them improbably relegated.

That was Sunday. On Saturday, Atlético Madrid needed a point to seal a Champions League qualifying spot (fourth place), while Valencia needed a win or a Barcelona result against Depor to hang on to their Europa League spot.

Here’s how it all went down, with this game-by-game report stripping all the justice out of Sunday’s dramatic finish:

	Deportivo la Coruña	1		Barcelona	1
Goals 31 ‘ – Rodolfo Bodipo			Goals 89′ – Samuel Eto’o

At kickoff, Deportivo sat in seventh place and needed a win to remain in the race for Europa League. Barcelona’s starting XI featured six players who saw the pitch in Rome, not quite the squad of back-ups that lost to Osasuna last weekend. Whereas Depor may have hoped those from Barcelona’s B team would help their attempt to get the three points they needed, Barça’s replacements included Bojan Krkic, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Aliaksandr Hleb.

Early, it looked that Deportivo would be able to overcome Barcelona’s surprisingly strong club. The hosts dominated the early portions of the match, going ahead in the 31st minute when Andres Guardado set-up another Coruña goal, this time helping Bodipo to his fifth of the season.

Though Depor also needed Valencia to lose at home for them to clinch Europa, it looked as if they would do their part. Near the death, Samuel Eto’o ran onto a Bojan Krkic ball and drove his 30th goal of the league season past Daniel Aranbuzía, ending Depor’s hopes of returning to European football, giving the league champions a final point.

	Mallorca	2		Villareal	3
Goals 36′ – Artiz Aduriz 90′ – Piere Webó			Goals 30′ – Cani 40′ – Joseba Llorente 53′ – Joseba Llorente

Villareal came into this match with faint hopes of moving into fourth place. Atlético Madrid needed to lose at the Vincente Calderon, with Villareal then getting three points against Mallorca to return to Champions League.

In what may prove to be Manuel Pellegrini’s final match in charge of Villareal, the Yellow Submarine posted a well-earned victory. A solid effort from a Mallorca squad that had nothing to play for hints that the man who may replace Pellegrini, Mallorca’s Gregorio Manzano, should keep Villareal a tough side to play against.

The visitors got on the board when Joseba Llorente set-up Cani for the opener. Though Mallorca would respond with Artiz Aduriz’s 11th seven minutes later, Llorente would add a brace to put the match away shortly after halftime. Cani set-up each of Llorente’s goals.

Llorente finishes his first season at Villareal with a team-leading fifteen league goals.

This match also featured the return of Villareal midfielder Santi Cazorla, who was brought on in the 68th minute as a replacement for Guiuseppe Rossi. The Spanish international had been out with a broken leg, but he has recovered in time to feature in Spain’s plans for the upcoming Confederations Cup.

Not to be overshadowed, Mallorca puts in another strong campaign, finishing in ninth place. Whereas many thought Mallorca likely to slip after last summer’s departure of Daniel Güiza to Fenerbahçe, the club was able to replace the sniper with Aduriz, who has proved a more creative presence than the his predecessor.

If Manzano departs this summer, Mallorca my have to overcome an even bigger off-season departure if they are to again place in the middle of La Primera.

	Atlético Madrid	3		Almeria	0
Goals 19′ – Kün Agüero 27′ – Raúl Garcia 49′ – Diego Forlan			Goals None

Atlético could clinch fourth place and a return to Champions League (albeit in third round qualifying) with a point or a Villareal loss. With their recent uptick in form, the presence of Pichichi chasing Diego Forlan, and a visiting Almeria side that had nothing to play for, there was little doubt that los Rojiblancos would punch a return ticket to UCL. Immediately after beating Bilbao last week, Forlan (who had just registered a hat-trick) had to remind media and teammates that there was still work to be done.

Those reminders must have been heard, as the Atléti continued their stellar form, holding Almeria without a shot on goal in their 3-0 win.

Kün Agüero scored his 17th goal of the year early, with Raúl Garcia doubling Madrid’s lead eight minutes later. Once the hosts were up by two, the only doubt remaining was whether Forlan, up by two goals on Samuel Eto’o before kickoff, could secure his second Pichichi. Scoring his 32nd goal of the season two minutes into the second half, Forlan not only held off Eto’o but also secured the European Golden Shoe, given to the best goal scorer in Europe.

Lionel Messi was the best player in Spain this season, with teammates Xavi and Andrés Iniesta not far behind, but over the last month-and-a-half, Forlan has been the league’s best performer. He has carried Atlético into a Champions League spot, with inspirational performances in wins over Espanyol and Atheltic Bilbao culminating his run of pristine form. Overshadowed last year by Agüero and this year by Messi, Eto’o (for most of the season) and speculation as to where he’ll play next season, Forlan at least deserves a small moment of consideration, now that La Liga’s season has ended. Upon that reflection, we see he may be the best choice to sit along sit Messi as forward on FifPro’s World XI.

	Valencia	2		Athletic Bilbao	0
Goals 7′ – David Villa 90′ – David Villa			Goals None

If this is David Villa’s last match for Valencia, he ended his tenure in style, with goals at the beginning and end of a match that secures Valencia’s place in Europa League.

Valencia’s financial troubles have been well documented, and although Villa affirmed his allegiance to Los Che in comments after this match, it will be difficult for the club to keep him, particularly coming off the best season of his career. With 28 goals in league, Villa has raised his value as highly as it is ever likely to go, and with clubs like Real Madrid and Chelsea likely to spend big this summer, Valencia will be pressed to cash in.

On Saturday, Villa did nothing to hurt his market value. Running onto the end of a Joaquin cross, Villa put Valencia on the board early. At that point, a deflated Bilbao seemed to give Los Che the Europa spot, with Valencia threatening a second goal for the remainder of the first half.

Bilbao had a couple of chances for a second half equalizer, but strong play from César and a late goal from Villa put the match away and sent Valencia into Europe.

For a team as talented as Valencia, not making Champions League disappoints. The impending sales will overshadow the fact that Unai Emery should have gotten more out of this team. They should have been closer near the end, let alone more capable of holding on to the fourth place position they had thre weeks ago.

When and if he returns to the Mestalla, he is likely to see an entirely different club, one that may look more like the Almeria side he coached last season. Will Villa, David Silva, or Raúl Albiol return next season? If not, Valencia still has enough talent to threaten Europa qualification. For them to do so, Valencia may need a coach that can get more out of the club.

	Osasuna	2		Real Madrid	1
Goals 14′ – Jaroslav Plasil 60′ – Francisco Juanfran			Goals 11′ – Gonzalo Higuaín

For the Madridistas, this season can not end soon enough. They have never recovered from their embarrassing loss to Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu, and their fall has been so pronounced that Osasuna, a team battling relegation, should have felt fortunate to host them on the final match day of the season.

Though it did not look like los Rojillos would be so fortunate after Gonzalo Higuaín put Los Blancos ahead in the eleventh minute, Osasuna quickly struck an equalizer through Jaroslav Plasil. From there, they controlled the match, thanks in part to Madrid finishing with only nine men.

It was after the first Madrid player was excused in the 56th minute that Osasuna was able to seal survival. Míchel Salgado was shown a straight red by referee Fernando Teixeira. Four minutes later, Francisco Juanfran put the hosts up for good. Klass Jan-Huntelaar, who came on as a substitute in the 78th minute, was excused in the 89th, leaving Madrid to finish down two men.

It was appropriate, given how the last month has gone, that Madrid finished their La Liga campaign confused and out-matched, even to a low-finishing club like Osasuna. Today, they welcomed back club president Florentino Perez, who has promised to rebuild the club. The author of the Galacticos squads earlier this decade, Perez has hinted that Madrid will be spending massive amounts of money to revitalize their club. Next season, Madrid’s quest to track down Barcelona will likely be the dominant headline in European football.

For their part in the match, Osasuna got the three points they needed to avoid relegation. Starting the day in 18th place, Osasuna was not guaranteed survival with a win; however, as only one of the other five clubs fighting relegation won their match, Osasuna not only survived but rose to 15th place.

	Sporting Gijon	1		Recreativo Huelva	1
Goals 58′ – David Barral 67′ – Luis Morán			Goals 23′ – Ersen Martin

Last week, Sporting Gijon barely pulled themselves out of the drop, climbing above Osasuna on a tiebreaker. This week, like others in the five-way relegation fight, they would give up the first goal, putting them face-to-face with relegation. Sporting Gijon was the one team that responded confidently in the face of adversity, though it took them over thirty minutes to do so.

Huelva’s Ersen Martin put the visitors up 1-0 in the 23rd minute on a strike from the edge of the box. The home crowd went mute as Segunda-bound Recre was about to book a partner’s ticker. Though Sporting would start asserting control of the match as halftime approached, the teams would go into the break with Gijon looking relegation bound.

That changed when Davia Barral beat Asier Reisgo to tie the match. Insurance against a probable Osasuna victory was gained nine minutes later, as Luis Morán pulled a dominant Sporting side ahead, securing La Liga survival.

	Racing Santander	1		Getafe	1
Goals 34′ – Toni			Goals 38′ – Esteban Granero

To guarantee survival, Getafe needed a victory. Otherwise, their La Liga lives would be in the hands of Real Betis When Toni Moral put the home team ahead in the 34th minute, it looked as if that would be hoping for a Betis failure in Seville. Toni finished a play started by a Jonathan Periera cross, putting their rivals on the brink of relegation.

Geta midfielder Esteban Granero quickly equalized, putting away a Roberto Soldado pass to pull the visitors even.

From there, neither team was able to generate many chances, meaning Getafe would have to be happy with their point. A Real Betis victory against Valladolid would send them down.

	Real Betis	1		Valladolid	1
Goals 49′ – Ricardo Oliveira			Goals 45′ – Marcos Aguirre

Like Getafe, Real Betis gave up the first goal, meaning they would need two to guarantee their survival. They pulled back an equalizer through Ricardo Oliviera early in the second half, but with Sporting Gijon and Osasuna both winning, one point was not going to be enough. A number of critical saves by Valladolid’s Asenjo held a desperate Real Betis, putting the Seville side in 18th place after Getafe’s draw with Racing. Betis finished with 42 points, the same as Getafe, but was relegation due to inferior goal difference.

Real Betis were last relegated in 1999-2000, bouncing back up immediately for the 2001-02 season. For the Verdiblancos, a club that has a strong following and spends significantly on talent, it is a crushing blow, particularly given how their final match played out. Valladolid ended the season with a miserable run of form yet were able to score first on the road. Betis quickly equalized but, despite creating numerous scoring chances through the second half, were never able to get a survival goal past Asenjo.

Though they have not been in the drop zone since early in the season, Betis now find themselves in the Segunda, a drop with the significance of Newcastle’s in the Premiership. But clubs have loyal followers, deep pockets, and although they had ambitions of high finishes, completely lacked results. It will be strange for La Liga to be without its Seville derby, but given all the opportunities Betis had to avoid this scenario – including having one of the most desirable of last day fixtures – their relegation is deserved.

Espanyol 3, Málaga 0 – Espanyol finishes the season as the league’s hottest club, with only a dramatic comeback win by the Atléti two weeks ago blemishing seven wins in eight matches. Sunday’s victory was courtesy a Raul Tamúdo hat-trick, doubling the forward’s season goal total.
Numancia 0, Sevilla 2 – The fate of each of these teams was decided last week, with Sevilla sewing up automatic Champions League qualification while Numancia confirmed a return to the Segunda. Emiliano Armenteros scored in the 88th minute to give Sevilla the lead before an own-goal by Numancia captain Juan Carlos Moreno provided some poetry to Numancia’s relegation.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. He also hosts WSR Radio, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” Richard also hosts a regular (if informal) podcast at pointoneohradio.com.

But the real drama is at the bottom of the table, as five teams are within two points of each other in positions 14 through 18, meaning a relegation rumble looms for next week’s final match day. With only Real Betis and Valladolid playing each other, next week’s 8:00 am (Eastern) kickoffs will entails a lot of scoreboard-watching, with each goal dramatically influencing which of the five clubs will join Numancia and Recreativo Huelva in relegation to La Segunda.

Starting with the battles for Europe, here is how Jornada 37 played out in La Liga:

	Villareal	3		Valencia	1
Goals 14′ – Joseba Llorente 31′ – Joseba Llorente 66′ – Cani			Goals 40′ – David Villa

The latest iteration of this rivalry had a chippy tone throughout, with Valencia midfield stalwart Carlos Marchena spending the first ten minutes of the match chopping down Robert Pires and Cani. The referee’s silence implicitly set the tone.  He kept his cards in his pocket for all of Marchena’s early tackles, giving the sides license to needle each other all evening.

Villareal would start the match with some long play-counters to try and exploit Valencia’s suspect defense, but as the match settled the Yellow Submarine started keeping more possession, building their most successful attack down their right side. Their work paid off in the fourteenth minute when captain Javi Venta ran off a pass to Ariel Ibagaza, who immediately found the right back going down the sideline. Joseba Llorente came across the box and, after Venta found him roughly 14 meters from goal, turned beautifully on a ball he popped up, putting a volley far post past César for the first goal.

Valencia was exploited down their left for the match’s second goal. Venta found himself in possession just outside the box eight meters from touch. When no Valencia defenders closed him out, Venta was able to pick out Llorente at the far post. Perfect service and a well-taken finish put Villareal up 2-0 after half an hour.

Up two goals, Villareal lost some of their impetus and allowed Valencia more of the play. Los Che halved the lead just before halftime when Pablo Hernández put Mata into space in the box, past the backline. The striker crossed from the right of goal to a well-placed David Villa who, after putting his first shot off the post, got a fortunate bounce for a second opportunity, taken for Valencia’s only goal.

The visitors would come out from halftime with renewed determination, their Champions League life on the line. Solid defending from Villareal limited Valencia’s opportunities. Although Los Che played better at El Mandrigal than they did last week at the Vincente Calderon, they were still unable to consistently challenge for an equalizer.

That equalizer became a faint hope when, in the 66th minute, Robert Pires found Cani just outside the six. Cani took his goal well, put Valencia away, and secured Villareal’s Europa League spot.

Valencia, five points back of fourth place, will miss out on Champions League for another year. That may mean losing David Villa. Given the club’s financial troubles, they could also see David Silva (who did not play) and Raúl Albiol move. Real Madrid has been mentioned, as Florentino Perez continues dropping names of targets.

Even after another poor league finish, Valencia has talent that many clubs – in Spain and beyond – would want. That they don’t defend better and score more goals with the talent they have is a bit of a mystery.

Not getting the most out of his talent is something rarely said about Miguel Pellegrini. He has Villareal in Europa League. They still have a shot at Champions League, sitting two points behind Atletico Madrid. That they have come out of the toughest part of their fixture list in this position when they were chasing Deportivo three weeks ago is testament of Pellegrini’s abilities. Saturday’s victory was a typically disciplined, precise Villareal performance which not only put them into Europe but also reaffirmed their regional dominance.

	Athletic Bilbao	1		Atletico Madrid	4
Goals 67′ – Xabeir Etxeita			Goals 59′ – Raúl Garcia 72′ – Diego Forlán 77′ – Diego Forlán 87′ – Diego Forlán

Atletico were given a brief scare when Xabier Etxeita pulled back Raul García’s opening goal, but as has been the case the last month, the Rosiblancos need only look to Diego Forlán, who seems bent on carrying the club back into Champions League (and himself to the Pichichi).

Three goals from Forlán in fifteen minutes, starting in the 72nd minute, turned a tight match into a romp, giving Atletico a 4-1 victory. The hat trick also put Forlán two goals ahead of Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o in the race for the Pichichi as the league’s leading goal scorer.  For the second week in a row, Forlán was probably the league’s best player.

Atletico needs only one point next week to secure fourth place. They will host Almeria in Jornada 38.

	Sevilla	1		Deportivo La Coruña	0
Goals 90′ – Diego Perotti			Goals None

Atletico’s victory over Bilbao would have put them within striking distance of third place were it not for Diego Perotti’s late goal. The 90th minute winner restored a three point lead over Atletico that Sevilla had thought down to two, given the status of the respective matches as time ran out at the Sanchez Pizjuan. Sevilla, owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over Atletico, clinched direct entry into the Champions League group stage with their victory.

It was a deserved result for Sevilla, who had the better chances throughout the match. Luis Fabiano had a number of first half chances that could have given Sevilla the lead. Frederic Kanoute, Jesus Navas, and Sebastian Squillaci also had opportunities to open scoring, and Perotti hit the post once before ultimately breaking through.

The loss is a huge blow to Deportivo’s Europa hopes. They sit in seventh place and need Valencia to drops points next weekend when Los Che host Athletic Bilbao. If that happens, Coruña still needs to beat Barcelona at the Estadio Riazor.

	Barcelona	0		Osasuna	1
Goals None			Goals 26′ – Walter Pandiani

Walter Pandiani made up for his inability to finish last week with a 26th minute goal that would hold up and, for most of this match, looked to put Osasuna into 17th place. With the early lead against a Barcelona side that played the entire match in cruise control, an Osasuna squad that’s had no problem preventing goals was able to keep a clean sheet at the Nou Camp.

Barcelona played a shadow team. The only players in the starting lineup likely to be in the choice XI for Rome were Sylvinho (getting work in after not being in the lineup for so long) and Samuel Eto’o (chasing the Pichichi). Barcelona lacked creativity and precision, often relying on Eto’o to create opportunities. That’s not exactly what the Cameroonian goal machine does best.

The reserves were reminded early that the there was only so serious this match should be taken when Eidur Gudjohnsen suffered a nasty cut inside his mouth that forced him to play the reminder of the match with large gauze pads between his lips.

An unfortunate moment came at the end of the match when 17-year-old defender Marc Muniesa’s debut was cut off by a straight red card when he slid through Antonio Hidalgo in an effort to stop a break. The red card was a bit harsh and untimely, leading to some chaos on the Barcelona bench, casting a small cloud over Barcelona’s league title celebrations.

	Valladolid	1		Sporting Gijon	2
Goals 69′ – Jonathan Sesma			Goals 44′ – Diego Camacho 79′ – Mate Bilic

Valladolid was again unable to secure their spot in the Primera Division, the loss leaving them at 42 points, within two of Osasuna and Sporting Gijon. Gijon sits in seventeenth and safety thanks to their head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over Osasuna, who had to be disappointed to remain in the drop zone despite three points at Camp Nou.

While Valladolid is technically still eligible to drop, they would have to be passed by four clubs in order to fall to the Segunda. The fixture list does not help them, as none of those four clubs face off against each other, but Valladolid will stay up if they can get at least one point at Real Betis next week.

They nearly had their point on Saturday when Jonathan Sesma put away a Pedro Leon pass, pulling back Diego Camacho’s opening goal from just before half time.

As has happened so many times this season, it was Mate Bilic with a flair for the dramatic for Sporting. Brought on in the 69th minute, the Croatian striker headed home the game winner ten minutes after Sesma’s goal, redirecting a Francisco Maldonado free kick past Sergio Asenjo.

Bilic’s goal put Gijon back into safety, though they will need a win next week against Recreativo Huelva to guarantee survival.

	Getafe	1		Numancia	0
Goals 61′ – Roberto Soldado			Goals None

Getafe dominated the match and should have had more than one goal. Roberto Soldado’s 61st minute finish from Cosmin Contra’s set-up gave Getafe all the scoring they would need. The win kept Getafe one point above the drop but also confirmed Numancia’s relegation. Numancia goes down after one season in La Primera.

The hosts outshot Numancia 21-3, generating every good chance of the match. Much of that was do to the play of Contra, playing in the midfield (as opposed to his normal back position). He consistently created chances for the likes of Soldado, who has the victim of a couple of nice saves from Numancia keeper Juan Pablo Colinas. Colinas finished the night with six saves, the victim of his club’s inability to keep possession or generate attack.

Getafe has a trip to Racing Santandor next week. Though they sit in 15th place, Getafe needs a win to guarantee survival.

	Malaga	1		Real Betis	1
Goals 81′ – Albert Luque			Goals 43 – Edu

Albert Luque continues a strong stretch of play, scoring a late equalizer to give Malaga a point and push Real Betis into next weekend’s relegation rumble. Though a draw at the league’s eighth place club is usually reason for contentment at mid-table side, Luque’s goal combined with wins from Getafe, Osasuna and Sporting Gijon puts Betis in the middle of a five team group that continues to battle for survival.

Edu put Betis in the lead just before half time, but Malaga come out of the break and dominated. Though Betis was able to hold their lead for most of the half, Malaga was the more deserving side, with Luque and Eliseau Pereira in place to score more goals. Ultimately, Betis goalkeeper Ricardo did enough to give his team a point and keep them slightly above the drop.

Betis hosts Valladolid next week, a club that has been in free-fall for two months. If Real plays next week like they did on Saturday, they should survive.

	Recreativo	0		Racing Santander	1
Goals None			Goals 78′ – Nikola Zigic

A match that saw few scoring opportunities created by either side was won when Nikola Zigic converted Jonathan Periera’s set-up, giving the towering Serbian loanee the match’s only goal. The strike confirmed relegation for Huelva, who sit seven points adrift after the loss.

	Almeria	0		Espanyol	3
Goals None			Goals 28′ – Iván Alonso 73′ – Iván Alonso 90′ – Coro

In a match that meant nothing for the table, Espanyol continued their remarkable resurgence with a strong performance at Almeria. Two late goals made the final score more lopsided than the game played, as Almeria controlled play and generated as many chances as their guests. But it was a common formula for Espanyol, who again used the first goal as cause to bunker in and rely on counters for their attack. They were able to do so for near sixth minutes after Iván Alonso opened scoring in the 28th minute.

Espanyol goaltender Carlos Kameni would finish with eleven saves in keeping his clean sheet.

	Real Madrid	1		Mallorca	3
Goals 20′ – Gonzalo Higuaín			Goals 26′ – Juan Arango 59′ – Cléber Santana 71′ – Alhassane Kieta

Real Madrid looked to end their recent slide with a strong performance in their last home match, hosting a mid-table Mallorca side with little to play for. Juande Ramos started an uncharacteristically ambitious lineup that featured all of Raúl, Klass Jan Huntelaar, Gonzalo Higuaín, Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart. When Los Blancos took the early lead through Gonzalo Higuaín, it looked like Ramos’s ambition would pay off. Unfortunately, although the rest of the half played out somewhat even, the Argentine’s goal would be the last bit of good news for Ramos.

Juan Arango was set up by Aritz Aduriz for the equalizer. In the second half, Cléber Santana converted from inside the box for Mallorca’s second goal. Twelve minutes later, Kieta beat Iker Casillas for Mallorca’s third goal. As has been the case for the entire month, Madrid’s defense failed them. A mid-table club came to the Bernabeu and won comfortably.

Real Madrid goes to Osasuna next week to close the season. The Rojillos may have feared that match-up a month ago, but in the middle of a relegation battle, Osasuna may not be upset to have this Real Madrid squad as their last obstacle to survival.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. He also hosts WSR Radio, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” Richard also hosts a regular (if informal) podcast at pointoneohradio.com.

At the other end of the table, Sporting Gijon climbed out of the drop zone with a victory. Osasuna, despite their draw with Sevilla, now sits eighteenth with an upcoming fixture list that portends to relegation. Numancia beat Recreativo Huelva to switch places at the bottom of the table, fanning their dim survival hopes while nearly extinguishing Recre’s.

Here it is, fixture-by-fixture, Match Day 36 in La Liga:

	Deportivo La Coruña	1		Getafe	1
Goals 86′ – Riki			Goals 46′ – Roberto Soldado

Getafe were minutes from continuing their run of good form, having sat on Roberto Soldado’s 46th minute header for most of the second half, but the visitors’ chance for three was squashed when Riki put home the rebound of a Andres Guardado shot, equalizing and giving Coruña a point.

It was a disappointing performance from Depor, a side that could have soldified their Europa hopes with a victory here and any kind of result from Real Madrid.

Depor they lacked any such intensity at the opening of the match, with Getafe controlling the early moments.  Depor had to rely on goaltender Daniel Aranzubia to keep them afloat. Guardado was the only Deportivo player creating chances.

Ambivalence came back to bite Depor when Soldado scored to open the second. That wake-up call did little to revitalize the home side, who continued to see Guardado as their sole means of attack.

Eventually, that mode of operation broke through, with a Guardado shot from the left leading to Riki’s goal.

After Sunday’s results, Deportivo find themselves in seventh place. With matches at Sevilla and hosting Barcelona to close their season, Deportivo will regret Saturday’s performance. They lost their best chance at points when they failed to get three from Getafe.

	Osasuna	0		Sevilla	0
Goals None			Goals None

Osasuna controlled the match, generating chances from the wings.  Their crosses usually found Walter Pandiani, who was unable to get the hosts on the scoreboard.  The crosses that did not make it to Pandiani were cut-off by Andrés Palop who, after a shaky start, kept Sevilla in the match while the Sevillistas adjusted.  When teh match ended, rueful thoughts dwelt less on Palop, more on Pandiani.

It was not until a 77th minute header from Luis Fabiano hit the crossbar that Sevilla looked interested in winning the match. Three minutes later, Diego Capel would threaten Ricardo as Sevilla built momentum.

Most hopes of a Sevilla win ended when midfielder Romaric was given a second, harsh yellow card in the 81st minute. Sevilla would play most of the match’s remaining time a man down, though Osasuna continued their recent red card tradition when Sergio was given a straight red card near the match’s end.

Romaric’s dismissal gave Sevilla license to sit back a preserve their point. Whereas dropping points to a squad battling relegation may have been less palatable, preserving a point while down a man has a certain nobility.

Two extra points for Sevilla would have gone a long way to locking-up third place and entry into the Champions League group stage. With a draw, Sevilla remains vulnerable.

For Osasuna, while a point against Sevilla is something for which they can be thankful, the lost opportunity will be a bitter memory for a team that now sits eighteenth. Osasuna closes the season with Barcelona and Real Madrid while their closest competition for the last survival slot,  Sporting Gijon, gets Valldolid and Recreativo Huelva.

	Villareal	3		Real Madrid	2
Goals 17′ – Robert Pires 62′ – Cani 90′ – Joan Capdevila			Goals 46′ – Rafael van der Vaart 88′ – Gonzalo Higuain

A mishandled corner by Iker Casillas gave Joan Capdevila a ninetieth minute game winner. The win vaults Villareal back into a Europa League spot, passing Deportivo La Coruña.

You may have also heard about Villareal’s victory clinching La Liga for Barcelona. Yeah, that’s been in the news, too.

After a seventeenth minute goal from Robert Pires, Madrid spent most of the match trying to catch Villareal. A Rafeal van der Vaart goal in the opening minute of the second half pulled Los Blancos back only to have Cani put Villareal back in front in the 62nd minute.

In the 88th minute Madrid was given life by Gonzalo Higuaín and a blind linesman, who failed to see three Merenques offside when the ball found the Argentine sniper in the box for an easy goal (that Diego Lopez still almost stopped).

Higuaín urged his teammates to find a third, season-saving goal. Instead, Villareal resumed the skilled attack they had used to control most of the match. While the Yellow Submarine’s willingness to counter left possession with the visitors for much of the match, Miguel Pellegrini’s side were the more skilled and organized, able to take advantage of sloppy Madrid build-up and dictate the match.

Madrid did have highlights. Higuaín was influential after coming on at half for Klass Jan Huntelaar (who was decidedly ineffectual). Rafeal van der Vaart showed life, and Fabio Cannavaro had inspirational moments. And has been the case over the last two month, Lass was Los Blancos’ best player.

But Madrid were undone by an inability to control the midfield, with their strikers going long portions of the match without getting a touch. They missed Guti.

Raul’s most memorable moment was near the end of the match when, down a goal and desperate, the Madrid captain went hands up for a corner to try and force a goal. He was given a card in what might have been the first time in the second half he had been involved in the attack.

Real Madrid is now locked into second place on the back of three consecutive losses. This third loss was not the lopsided results of Barcelona and Valencia, but it failed to restore any faith that this Madrid side is anywhere close to competing with Barça. It, and the previous matches, are appropriate segues for the next Florentino Perez-era.

	Racing Santander	3		Valladolid	2
Goals 4′ – Óscar Serrano 60′ – Jonathan Pereira 85′ – Nikola Zigic			Goals 13′ – Víctor 20′ – Henok Goitom

Valladolid responded to a 4th minute goal from Óscar Serrano with two of their own, making it three goals in the first twenty minutes (thanks to some suspect decisions with the ball from Racing’s defence). A Pecula side that has not won since early March took a 2-1 lead into half.

The dimensions of the second changed early when Iñaki Bea picked up his second yellow card, leaving the home team up a man and able to dictate the match. Villareal held out for ten more minutes until Jonathan Pereira pulled Racing even.

After the equalizer, Racing failed to take advantage of their extra man and left Sergio Asenjo relatively unthreatened. Valladolid hopes of bleeding out a draw were ended when Nikola Zigic got on the end of Pablo Pinillos’s service, heading home the game winner.

If there was any doubt as to whether Racing would stay up, this win gives them 42 points on the campaign and ensures their Primera Liga status for another season.

	Real Betis	2		Almeria	0
Goals 7′ – Mark González 65′ – Arzu			Goals None

Real Betis gave the most dominating performance of La Liga’s weekend, a two-nil victory that should have been more. Betis played most of the match a man up after the 20th minute dismissal of Chico, who was shown a straight red after his foul on Edu. Already up 1-0 after Mark Gonzalez’s early goal, Betis was little worse after Edu failed to convert.

Almeria only tested Ricardo once while Betis had numerous chances to score. The only one which they would convert came in the 65th minute when Arzu, assisted by Gonzalez, put the match away.

The win for Betis pulls them three points clear of the drop. They visit a suddenly struggling Málaga next week before closing the season at home against the sliding Valladolid.

	Espanyol	1		Athletic Bilbao	0
Goals 68′ – Luis García (pen)			Goals None

Bilbao’s post-Copa hangover gave Espanyol a critical three points, helping them rebound from last week’s shockcollapse at the Vincente Calderon.

The difference was a 69th minute penalty kick from Luis Garcia, awarded after Bilbao back Carlos Gurpeqgui took down Coro in the box. García’s goal ensured the Barcelona-based club their fifth win in sixth matches. Sitting four points and four teams above the drop with two weekends left in the season, there should be no doubt. Espanyol will survive.

	Numancia	1		Recreativo Huelva	0
Goals 88′ – Barkero (pen)			Goals None

A late gasp by bottom-dwelling Numancia may be the death knell to Recre’s hopes of avoiding relegation, with Huelva falling into last place, four points back of Sporting Gijon.

Barkero converted the game-winner after Iago Bouzon’s foul on Gorka Brit. If Huelva misses staying in La Liga by one point, the fact that Brit appeared to be outside the box when the foul occurred will make relegation more bitter.

As of now, coming that close to survival is unlikely. Recre hosts Racing next week, which will be their best chance to get a win. The following week the go to Sporting Gijon, a club that has been playing better than Recre and will be fighting for survival.

Numancia will also be fighting but have a slightly tougher schedule. They are at Getafe next week before returning home to face Sevilla. Numancia will be hoping for a Sevilla win over Deportivo next week so that the Sevillistas might have third place locked up before La Liga’s final weekend.  If Sevilla starts a dimished lineup on the last day of the seaosn, Numancia has legitimiate hopes for six points and survival.

	Sporting Gijon	2		Málaga	1
Goals 24′ – Gerard 53′ – Hélder Rosário (o.g.)			Goals 38′ – Robson

An impressive effort from the opening kickoff puts Sporting Gijon on the edge of survival, their 2-1 victory bringing them to 37 points and seventeenth place, owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over Osasuna.  Though the final goal was  an own goal gifted by Hélder Rosário, Sprting Gijon got a well-deserved three points from a quality match.

Sporting Gijon came out with the impetus of a  team fighting for survival, but Málaga weathered the storm, eventually settling-in to where they were able to exchange attacks with Gijon.  It was the home team, however, that broke through first, with Gerard’s header opening the scoring in the  24th minute.  Málaga, with dim hopes of Europa still alive, responsed with a Robson header fourteen minutes later.

Hélder Rosário’s own goal seemed to deflate Málaga, who sit five points back of  European football with their loss.  If they’re to continue their remarkable ascent from Segunda to Europa, they will have to skin two of Depor,  Villareal, Valencia, and Athético.

Sporting, with the win, pulled themselves out of the drop zone.  Osasuna’s finishing fixture list leaves them likely to stay safe, though an uptick in form by Numancia and potential surprises from  Osasuna mean Sporting need to continue putting in performances like they did against Málaga.

	Mallorca	2		Barcelona	1
Goals 73′ – Juan Arango 78′ – Cléber Santana			Goals 10′ – Samuel Eto’o

A half-strength Barcelona squad jumped out to an early lead through Samuel Eto’o, who headed home his 29th league goal with the help of a beautiful pass from Bojan Krkic. As is usually the case for Barça, Eto’o would get numerous other chances, though the Cameroonian star was never able to give the visitors a second goal.

After dominating the first half of the match, the newly crowned champions tempered their curiosity, allowing Mallorca to work their way back into the match. Juan Arango pulled Mallorca back even in the 73rd minute with a direct form twenty-five meters, and a Cléber Santana header puts the hosts in the lead five minutes later. Both goals found Barelona goaltender Oier Olazábal, in his first league appearance for the club, slightly out of position.

When Samuel Eto’o put a late penalty kick off the post, Mallorca had three points. Though the fitting finish would have had Moyà saving another Eto’o shot, it was still appropriate that the final tale of this match featured the league’s leading scorer, after converting his first real chance of the match, unable to put a second beyond the Mallorca goalkeeper.  Moyà finished the match with eight saves.

Pep Guardiola gave us a hint at what to expect infuture weeks. Having sewn up the title on Saturday when Real Madrid failed to defeat Villareal, Guardiola sent out a decidedly second-string club. Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Gerard Pique, Yaya Touré and Victor Valdes were left out. Of his first-choice lineup, only Samuel Eto’o (chasing goal scoring records), Dani Alves and Eric Adibal (both ineligible for Rome) played.

Osasuna, battling for their Primera Liga vida, can expect a similarly diminished squad when they go to Camp Nou next Sunday.

	Atletico Madrid	1		Valencia	0
Goals 29′ – Diego Forlan (pen)			Goals None

It was an unexpectedly low-scoring affair between two of the more gifted attacks in the league, but a 29th minute penalty converted by Diego Forlan held-up for Atléti, who moved into fourth place, passing Valencia, by virtue of their win Sunday at the Vincente Calderon. While the final score hints at a close match, Atlético had all of the good opportunities in what was a convincing argument for their Champions League credentials.

After an initial feeling-out period, Atletico assumed the role of the aggressor, constantly pressuring Valencia’s back line with a level of energy that appeared unsustainable. Valencia was unable to retain possession long enough to open anything up for David Villa, who was nearly touchless throughout the first part of the match. David Silva’s creativity seemed particularly missed.

In the twentieth minute, Atletico’s efforts started to pay off, as they were able to consistently generate opportunities on Cesar. Maxi Rodriguez was set-up beautifully by Diego Forlan, and Simao put a beautiful cross towards an under-cut Kün Agüero, who barely missed the chance at a short-range header. A series of half-chances also dotted a period that would foreshadow the rest of the match.

The apex of this period came in the 29th minute when Diego Forlan sent Agüero through on goal. Cesar came out to challenge and was called for a penalty when Agüero went to ground. Forlan buried the ball to the left of Cesar for the match’s only goal.

It was appropriate that Forlan, whose future with Atletico had been the subject of paper talk throughout the week, not only scored the goal but also set up Agüero for the penalty and was in the middle of most of the Atléti’s early opportunities. With 28 goals, Forlan is only one behind Samuel Eto’o for the Pichichi.

The loss dropped Valencia into a tie for fifth and, more significantly, out of a Champions League qualifying spot. Next week’s match against Villareal will be critical to both clubs, as the loser will be resigned to Europa League (at best), with the winner alive in the fight for the final Champions League birth.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. He also hosts WSR Radio, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” Richard also hosts a regular (if informal) podcast at pointoneohradio.com.

Come Sunday night, had answered none of the league’s questions regarding the title, Champions League, Europa or relegation, allowing all the drama to carry over to Jornada 36 next week.

	Sevilla	3		Mallorca	1
Goals 33′ – Frederic Kanouté (pen) 60′ – Luís Fabiano 76′ – Jesús Navas			Goals 16′ – Aritz Aduriz

Sevilla fell behind early, with the islanders scoring on an Aritz Aduriz shot that, from a sharp angle to the right of goal, Andrés Palop should shave done better to stop. The early deficit did little to change Sevilla’s approach.

Their constant pressure on a game Mallorca squad reaped benefits when Iván Ramis pulled down Luís Fabiano near the goal line in the 33rd minute. It was a poor decision on the part of the Mallorca left back, leading to the equalizer from the spot as Frederic Kanouté, thanks to a keen hesitation in his kicking leg’s descent, sent Moyà the wrong way, leaving the right of goal open.

Mallorca got to halftime even but saw their resistance dissipate as the second half progressed. Fabiano scored the game winner in the sixtieth minute, with Jesús Navas adding the insurance marker a quarter-hour later – a left footed blast from just outside the area that beat Moyà far post.

It was a strong performance for the Champions League aspirants, comfortably dispatching a Mallorca side that carried three straight victories into the match. The Sevillistas stay four points ahead of Valencia for third and the last automatic group stage birth.

	Athletic Bilbao	1		Real Betis	0
Goals 29′ – Ion Vélez			Goals None

While their rivals flourish near the top of the table, Real Betis continues to struggle. A twenty-ninth minute goal from Bilbao striker Ion Vélez, his first in league since November, gave the home team three points despite resting most of the club’s key players ahead of Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final. Vélez’s goal would prove to be the Leones’ only shot on Betis goaltender Ricardo.

From Bilbao’s regular side, Joaquín Caparrós started only midfielder David López and, despite rarely testing Ricardo, were able to compete with a Betis side that failed to consistently mount an attack.

It was a disappointing comment on the Béticos’ current state. They now sit fifteenth, three points above the drop, having lost to a side who finished only three points above them last season yet were able to defeat Betis with only their reserves.

	Valencia	3		Real Madrid	0
Goals 28′ – Juan Mata 32′ – David Silva 68′ – Rubén Baraja			Goals None

The Madridistas were anything but on Saturday, deterring any notion they will challenge Barcelona for La Liga while putting forth a second straight embarrassing performance, practically ensuring that Juande Ramos will not be back at the Santiago Bernabéu. Ramos’s record had been extremely impressive, with only three league losses since joining Madrid, but with Saturday’s loss to Los Che, it could be argued that Madrid has lost every important match they played under Ramos: the two Barcelona matches, the Champions League tie to Liverpool, and this weekend’s match at Valencia which could have kept them in the race for the league. Most depressing for Los Blancos and their supporters: most of these key losses have been lopsided.

From the outset at Esadtio Mestalla, it was clear Madrid had not solved the defensive problems that were their undoing against Barça a week before. The only saving grace was Valencia’s inability to defend, leading to an open match that Madrid could have hoped to win in a shootout. As the play flowed back-and-forth through the first quarter-hour, this match was never going to be confused with the 1-0, reverse fixture result from December.

Former Madrid prospect Juan Mata opened the scoring in the twenty-eighth minute, beating Fabio Cannavaro and Iker Casillas for his eleventh league goal of the season. Fellow starlet David Silva, despite nursing a groin straight picked up earlier in the half, put Valencia up two when the winger beat Casillas near post.  The defence, apparently having forgot who Silva is, allowed the Spanish international nearly-free passage into the area for his chance on Casillas.

Rubén Baraja closed the scoring in the second half, taking a lob from Pablo Hernández and one-timing it past Casillas from two meters outside the box.

Beyond merely beating Real Madrid, it was a huge win for Los Che. The three points allowed them to stay ahead of the fifth-placed Atléti with next week’s visit to the Vincente Calderon potentially decisive, the two sides separated by one point for the final Champions League spot.

	Málaga	1		Racing Santander	0
Goals 87′ – Albert Luque			Goals None

Málaga’s hopes for European qualification were kept alive when Albert Luque converted a late penalty to separate los Boquerones and Racing Club, leaving last season’s Segunda runners-up two points out of sixth place and a Europa League spot.

French midfielder Peter Luccin gave Málaga the penalty when he took down striker Adriano in the box. It was a subtle irony that Luccin’s penalty cost Racing the match, as his take-down of Luque early in the match caused a confrontation that led to three bookings. Luque got his revenge, converting the game winning in a match that saw each team have numerous chances to earn the three points.

Though Málaga helped their Europe aspirations, Racing Club were unable to secure survival. Sitting thirteenth and in not immediate threat to drop, Racing still sit one point beneath that mythical, magical 40-point mark. For whatever that’s worth.

	Almería	3		Sporting Gijon	1
Goals 27′ – Miquel Angel Nieto 55′ – Kalu Uche 90′ – Pablo Piatti			Goals 16′ – Carmelo

Sporting Gijon looked posed to end their poor form when a Carmelo header on the end of a Jorge Garcia cross put the relegation-battlers up sixteenth minutes into play. Carmelo hit the crossbar five minutes later, a threat that seemed to awaken the home team, though Sporting would continue to threaten throughout the first half.

Almería would never find a true answer for Carmelo, but they were able to contain the midfielder after four early threats.

In the 27th minute, Alermía pulled even thanks to a beautiful strike from outside the area from Miguel Angel Nieto.

With Sporting continuing to find chances after halftime, Almeria found their second goal, with Kalu Uche’s seventh of the season putting Hugo Sánchez’s club up to stay despite Sporting’s threats.

Sporting would have chances through Jorge Garcia and Mate Bilic.  Although they would leave the pitch feeling they could have gotten three, Gíjon would allow a late goal to substitute Pablo Piatti, making the final score more lopsided than the play on the pitch.

	Valladolid	0		Numancia	0
Goals None			Goals None

Numancia showed spirit early in what was ultimately an uninspired affair – a scoreless draw that leaves the visitors at the bottom of the table, four points from safety with three clubs to climb over.

If anything, Numancia was a bit luckier for their point, where Valladolid controlled much of the match. But a relatively unmotivated home side – with nothing left to play for this season – allowed the minnows their chances.

The best chance of the match came in the 84th minute when Valladolid’s Fernandez Borja had his effort tipped over by Numancia’s Pablo.

	Recreativo Huelva	1		Deportivo La Coruna	2
Goals 44 – Adrián Colunga			Goals 17′ – Verdú 50′ – Pablo Álvarez

Coruña’s three points at the Estadio Nuevo Colombinoput them on the cusp of Europe League qualification.

Depor end Matchday 35 tied for sixth with Villareal but owning the tiebreaker over the Yellow Submarine. With a difficult schedule remaining for Villareal, Depor can use next week’s visit from Getafe as their chance to vault themselves from Europe League qualifier to Champions League contenders.

They got there through a seventeenth minute Verdú goal, his sixth of the season, who lobbed a ball from just beyond the box over Asier Riesgo for the opener.

Recre, fighting for their Primera lives, pulled the goal back before half when Javi Fuego set-up Adrián Colunga for the equalizer. It was only six minutes later (separated by a halftime) when Pablo Álvarez pushed home a Filipe Luis effort for the decider.

Throughout the rest of a match in which Recre was able to control much of the possession, Depor constantly threatened for the insurance goal, with only a post keeping Verdú from his brace.

	Getafe	3		Osasuna	0
Goals 26′ – Esteban Granero (pen) 50′ – Esteban Granero 54′ – Ikechukwu Uche			Goals None

A dominating performance capped by two early second half goals moves Getafe off the drop, now three points and two clubs clear of Sporting Gíjon and eighteenth place.  Osasuna, however, is one step closer to relgation.

Whereas last week ended with the Azulones just above the drop, Osasuna is now the team being targetted by the three clubs in the zone. With matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, and Real Madrid closing out their season, Los Rojillos may look at Granero and Uche’s second half clinches as the five minutes that turned their season.

The match was not without controversy, as Granero’s first goal, in the twenty-sixth minute from the spot, also entailed an early, second yellow card for defender Miguel Flaño. Three players (Jaroslav Plasil, Walter Pandiani, Roberto) picked up yellow cards in protest, but the chaotic scene ended with the visitors down a goal, down a man.

Both clubs would end the match down a man when Adrian was dismissed at the sixty minute mark. The leveling of the sides came shortly after Uche’s goal and helped stem the tide for Osasuna. But with the damage already done, the visitors never threatened Getafe’s lead, leaving Osasuna to find points against the league’s top clubs if they are to avoid relegation.

	Barcelona	3		Villareal	3
Goals 11′ – Seydou Keita 36′ – Samuel Eto’o 45′ – Daniel Alves			Goals 22′ – Joseba Llorente 78′ – Mati Fernandez (pen) 90′ – Joseba Llorente

Eric Abidal struck again, earning his second red card of the week, again taking down a man with a clear chance on goal. Whereas his red card for hindering Niclas Anelka was debatable, there was little doubt Abidal would be excused when, in the 78th minute, he took down Nihat Kahveci in the box.

With Barcelona up 3-1, the French defender’s dismissal came at a critical time. It would pull the visitors within one after Mati Fernandez converted from the spot. But with Villareal putting in a strong performance – their back line adepttly reading and rooting out Barcelona’s chances as they developed – the dismissal was bound to have a greater effect than Wednesday’s at Stamford Bridge.

It seems strange to call Villareal’s defence adept given they surrendered three goals in the first half, but as those goals came from typically un-Barcelona means, Villareal was doing a reasonable job of keeping Barcelona contained. Those goals came off a deflected Seydou Keita shot, a sure act of will on the part of Andrés Iniesta setting up Samual Eto’o’s 28th, and a Daniel Alves direct kick. There was never that beautiful Barça goal. In the second half, Villareal mostly contained the attack.

So when Eric Abidal pulled down Nihat late, Villareal was already playing well enough to make it interesting. Up a man for the match’s last quarter-hour, Villareal was able to confidently chance the equalizer.

That chase came true in the second minute of injury time when Joseba Llorente, marked by Carles Puyol, collected a ball at the edge of the box, turned his man twice while barely maintaining possession, and put a ball under the bar, beating Victor Valdes for the equalizer and his brace.

The tying goal came as Nou Camp, having adjusted to the scare of being a man down, had started celebrating Barcelona’s league title. That celebration was put on hold by a Villareal club who, having taken an unexpected point at the Nou Camp, have matches with Real Madrid and Valencia in the coming weeks. It is not a desirable fixture list for a team that, after finishing second last season, currently sit outside of european football. But with their Real Madric match now looking winnable, a point from Barcelona could prove critical in getting Manuel Pellegrini’s man back to Europe.

	Atletico Madrid	3		Espanyol	2
Goals 53′ – Diego Forlan 60′ – Sergio Aguero 90′ – Diego Forlan			Goals 38′ – Nene (pen) 40′ – Daniel Jarque

A fixture has to be special to relegate the Barcelona-Villareal finish to the second best match of the weekend, but Atlético-Espanyol did that, if for no other reason that their match introduced the drama earlier and with more aggression.

It happened in the 31st minute when Atlético defender Luis Perea, in chasing Francisco Chica attacking on the left wing, threw a left elbow across the forehead of the Espanyol defender, cracking him open and earning an immediate dismissal. Chica, who was obviously concussed (and should not have continued), would require staples and finish the match with a large bandage affixed to his forehead. Atlético would have to play the next hour a man down and sub-out Maxi Rodriguez in order to get their back line back to four defenders.

If the Vincente Calderon felt their team wronged by Perea’s early dismissal, they may have felt downright conspiratorial when Mariano Pernia took down Daniel Ivan Alonso in the box, giving Espanyol a penalty kick. Nene put an unbeatable blast by Leo Franco for the opener, leaving the home crowd up-in-arms at what they were seeing.

The mood got worse when, two minutes later, Daniel Jarque finished a set piece to put Espanyol two clear. One man down and chasing two goals, it looked as if Atlético would fail to give next week’s match against Valencia the hype we had been anticipating.

That all changed early in the second half when Diego Forlan, on the heals of Samuel Eto’o for the league’s lead in goals, hit a glorious goal from just outside the box that beat Carlos Kameni, halving the lead. It was a sudden, momentum turning strike, as Atlético had been shell-shocked since Perea’s dismissal. Forlan’s wonderstrike completely changed the complexion of the match, with the hosts taking control.

It was only seven minutes later when El Kün, Sergio Aguero, equalized, converting a cross from the left at the far post. It was a deserved goal for Aguero, who spent much of the first half on the end of an Espanyol boot, the visitors constantly chopping down the Atléti star. Aguero ripped off his shirt in celebration of the equalizer, the Vincente Calderon erupting at the quick turn of fortune.

Atletico would have a few more chances before the game settled in and looked destined for a draw. The energy with which Atlético played in bringing themselves back looked to have gassed them, with their forwards looking out on their feet.

One Atlético player with fuel in the tank was Simão, whose creativity created chances throughout the second half. This persistence paid off in the third minute of injury time when he found Forlan at the edge of the six, on the end of a clever little run that had the Uruguayan duck in behind the back line from an offside position only to run into space in front of Kameni. Simão rolled a perfect ball onto Forlan, who chipped it over the sprawled out keeper for the game winner.

It was an inpsiring performance from Forlan, whose two well-timed goals should make him the player of the week in La Liga. Now with 27 goals on the season, Forlan keeps his club in prime position to return to Champions League, provided they can defeat Los Che next week at the Calderon.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. He also hosts WSR Radio, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” Richard also hosts a regular (if informal) podcast at pointoneohradio.com.

Though Villareal and Sevilla also adorned this weekend’s matches, you must forgive us spending a little extra screen-space detailing the definitive manner Barcelona claimed their crown.

	Real Madrid	2		Barcelona	6

El Clasíco was anything but for Los Blancos, whose constant failures along the back cost them their chance to catch Barça. Now seven points back with four to play, they have no realistic shot at retaining their title. What’s worse, with such a dramatic loss, Real Madrid lost any claim they had to being in the same class as their rivals. They lost in the table. They lost in pride. This could be a precursor to a redefining summer at the Santiago Bernabéu.

All credit to the champions, though. Barcelona put aside the frustrations from Tuesday by continuously exploiting a confused a disorganized defense. The best examples were Thierry Henry goals, both of which exploited Sergio Ramos, whose attempts to catch Henry offside were thwarted when a center back (one time Christoph Metzelder, another time Fabio Cannavaro) failed to hold the line. Ramos’s appeals to the linesman in lieu of trying to catch Henry did not help.

Lionel Messi added two goals and could have had many more. Same goes for Samuel Eto’o. And Andrés Iniesta. Iker Casillas was under siege all match, with six goals being the near-minimum Barcelona could have scored.

This is the Barcelona club that the footballing world has come to know and expect. This is a performance that, if repeated, would send them to Rome.

	Numancia	2		Málaga	0

Málaga’s hopes for European qualification were dealt a setback by their fellow promoted side. Conversely, Numancia (who went winless in April) now sit three points behind Getafe for seventeenth place, revitalizing their hopes of staying up (though they need also vault Recreativo and Sporting Gijon to find safety). Regardless, los Rojillos’ upset has temporarily redefined each clubs’ season. Málaga may have been awaken up from their European dreams. Numancia, facing three matches from which they could get points, may be starting a survival run.

Given that Numancia played almost half the match with ten men, Málaga should be frustrated by more than just the final score. From the opening minute, when Juan Carlos Moreno put the hosts ahead, Numancia dominated. They continued to control the match Asier Goiria was dismissed. Just minutes after Goiria’s 53rd minute dismissal, Javier Del Pino’s fourth goal of the season capped the scoring.

Despite their advantage, Málaga would register only three shots on goal. Now four points back of Villareal and Atlético, with Deportivo sitting in between, Málaga’s loss to Numancia could be the result that keeps this fairy tale from having a happy ending.

	Villareal	0		Sevilla	2

In a match with the quality to be the headliner almost any other week, Sevilla closed out The Horrific Stretch of fixtures with their first win in four matches.

Coming off losses to Valencia, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, Sevilla was in danger of losing their hold on a Champions League spot. With a win by Valencia, a Sevilla loss to Villareal would have landed them in fifth place come Sunday night.

There were times during a scoreless first half where Villareal nearly completed Sevilla’s slide, with Nihat Kavechi having multiple chances to open scoring, including a crossbar-rattling free kick in the 12th minute. With almost no good chances on goal, Sevilla was willing to take their scoreless draw into half.

Twelve minutes into the second, a Luis Fabiano goal put all of Villareal’s first half efforts for naught, converting one of the few clean chances Sevilla was afforded. Frederic Kanouté converted one of the others in the 85th minute, as a ten-man visiting team rebounded from Abdoulay Konko’s 72nd minute dismissal to close out their hosts.

Sevilla ends the rough stretch of their schedule with only three points, but the remainder of their fixtures feature only one club playing for European football. In contrast, this match was the start of the Villareal’s Horrific Stretch. Their next three opponents? Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Valencia. With Deportivo only two points behind them, Villareal is a step closer from dropping from last season’s second place and the Champions League birth to no European football for 2009-10.

	Mallorca	2		Getafe	1

New coach Michel’s first match on Getafe’s sidelines ended the same was the club’s previous three. With consecutive four losses, Getafe sits on the brink of relegation, tied with Sporting Gijon for seventeenth, safe only based on the head-to-head tiebreaker (their two wins over Sporting).

Mallorca struck quickly, with a ninth minute goal from Jose Juardo, taking their lead into half, having controlled the opening period. The home team, however, gave their lead back shortly into the second thanks to an own goal from David Navarro.

That gift, however, was not the match’s most egregious.

One week after gifting a goal to Villareal’s Joan Capdevilla, Getafe goalkeeper Stojkovic gave Mallorca’s Artiz Aduriz the game-winner in the 68th minute, gifting a ball that allowed the striker alone on goal.

It was the type of nightmarish play that becomes a trademark of a relegation season.

	Racing Santander	0		Almeria	2

Two Juan Ortiz goals in the first thirteen minutes were the only scoring between two teams with no European aspirations and their spots in La Liga relatively secure.

Pundits will debate the security of Racing Club, and they have used a result to be certain of their place in La Liga. But five points and four clubs into safety, it would take a true collapse to see them go down.

You would like to see a better effort than only two shots on goal from a club still mathematically threatened with relegation, but facing no clubs in European contention over their final four matches, Racing can make up the points.

	Sporting Gijon	1		Athletic Bilbao	1

A spirited performance from Sporting saw two of their deserved points taken in injury time when Andoni Iraola put home a rebound to equalize Mate Bilic’s 61st minute opener. The visitors’ goal was foreshadowed by a series of missed opportunities by the hosts, whose inability to get a second goal portended a late equalizer.

That’s how it works, right? We all know this. If you’re up by only one goal, having dominated play, you will give up an equalizer in injury time. May as well put in an own goal earlier in the match so you’ll have time to adjust.

Though Athletic stole a point, their shot to steal the Copa del Rey took a hit when Francisco Llorente had to leave the match early with a leg injury.

	Osasuna	1		Recreativo Huelva	2

Late goals from Ersen Martin and Naslef Morris turned a 1-0 deficit into three huge points for relegation-threatened Recreativo. Recre still sits in nineteenth but are now only one point out of safety.

Recreativo controlled play, particularly after Osasuna defender Sergio left his team a man short after being dismissed in the 54th minute. The hosts were able to hold for the next half-hour before Martin’s 81st minute equalizer. In injury time, Morris completed Huelva’s comeback.

It was the first win in two months for Recre, revitalizing their hopes of staying up.

The other side of the coin: Osasuna saw their three points (from a match they were expected to take) stolen, leaving them in sixteenth, only two points above safety. Next week’s match with Getafe becomes a must win, with Osasuna also needing to find one point somewhere from matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, and Real Madrid.

	Deportivo	1		Valladolid	0

With Villareal about to embark on The Horrific Stretch, Deportivo getting three points where they can – where they should – is a must, as a return trip to Europe is riding on it. With that in mind, Sunday’s win over Valladolid is exactly how the squad should be taking care of business: Early goal (7th minute from Lassad Nouioui) followed by the grinding-out of a result.

With the victory, Coruña sit two points back of Villareal and Atlético for UEFA Cup spots.

Valladolid dominated possession and had numerous, good chances on Deportivo goaltender Daniel Aranzubía, particularly through with Bartolomew Ogbeche having the best of the opportunities. All hopes of an equalizer ended for the visitors when Luis Prieto received a straight red shortly into injury time.

If Coruña is to make Europe, they will need to win their next two matches: at Recreativo, then hosting Getafe. They close the season with a trip to Sevilla before hosting Barcelona.

	Espanyol	3		Valencia	0

Espanyol continued their revival with a fourth consecutive victory and now sit four points clear of the drop zone.

After a stand-off over the first hour, Román Martinez struck for the home team in the 66th minute. Nicolas Pareja provided Espanyol their breathing room in the 82nd minute, while Nene converted from the spot near the whistle for the winning margin.

It was a surprising loss for Valencia, who were looking at this match as a chance to affirm their Champions League credentials. Coming off a strong performance last week against Barcelona (and having not lost in six before that), Valencia was ready to overtake Sevilla for third place. But Espanyol held Los Che, who had scored fourteen in their previous five matches, goalless.

	Real Betis	0		Atlético Madrid	2

A solid victory for Atlético came on the back of two Diego Forlan goals, giving the Uruguayan 23 league goals, putting him within striking distance of the 25 he scored in his first season with Villareal (2004-05). Scoring his first in the 14th minute, Forlan allowed Atlético to control the match from the start, leading to a relatively non-descript confrontation.

Atleti never missed Sergio Aguero, who missed this match with an injury sustained in training. Strong performances from Forlan and Maxi Rodriguez provided all the attack the visitors would need.

The win moves Atlético to within one point of a return trip to Champions League, with a match against Los Che at the Vincente Calderon slated for May 17th. With third-place Sevilla already through their rough stretch of fixtures and sixth-place Villareal about to start their’s, the May 17th match-up may end up deciding which club enters Champions League qualifying.

Betis is in the opposite situation: on the edge of relegation, looking in. Real has only three points on the Getafe-Sporting tie for seventeenth.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League, writing the site’s Premiership previews and La Liga reviews. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” Richard also hosts a regular podcast at pointoneohradio.com.

Málaga

1

Deportivo

1

Málaga failed to inject themselves into the Champions League race when a potential game winning penalty kick from Apoño was saved by Deportivo’s Daniel Aranzubía, preserving a well-earned point for the visitors. The draw keeps Deportivo one point behind Málaga for seventh place.

The hosts drew first blood in the 33rd minute when Albert Luque scored from an indirect free kick just outside the box. Deportivo equalized just after halftime when Sergio, after distributing to Andrés Gallardo on the left wing, put a beautiful header on the end of the Mexican’s service.

Almería

2

Numancia

1

The relegation picture cleared up with Almería nearly guaranteeing themselves safety (and their visitors relegation) after Saturday’s 2-1 win. The three points gets Almería to 40 on the season, putting them thirteenth in La Liga’s table with five matches to go. Numancia looks destined to rejoin the Segunda Division, sitting bottom of the table, six points back of safety.

Kalu Uche opened the scoring for the hosts in the sixth minute, beginning what would be a dominant first half. After numerous close calls, Almería finally put a second goal on the board when Álvaro Negredo set-up Fernando Soriano for his first goal of the campaign.

Almería saw more resistance in the second half, but the result was never in doubt. Numancia pulled a goal back late through Asier Goiria but were otherwise unable to convert their improved effort into a consistently threatening attack.

Valencia

2

Barcelona

2

A spirited first half capped by two goals just before the break carried Valencia to a point from La Bluegrana, though for much of the match, it looked like they would get more.

After an opening ten minutes that saw an ambitious Barcelona in typically controlling form, Valencia steadied themselves and finished the half carrying as much of the play as their visitors. Even after Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta beautifully set-up the matches’ first goal for the Argentinian, Los Che prevented the dam from leaking and showed as much initiative as their opponents. Their attitude payed off in the 43rd minute when Víctor Valdés made a mess of a corner, mistiming a jump, colliding with Carles Puyol, and letting the ball go through his hands and to the feet of Hedwiges Maduro, who pulled the hosts even.

In injury time, Pablo Hernández ran through Barcelona’s right side and in on Valdés for Valencia’s second goal.

Valencia would hold their own with the league leaders through the first part of the second half before changing their approach around the sixty-fifth minute. The attacking flair that helped them to their lead dissipated into undo reverence for the favorites. Barcelona asserted complete control and, after subbing in Thierry Henry in the sixty-third minute, constantly created chances on César Sánchez.

In the eighty-fifth minute, César’s punch of a great set-piece cross from Messi went right to Henry just inside the box.  The Frenchman lofted a shot over two Valencia defenders, into the net, for the equalizer.

In the minutes that followed, Valencia would get good attempts on goal from David Villa and Alexis, but their change of heart was too late. Valencia seemed to start marking their achievements too early, allowing Barca to rescind those accomplishments before they had been awarded.

Getafe

1

Villareal

2

Villareal looked at the weekend’s fixtures as their chance to catch Valencia for fourth place, but with Los Che getting an unexpected point from Barça, the Yellow Submarine are still chasing despite a well-earned three from battling Getafe side.

Joan Capdevila, thanks to a misplay by Getafe ‘keeper Vladimir Stojkovic, opened the scoring in the fifteenth minute, with Joseba Llorente notching his ninth league goal, the game winner, on a sublime counterattack just before halftime. Thanks to strong play from goaltender Diego López, Villareal was able to keep Getafe off the scoreboard until Manu converted a penalty in the 82nd minute.

Though Getafe controlled much of the play (particularly after Villareal were reduced to ten with Angel López was shown a second yellow card at 61′), they were unable to find second goal from Diego López, who steered Manuel Pellegrini’s club to a needed three points.

Recreativo

2

Mallorca

4

Recreativo were dealt a bitter pill in their hopes of survival by giving up four goals to mid-table Mallorca and failing to reduce the four point gap separating them from safety. Conversely, Gregorio Manzano, after his Mallorca club moved nine points clear of the drop, proclaimed his club safe after Sunday’s result.

Mallorca took control of the match early, with goals from Juardo and Juan Arango within the first fifteen minutes. Although the hosts pulled one back through Sisi shortly after half, Mallorca used a goal from Chori Castro in the 72nd minute to put the match away.

Valladolid

0

Osasuna

0

While not all scoreless matches are bores, Valladolid and Osasuna lived up to the result, putting in lackluster performances at the Estadi Nuevo Jose Zorilla. The teams combined for only four shots, with each seemingly content to take their point. For Osasuna, the point moves them three points clear of the drop and ends their two match slide.

Athletic Bilbao

2

Racing Santander

1

First half goals from Fernando Llorante (21′) and Diego López (42′, penalty kick) provided the margin for a Bilbao victory which saw five players excused with red cards.

Referee Gonzalez Vazquez started the ejections in the 56th minute, moments before a Pablo Pinillos penalty conversion pulled Racing within one, when Francisco Yeste was shown a second yellow card. From then on, the referee was center stage, excusing Ivan Marcano (64′), Pinillos (83′), Pablo Orbaiz (90′) and Jonathan Periera (90′), with only Orbaiz’s penalty being a straight red card.

In total, seventeen cards were shown, with eight of Racing’s starters being booked.

The booking extravaganza overshadowed a strong victory for Los Leones, moving them to 40 points and surely guaranteeing them safety.

Espanyol

2

Betis

0

A huge win for Los Periquitos temporarily vaults them to safety with thirty-five points, two more than Sporting Gijon, thanks to a third minute goal from Luis Garcia that had them leading from near the opening kickoff. It is the first time since the calendar turned that Espanyol has been out of the bottom three.

After Garcia’s opener, Espanyol played a tepid game, allowing Betis most of the ball. For their part, though, Espanyol was able to limit the guests’ opportunities, with Betis only testing Carlos Kameni three times.

The drama of series of near chances from Betis ended when Roman Martinez put the match to best seven minutes from time.

Sevilla

2

Real Madrid

4

Sevilla looked to make the most of their trying week (having already played Barcelona, mid-week) when they drew first blood against Los Blancos through Renato’s fifteenth minute opener, but though they played from behind for the next half hour, Real always looked the better team, such that the first of Raúl’s three successive goals (45′, 62′ and 66′) was the just conclusion to superior play.

Starting alone up-top in Juande Ramos’s return to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, the Madrid talisman raised his league goal total to fourteen for the season before being replaced by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

After Diego Capel pulled Sevilla within one in the 80th minute, Marcelo added the fourth for Los Merengues, whose three points pulled them within four ahead of next weekend’s Clasíco at the Santiago Bernabeu. While Barça host Chelsea FC in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, Real Madrid will get the week to rest and prepare for the last phase of their title defense.

Atlético Madrid

3

Sporting Gijón

1

Though Sporting Gijón responded within seconds through Mate Bilic’s tenth goal of the season, Kün Agüero’s goal just over one minute into the second half squelched any hopes relegation-threatened Gijón had of overcoming the two goal deficit they had a half. It was the capper on a controlled, dominant performance from a club that, now only four points back of four place, can still dream of a return to Champions League and forget about their nightmare loss mid-week to Racing.

That dream was enabled by Diego Forlan’s 27th minute goal, his 23rd of the season. Simao would add to Atlético’s lead five minutes before half, removing any threat of an upset. Bilic’s response to Agüero was as close as Gijón would get, with the hosts controlling play throughout the remainder of the match.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League, writing the site’s Premiership previews and La Liga reviews. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” Richard also hosts a regular podcast at pointoneohradio.com.