La Liga SRL Round-Up | Real Madrid edge past Espanyol, Barcelona drop points
Real Madrid managed to edge past bottom-placed Espanyol and keep a five-point lead at the top of the league table with four matches to go. Meanwhile, title contenders and second-placed team FC Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw by Celta Vigo in a match which was evenly contested by both the sides.
Espanyol 0 - 1 Real Madrid
Real Madrid was relieved to register a 1-0 victory over Espanyol, following their shock defeat against Atletic Bilbao in the last match by a similar margin. The clash between the top-placed and the bottom-placed teams did not turn out to be lopsided one at all, with the hosts managing to take as many as eight shots on the target in the first half itself. With neither of the teams managing to strike, the scores were even at the half-way mark, with the Los Blancos in a spot of bother in the weekday clash.
A promising start to the second half awarded the visitors a goal in the 58th minute. Even though the game was evenly poised following the goal and Espanyol did put up a good show at home, the equalizer was too much of an ask for them. The Los Blancos held on to the slender lead and logged full points in the away fixture. Surprisingly, Espanyol accounted for 6 shots on target, compared to Real Madrid’s 4, while their dangerous attack count was 42 and 55 respectively.
Celta Vigo 1 -1 Barcelona
Barcelona dropped vital points against a spirited Celta Vigo by playing out a 1-1 draw on Thursday evening which saw them fall behind in the race for the league title. It’s strange how football can bring out the best in a team when put under immense pressure. Celta Vigo, a team battling to get out of the relegation zone, played with equal authority as the title contenders. The Blaugrana drew first blood in the 23rd minute, but was hardly near to what they are expected of, while the hosts continued to raid their defence frequently before going to the break 1-1.
The hosts maintained their tempo and never let Barcelona get on top of their game and eventually netting the equalizer in the 79th minute. Celta Vigo firmly held on to the lead and kept the Barcelona forwards at bay, claiming a vital point from the fixture. Statistically, Celta Vigo was the better team, having accounted for 10 shots on goal compared to Barcelona's 6. The hosts managed to stitch up 67 dangerous attacks, 16 more than the visitors.
