This past week was a memorable one for several of the Spanish clubs competing in Europe, while there were so many dramatic moments over the course of Matchday 17. Here’s a quick round-up with all you need to know.
Real Madrid continue their impressive run
On Sunday night, Real Madrid turned in a very impressive performance to thrash Villarreal 4-1. Goals from Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Brahim Díaz and Luka Modric earned three important points for Los Blancos, three points which kept the pressure on Girona. Real Madrid are now approaching three months unbeaten in La Liga, their last defeat coming in September in the Madrid derby.
San Mamés is a fortress once again
Athletic Club are proving to be one of the best home teams in the competition, having gone undefeated since they fell to Real Madrid at San Mames on the opening weekend. Since then, they’ve won six and drawn two of their next eight games in Bilbao, scoring three goals per game on average. On Saturday, they outplayed Atletico Madrid in a 2-0 win.
Sevilla move on from Diego Alonso
Sevilla have made another change in the dugout. The Andalusian club announced the departure of Diego Alonso following the team’s 3-0 loss at home to Getafe on Saturday. It means the Uruguayan leaves the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan without any victories from his eight matches. Sevilla have since appointed Quique Sanchez Flores as their new manager.
Guillamon bounces back with a super strike
Hugo Guillamon hadn’t started a match for Valencia since April, but returned to the starting XI for his team’s Matchday 17 duel with Barcelona. And, Guillamon made the most of the opportunity. The 23-year-old produced a super strike from the edge of the area to equalise in the game and earn Los Che a 1-1 draw.
Raul Garcia de Haro gives El Sadar a moment to remember
Osasuna defeated Rayo Vallecano 1-0 on Friday thanks to a 95th minute goal from Raul Garcia de Haro, who joined the club in the summer. This was the young striker’s first goal for his new team and it was a memorable one. After he turned in a late corner, it sparked jubilant celebrations at El Sadar.
Two contract extensions at Deportivo Alaves
It was a busy week in the offices of Deportivo Alaves, where two contract extensions were completed. Goalkeeper Antonio Sivera has signed a new deal that’ll run to 2027, while centre-back Aleksandar Sedlar has put pen to paper tying him to the club until 2025.
David Alaba suffers an ACL injury
More unfortunate injury news at Real Madrid this week, with centre-back David Alaba suffering an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The Austrian will undergo surgery in the coming days and then begin the lengthy recovery process, which will see him miss the rest of the season.
History is made in the Champions League
Four of the eight groups in the 2023/24 Champions League were won by Spanish clubs, which was an unprecedented achievement. Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Real Madrid each topped their group, meaning they’ll all be seeded in the Round of 16 draw on Monday.
Dani Parejo fires Villarreal forward in the Europa League
In the Europa League, Villarreal won their group. In that competition, first place in the group means direct passage to the Round of 16 and El Submarino Amarillo achieved this thanks to a 3-2 win away at Rennes. It was a dramatic back-and-forth game, with a late Dani Parejo goal earning the Spanish side the valuable three points.
Javier Tebas is named LALIGA president for the next four years
There was an important announcement on December 12th from the Electoral Commission of La Liga. In accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Association and the General Regulations of La Liga, it agreed to the definitive declaration of Javier Tebas, who has held the post since 2013, as president for a period of four years. This decision was made without the need to hold an Extraordinary General Assembly, as there was only one valid candidate for the presidency of La Liga.
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