Celta & Rayo hear Europe calling as Espanyol survive: LaLiga Matchday 38 recap
The 2024/25 LaLiga season is officially over. It started with Athletic Club’s 1-1 draw with Getafe on August 15, and it ended on May 25 with Barcelona’s 3-0 victory over Los Leones. Join Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) as they recap the final LaLiga matchday of the season.We kick off with Celta Vigo’s narrow 2-1 away win over Getafe, as club legend Iago Aspas netted a late winner to seal Europa League football for Claudio Giráldez's side. Meanwhile, there was a pitch invasion over in Vallecas after Rayo Vallecano booked their place in the Conference League. A goalless draw was enough to clinch eighth spot as Osasuna failed to take three points off Alavés.The focus then turns to Espanyol’s successful survival bid. A 2-0 victory over Las Palmas secured their safety and condemned Leganés to the second tier despite their win over basement side Real Valladolid.We then start part two with Kylian Mbappé’s goals and Real Madrid’s farewells. Carlo Ancelotti and Luka Modrić were among those to say their goodbyes in an emotional day at the Santiago Bernabéu. As for champions Barcelona, they wrapped up their treble-winning campaign with a dominant win over Athletic.Elsewhere, Alexander Sørloth continued his red-hot form with a hat-trick, Villarreal piled the misery on Sevilla, and Real Betis warmed up for the Conference League final with a draw against Valencia.Remember, you can head over to lllonline.substack.com to access all of our written and audio content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Villarreal seal Champions League as Lega fight to the end: LaLiga Matchday 37 recap
The penultimate Matchday in LaLiga proved to to be dramatic and decisive in a ten-game multi-match thriller!Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) recap it all and decipher what it all means for the table and the ramifications.Villarreal went to the newly-crowned champions and got the win they needed to secure a coveted return to the Champions League. Barça didn't mind losing this one, as they were in full fiesta mode to receive the title trophy and say farewell to Montjuïc.Betis waved goodbye to their chances with a heavy defeat at Atlético, but their final is the Conference League next week. Julián Álvarez shone once again as compatriot Ángel Correa got a heavenly send-off of his own.Kylian Mbappé kept on scoring as Real Madrid beat nine-man Sevilla. All eyes are firmly on the Xabi Alonso reign now, as the signing of Dean Huijsen was also confirmed this weekend.In the European race, Rayo came from behind to win a massive six-pointer at Balaídos. Celta will be kicking themselves because it was all in their hands to qualify here, but they let their first chance slip. Osasuna beat Espanyol to stay in the hunt too: two teams will make Europe, one will miss out next week.At the bottom, Alavés and Getafe secured their respective statuses with narrow wins, but Espanyol must sweat another week after suffering a fifth consecutive defeat. From what looked like safety has become a shoot-out.Leganés maintained their survival hopes with a win at recently doomed Las Palmas. Both Lega and Espanyol face home games against Segunda-bound sides, so the drama is sure to be cranked up next weekend.Lastly, we salute Imanol Alguacil as he waved goodbye to his public with a win, sadly roo rare for Real Sociedad this season. Fittingly, Mikel Oyarzabal was on the scoresheet from the spot, while a youngster scored the winner. Imanol's tenure and legacy in a neat nutshell.With more to play for, keep up to speed by subscribing at lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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A super-remontada worth a title: LaLiga Matchday 35 recap
Four Clásicos. Four Barcelona victories. Barça took a decisive step towards clinching the title with another super-remontada in this epic season. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and a jubilant Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) review everything from Montjuïc and around the country as we hurtle towards the finishing post.Real Madrid came flying out of the blocks but Hansi Flick's side were not to be beaten, roaring back to lead 4-2 at half time. Kylian Mbappé completed his hat-trick, but just like in the World Cup final, he was on the losing side. Just two points required, Barça could win it at the RCDE like two years ago.We analyse Barça's impressive performances, and ponder where Real Madrid go from here. Xabi Alonso is the short answer.In Part Two we review everything else from the weekend, including Alexander Sørloth's scoring blitz, a huge win for Leganés, worrying times for Sevilla in a relegation battle that continues to heat up, and dropped points for Betis in the race for the Champions League.For all of this and more, join us by subscribing at lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Nervy wins in title battle as UCL race heats up: LaLiga Matchday 34 recap
Narrow wins in the title race and an epic battle in the quest to secure Champions League qualification. Join Ben Sully (@SullyBen) & Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) as they round up all the latest LaLiga action, including hard-fought victories for Barcelona and Real Madrid.A much-changed Barcelona side were forced to come from behind to maintain their unbeaten league record with a win over Real Valladolid. The Blaugrana will take a four-point lead into El Clásico after Real Madrid survived a late Celta Vigo fightback to claim a 3-2 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu.Meanwhile, the battle to secure Champions League qualification is heating up with just four points covering Athletic Club, Villarreal and Real Betis. Ayoze Pérez netted a brace to fire Villarreal to a 4-2 victory over Osasuna, while Athletic dropped two points in an underwhelming Basque derby. We kick off part two by discussing Antony’s stunning strike to snatch all three points for Betis against Espanyol. Elsewhere, Valencia continued their fine run of form with a win over Las Palmas, as Sevilla and Leganés played out a draw that extends their respective winless runs. There is also time to quickly reflect upon Atleti’s frustrating outing against Alavés and another 1-0 defeat for Getafe.Head over to lllonline.substack.com to access all of our content, including an array of written content and our weekly bonus podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Barcelona are Copa champions again: Copa del Rey Final recap
Only two games to reflect on this weekend but one was an enthralling Copa del Rey final five-goal thriller!Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) discuss Barça's triumph and Real Madrid's reaction to yet another Clásico loss.Who were the standouts? Who should have stepped up? How does this affect Carlo Ancelotti's future? All of these questions are discussed and debated.In Part Two, we have a quick review of Villarreal's win over Espanyol to move back into 5th, plus look ahead to the European semi-finals, with Spanish sides alive in all three competitions.We end with a simple but big question: can Barça do the quadruple...?Subscribe for all the content at lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A brand new weekly mini-podcast bringing you the best in Spanish football, focusing on LaLiga, arguably the best league in the world. We'll tell you not just what happened, but how and why, using our extensive squad of reporters spread throughout Spain. We'll have big-name interviews with current and former players and managers from LaLiga, and we'll truly interact with our listeners, featuring them in our content, encouraging their comments and challenging them regularly. Follow us and chat with us on Twitter: twitter.com/LaLigaLowdown Watch our videos on YouTube: youtube.com/c/LaLigaLowdown Insight. Interviews. Interaction. In English. Spanish Football. Sorted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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