LaLiga 2022-2023 (First Division)

[AlanK]

The Drop after Jornada 11 is complete; looks like this

Each of four teams is ONE POINT above the drop; to wit

#14 through #17--each has 10 points; ranked by difference in GD

Espanyol, Almería, Sevilla, Getafe

And THE DROP

18. Girona------------9 points; +15-19 Next at Real Madrid.
19. Cádiz-------------7 points; +5-22 Hosts Atlético.
20. Elche-------------4 points; +8-26 Hosts Getafe.

Downright unlikely that any of these last three will rise above the drop in Jornada 12

[AlanK]

Jornada 12 begins

Fri. 28 Oct. 2100 Mallorca 1, Espanyol 1 Mallorca is proving not to be a pushover by any means, as witness their win in Mestalla in Jornada 11. They are now 12th, three points above the drop and two points above 14th place Espanyol. Spirited but scoreless first half in Son Moix, where 13,982 fans are looking on. At 48', Vedat Muriqi gives Mallorca the lead--1-0. At 70', José Carlos Lazo lets fly from outside the area, the ball goes off the far post and in to tie it--1-1. That's the final score; Mallorca stays in 12th place for the moment, while Espanyol passes Celta on GD and is 13th.

Sat. 29 Oct.

1400 Almería 3, Celta 1 Both are barely above the drop on points: Almería is one point thereabove, while Celta is one point ahead of Almería. At 25', Gabri Veiga scores for Celta with a rocket from just outside the half-moon--0-1. At 32', Celta's scorer, Gabri Veiga, sees a red card. At halftime, still 0-1. Can Celta hang on a man down No, they couldn't--Lázaro Vinicius ties it at 52' from inside the area--1-1. And at 60', César de la Hoz scores from the edge of the half-moon to give Almería the lead--2-1, and Celta's woes continue . . . At 96', Eguaras scores to ice the win for Almería, which climbs two places and trails Mallorca only on GD.

1615 Cádiz 3, Atlético 2 Cádiz is next-to-last, three points back of the lowest teams (FOUR of them ) above the drop. Atleti is now third after their win at Betis. They'll be coming off their CL game against Bayer L. At 28 seconds, Bongonda cuts through the area and meets a centering pass, angling in his shot to beat Oblak--1-0 for the home team. At 10', Morata, injured, is replaced by Cunha. And Cádiz leads at the half in the Nuevo Mirandilla. And starting at about 80', the goals start rolling in At 81', Alex Fernández makes it 2-0 for Cádiz. . . . But at 85' and 89', Joao Félix scores to tie it for Atleti. Game stays even until 98', when Rubén Sobrino takes advantage of a missed clearance to put in the winner for Cádiz. Cádiz is still in the drop due to their awful GD of minus 16, but they now even in points with the lowest team not in the drop , which is Getafe at the moment.

1830 Sevilla 0, Rayo 1 Who'da thunk Sevilla would be 16th, one point above the drop, after 11 games. Rayo is in mid-table, five points and six places above Sevilla. Scoreless first half in the Sánchez Pizjuán. 36,601 reported on hand. At 61', Alvaro García scores on the counter to give Rayo the lead--0-1. And Rayo holds on to win Rayo, at the moment, is in eighth place Sevilla could drop a couple of places should later results go against them.

2100 Valencia 0, Barça 1 Valencia comes off their home loss to Mallorca; they are now ninth, seven points back of the last CL spot. A win over Barça would be huge for them. Barça will be coming off their survival CL game vs Bayern M.; they are second in LaLiga, three points back of el Realísimo. Neither team looked very sharp in the scoreless first half in Mestalla. Second half was almost as boring as the first half. Looked like a sure 0-0 until 93', when Lewandowski scored the winner; assist by Raphinha--0-1 the final. Valencia drops to tenth place for the moment, while Barça takes over the league lead, presumably only until Real Madrid hosts Girona tomorrow.

Sun. 30 Oct.--Spain goes on Daylight Savings Time, so double-check kickoff times where you live

1400 Osasuna 2, Valladolid 0 Osasuna is 8th in LaLiga after a tie in Girona; they're a tough opponent, and they're the ONLY team to take a point against Reaal Madrid in LaLiga so far this season. Valladolid has proven to be a tough opponent this season--they're 11th, five points above the drop and are 3-1-1 in their last five games. At 11', penalty awarded to Osasuna. At 13', Chimy Avila converts, off the post and in--1-0. At 19', Osasuna steals the ball and Moi Gómez scores to make it 2-0. Halftime in El Sadar. If this result holds, Osasuna will be tied on points with fifth-place Betis, which plays later. 19,429 the attendance. And 2-0 is indeed the final score. Valladolid will remain in 11th place.

1615 Real Madrid 1, Girona 1 El Real comes off a CL loss to RBL, in which they rested Benzema and Modric. Girona is the top of the drop, one point back of each of the four teams immediately above them, but getting anything from this game is unlikely at best. But at 38', it's Girona that hits the crossbar Scoreless first half. At 70', Real Madrid finally breaks through--Valverde assists Vinicius Jr., who puts it in from up close to the goal--1-0. At 79', Girona has a VAR penalty given in their favor. At 80', Stuani, who has just come in, converts the pk--1-1. This game is a great illustration of the Spanish refrán that tells us that "no hay enemigo pequeño". El Real is held to a tie by relegation-territory Girona--although Girona noses above the drop thanks to the HUGE point they won in today's game. At 89', it looked as though el Real was gonna pull it out, but Rodrygo kicked the ball out of the goalie's hands as the goalie lay on the ground. VAR took the "goal" away. At 91', Kroos saw a second yellow, and Girona held on until the game ended at 100'. Real retakes first place by ONE point over Barça. Girona has the best GD among the four teams at 10 points, which means they are in 16th place for the moment.

1830 Athletic 1, Villarreal 0 Athletic comes off a 4-0 hiding at the hands of Barça in the Camp Nou. That knocked them to sixth place; the team they have to take their frustration out against is a tough opponent, the Yellow Submarine, which is even on points with Athletic and trails the Basques only on GD. Barça is the ONLY team to have conceded fewer goals in LaLiga this season than has Villarreal. Scoreless first half, but not for lack of trying At 59', a defensive error lets Iñaki Williams go one-on-one with goalie Rulli; Iñaki makes no mistake--1-0. Assist by Raúl García. Great game played today by Athletic; just too tough for the Yellow Submarine. Athletic at the moment is in fifth place, although Betis would pass them if they win in Anoeta--coming up next. Villarreal drops behind Osasuna on points; they're ahead of Rayo on GD--eighth at the moment.

2100 Real Sociedad 0, Betis 2 La Real is in the last CL spot after a surprising loss at Valladolid. La Real comes off an EL game which isn't of great importance to them, since they've already qualified to advance. Betis is two points and one place back of la Real after their home loss to Atleti. Betis also comes off an EL game; their game is a bit tougher than la Real's game, as they need a good result in Bulgaria to be sure of topping their group. The way it shakes out with a win, la Real climbs to third place. A loss leaves them fifth, back of Atleti and Betis. A tie leaves them fourth, back of Atleti on GD. Scoreless first half in Anoeta. Breakthrough comes at 86', as Alex Moreno assists Juan Cruz, cutting through the top of the area--0-1 for Betis And it's basically over at 93', as la Real pours forth and Betis hits them on the counter: the Panda, Borja Iglesias, scores to make it 0-2.

Mon. 31 Oct, and Happy All Saints Day to you

2100 Elche 0, Getafe 1 Elche is dead last; they're winless on the season and six points back of the lowest teams not in the drop. Getafe is the team immediately above the drop; they're one of four teams at 10 points, one point above the drop. At the kickoff, Getafe is exactly tied with Sevilla for places 17 and 18 in LaLiga. If Getafe loses this game, they will be alone in 18th place--the top of the drop. Any positive result will lift them above the drop. Scoreless first half in the Martínez Valero. 19,588 reported on hand. At 54', Carles Aleñà assists Enes Unal, who scores--0-1 for Getafe. The Elche fans are NOT pleased with the efforts of their team At 78', Amavi of Getafe sees a second yellow. At 85', pk awarded to Elche for a handball by Luis Milla. Lucas Boyé takes the pk at 87'--saved by David Soria And at 92', Soria saves the furniture again. Getafe hangs on and climbs three points above the drop.

[Bulgarian]

I guess Asensio should chop his hand. That way it wouldnt be a pen. Shit decision by a shit ref.

[mspm89]

LOL at the above clown, can't take a refereeing job that takes just one right decision against Real Cheaters.

[AlanK]

The Top is known with one game yet to go in Jornada 12--to wit

1. Real Madrid------------32 points; +29-10 Next at Rayo.
2. Barça-----------------31 points; +29-4 Hosts Almería.
3. Atlético---------------23 points; +20-12 Hosts Espanyol.
4. Betis-----------------23 points; +16-8 Hosts . . . Sevilla
--------------------------------------
5. Real Soc.-------------22 points; +16-15 Hosts Valencia.
6. Athletic--------------21 points; +20-12 At Girona.
7. Osasuna-------------20 points; +13-11 At Celta
--------------------------------------

[AlanK]

And here is The Drop, with Jornada 12 now complete

17. Girona------------10 points; +16-20 Next hosts Athletic.
-------------------------------------
18. Sevilla------------10 points; +11-19 At . . . Betis What is Sevilla doing in The Drop
19. Cádiz-------------10 points; +8-24 At Getafe.
20. Elche--------------4 points; +8-27 At Valladolid. Gonna take a lot of digging to get out of this hole

[AlanK]

Jornada 13 in LaLiga doesn't start until

Fri. 4 Nov. 2100 Girona 2, Athletic 1 Girona is above the drop on GD. Athletic would climb to third place ( ) with a win in this game. Scoreless first half in Montilivi. Girona has given almost as good as they've gotten in the first half. 11,420 on hand. At 67', David López heads in a free kick to give Girona the lead--1-0. If Girona goes on to win, they'll rise to 12th place. WOW Iván Martín breaks away one-on-one with Unai Simón and makes it 2-0 At 79', Gorka Guruzeta cuts the margin to 2-1--game on And Girona holds Huge win for the home team

Sat. 5 Nov.

1400 Getafe 0, Cádiz 0 Getafe climbed to 14th place with their win in Elche on Monday. Cádiz is now in sight of climbing above the drop after their win over Atlético on Saturday. Scoreless first half in the Alfonso Pérez. Not what either team wants, but can either put it together in the second half to find a winner No, didn't happen Geta finished with nine men, Cádiz with 10, and Enes Unal bounced a fk off the post at 101', but nobody could win it. Geta, for the moment, climbs two places to 12th, while Cádiz passes Sevilla but stays in the drop.

1615 Valladolid 2, Elche 1 Valladolid is in mid-table, four points above the drop. Elche . . . well, has four points after TWELVE games. They have no wins at all, and are tied for fewest goals scored in 12 games--eight At 40', Javi Sánchez scores from inside the area--1-0 for the home team. If this holds up, Valladolid will pass Valencia to occupy tenth place. Halftime in Pucela. Roque Mesa makes it 2-0 just after the start of the second half. At 63', it's game on, as Josan Fernández scores for Elche--2-1. But Elche can't find another goal, and 2-1 is the final.

1830 Celta 1, Osasuna 2 Celta has managed to win just one point in their last five games; this has left them one point and two places above the drop. Osasuna is having a very good year thus far; they're in the last European spot, and a win here could lift them as high as a third-place tie (on points) with Atlético and Betis. At 8', Chimy Avila scores for Osasuna from just beyond the area--0-1, and Osasuna looks to be on the way up the ranking . . . But at 19', Celta counters with a goal by Iago Aspas from just beyond the six-yard box, off the woodwork and in--1-1. But Chimy Avila is not to be gainsaid: at 28', he scores his second of the evening, a header from just inside the area, and it's 1-2. Halftime in Balaídos. About 77', handball penalty called in favor of Celta, but VAR says no--gotta agree with the "no penalty" decision Osasuna wins it; at the moment they've passed Athletic and la Real Sociedad, and are tie on points with Atleti and Betis, both of which play tomorrow. Celta is above the drop only on GD.

2100 Barça 2, Almería 0 Barça goes in trailing first-place Real Madrid by just a point. Almería is three points and five places above the drop after winning their last three home games--although they've lost their away games during that period. Barça dominates the game completely, but can't put it together to score. Best chance was a questionable handball penalty at 6'; At 7, Lewandowski did a paradinha and just plain missed the shot. Lots of chances; this is "The Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight" Scoreless first half in the Camp Nou. 92,000 + in the Camp Nou for Piqué's good-bye. At 48\, Dembélé scores on a solo job--1-0. At 62', Frenkie De Jong makes it 2-0. Barça's win puts them atop LaLiga, probably only until El Real plays at Rayo on Monday.

Sun. 6 Nov.

1400 Atlético 1, Espanyol 1 Atleti is third; things are a bit shaky after their elimination from European fútbol at this early stage. Espanyol is one point and three places above the drop. At 28', Cabrera of Espanyol sees a red card for a last-man foul on Morata. Scoreless first half with Espanyol hanging VERY tough after losing a man and facing an Atleti pouring forth. Can Atleti break through Most of 50,007 are hoping so . . . But at 62', Sergi Darder gives Espanyol the lead as he smashes in a header from a teammate--0-1. Can Atleti come back Yes At 78', Joao Félix, on as a sub, scores with a great shot on the break--1-1, Can Atleti win it Atleti comes close, but can't do it. This leaves Atleti third, alone there for the moment; they can be passed later today by Betis or la Real. Espanyol is a point above the drop.

1615 Real Sociedad 1, Valencia 1 La Real comes off their EL home game against Man. U, which they must not lose if they are to top their group. Their home loss to Betis last weekend left them out of the CL spots. Valencia has dropped to mid-table, five points shy of the last European spot and eight points shy of the last CL spot. Terrible start for Valencia--player falls down, giving the ball to la Real, and Hugo Guillamón manages to put it into his own net--1-0 for la Real, at the moment in third place a point ahead of Atlético--if this lead holds up, of course. At 17', Elustondo of la Real sees a red card after VAR consultation. At 25', Samuel Lino scores from inside the half-moon to tie it for Valencia--1-1. At 39', Sorloth's header is headed away by a Valencia defender. The game ends tied 1-1; la Real will drop a place to sixth, as Osasuna passes them on GD. Valencia drops a place, as Valladolid has passed them by a point.

1830 Villarreal 0, Mallorca 2 Villarreal is now in eighth place, two points back of the last European spot. Mallorca is in lower mid-table, three points and six places above the drop. Win or lose, Villarreal will remain in eighth place. At 32', Vedan Muriqi gives Mallorca the lead--0-1. And Mallorca takes the lead into halftime at the Ciutat de Valencia. At 74', Chukwueze hits the crossbar. At 76', Amath of Mallorca makes it 0-2 with a rocket from just outside the area. And that's the final. Very poor showing by the Yellow Submarine today. They'll remain in eighth place unless Rayo wins or ties against Real Madrid tomorrow. Mallorca remains 12th, trailing Valencia only on GD.

2100 Betis 1, Sevilla 1 This rivalry makes the Clásico look like a backyard pickup game Betis is in the last CL spot. Sevilla is having their worst season in many a moon; they're the top of the drop and would like nothing better than to climb out of the drop with a win over their arch-rival. Betis can climb to third place with a win. At 38', Gonzalo Montiel sees a red card after VAR review of the tackle he made . . . A strange play indeed gives Betis the lead; the goal was charged to Jesús Navas of Sevilla as an own goal--1-0 for Betis. But things change quickly--at 45' + 3', Fekir of Betis sees a red card after VAR review. The announcers kept saying that Carvalho saw a red, but that was not the case. And it's 1-0 at the half of what could only be termed a bizarre first half: a weird goal and one player from each team red-carded. Second half comin', with Sevilla needing at least a tie to climb above the drop and Betis in position to pass Atlético and move into third place if they hold on to win . . . which is looking a bit doubtful, as at 49', Borja Iglesias of Betis sees a red card after VAR review. Hold on tight At 81', Gudelj lets fly from way beyond the half-moon and ties the score--1-1. At 90', Gudelj almost does it again, but his shot bounces off the woodwork. And at 95', with seconds to go, Gudelj lets loose another one and Claudio Bravo somehow saves the shot and the furniture for Betis--1-1 the final. Betis stays in fourth place, back of Atleti on GD. Sevilla climbs out of the drop, with GD over Celta, now in the drop.

Mon. 7 Nov. 2100 Rayo 3, Real Madrid 2 Rayo is in ninth place after their win in Sevilla, eight points above the drop. El Real leads the league by one point over Barça going into Barça's game on Saturday; el Real will probably have to win this game to win back the league lead. At 5', Santi Comesaña scores from inside the area--1-0 for the home team Great assist by Fran García. At 36', consultation of VAR leads to a penalty being awarded to Real; Modric converts at 37'--1-1. At 41', Militao heads in a corner to give Real the lead--1-2. At 44', Alvaro García ties it for Rayo from inside the area--2-2. Pretty good first half by Rayo 14,216 enjoying the game in Vallecas . . . At 64', handball by Carvajal in the area. Trejo's pk saved by Courtois--but the goalie's feet were not where they are allowed to be Trejo gets another chance and scores--3-2. And that turns out to be the game winner--3-2 for Rayo, now in eighth place back of Athletic on GD. El Realísimo is second to Barça, bringing to mind the somewhat profane chant, "Madrid, cabrón, saluda al campeón." It may be a bit early yet, with about two-thirds of the season remaining, but hey, one can dream, no

[AlanK]

With just the Rayo-Real Madrid match to be played today, Mon. 7 Nov., The Drop is known after Jornada 13, to wit

17. Sevilla------------11 points; +12-20 Next hosts Real Soc.
-------------------------------------
18. Celta-------------11 points; +14-26 At Rayo.
19. Cádiz-------------11 points; +8-24 At Real Madrid.
20. Elche--------------4 points; +9-29 Hosts Girona.

Note that Jornada 14 starts tomorrow, Tues. 8 Nov.

[AlanK]

. . . and The Top played a trick on us (nos hizo una mala pasada) to wit

1. Barça------------34 points; +31-4 Next at Osasuna . . . egad, that would be today
2. Real Madrid------32 points; +31-13 Hosts Cádiz.
3. Atlético----------24 points; +21-13 At Mallorca.
4. Betis------------24 points; +17-9 At Valencia.
----------------------------------------------------------
5. Osasuna---------23 points; +15-12 Hosts Barça Great season to date
6. Real Soc.--------23 points; +17-16 At Sevilla.
7. Athletic----------21 points; +21-14 Hosts Valladolid.

[AlanK]

Jornada 14 starts today, Tues. 8 Nov. Note that the next Jornada, #15, will be played at the end of . . . December

Jornada 14 looks like this

Tues. 8 Nov.

1900 Elche 1, Girona 2 Elche, with only 4 points out of 13 games, looks like toast. Can they put it together against a Girona team that has climbed to 14th place At 16', Lirola scores from inside the area to give Elche the lead--1-0. At 21', Girona hits the post. At 31', Oriol Romeu heads in, but the goal is disallowed. At 39', Iván Martín heads in to tie for Girona--1-1. And that's the halftime score in the Martínez Valero. 17,339 on hand. At 66', Arnau assists Castellanos, who scores to give the visitors the lead--1-2. Elche loses their tenth game out of 14; Girona climbs past Getafe into 13th place.

2000 Athletic 3, Valladolid 0 Athletic is seventh in LaLiga; which Athletic will show up Valladolid is having a great season to date; they've won three of their last four to climb to 10th place, six points above the drop. At 19', Guruzeta gives Athletic the lead--1-0. And that's still the score at halftime in San Mamés Barri; 40,072 on hand. At 51', Guruzeta scores his second of the game--2-0. At 78', Daniel Vivián makes it 3-0, which is the final. Athletic passes both Atleti and Betis on GD to occupy third place for the moment, but if Osasuna wins their game against Barça, it'll be Osasuna in third place.

2130 Osasuna 1, Barça 2 Game of the Week. Osasuna is just a point back of a CL spot after three wins and a tie in their last four games. Barça has moved into the league lead by winning their last four after their loss in the Bernabéu. At 6', David García puts Osasuna ahead, 1-0. Many protests by Barça about a possible foul went unheeded by Ref Gil Manzano. At 31', Lewandowski sees a second yellow and is dismissed. Can Barça come back to avoid defeat Not the way they played in the first half Digo Well, Barça showed some true grit to pull it out in the second half. At 48', Jordi Alba starts the play; the shot is rejected but then put in by Pedri--1-1. At 85', with Osasuna's goalie out picking grapes, De Jong assists Raphinha, who heads in over the goalie from way out--1-2. And THEN came nervous time Anyway, Barça assures themselves at least a two-point lead over el Realísimo going into the break. Osasuna drops to sixth place for the moment and perhaps a place or two lower later this week.

Wed. 9 Nov.

1900 Almería 1, Getafe 0 Almería has won four of six at home this season, while their road record is a pitiful 0-1-6. They have to be favorites today, right Geta is one point and two places above 15th place Almería. At 26', Baptistao gives Almería the lead--1-0. And it's still 1-0 at the half in the Juegos Mediterráneos. And 1-0 is the final. Almería only climbs one place with the win; it's Getafe that they pass.

1900 Sevilla 1, Real Sociedad 2 Sevilla is now above the drop . . . on GD only. La Real is sixth, but is only one point back of third place. At 20', Mikel Merino assists Sorloth, who makes it 0-1. At 25', Remiro saves the furniture from Isco . . . At 28', Rakitic of Sevilla sees a red card, and Sevilla, down a goal, is down a man . . . And at 34', they are down to nine men, as Nianzou (sp ) sees a red card At 36', Brais Méndez makes it 0-2 for la Real, and it looks like a rout is in the cards . . . But at 44', Rafa Mir puts Sevilla on the scoreboard--1-2, and after EIGHT minutes added time, it's 1-2 at the half in the Sánchez Pizjuan. 34,814 on hand. Sevilla tried to make a game of it, but they couldn't score a second goal. They'll remain above the droop as long as neither Celta nor Cádiz manages to win a point tomorrow. La Real is now third, although they could be passed by Atlético today or Betis tomorrow.

2000 Espanyol 0, Villarreal 1 Espanyol is one point and two places above the drop. Villarreal seems to have lost their magic touch: they've lost three of four in LaLiga and got a tie and a loss in their last two group games in the ECL. Scoreless first half in Cornellà-El Prat. At 64', Alberto Moreno of Villarreal centers the rebound of a shot by Yéremy Pino, and Espanyol's goalie, Lecomte, has the misfortune of putting the ball into his own net--0-1. And that goal holds up to give Villarreal the win. My player of the game is Rulli, Villarreal's goalie, who stopped everything but the kitchen sink Villarreal climbs to eighth place, although Rayo will pass them tomorrow if they don't lose at home to Celta.

2130 Mallorca 1, Atlético 0 Mallorca is in 12th place, five points above the drop. Atleti has slipped a bit, but they're still third, although they're 10 points off the league lead. At 16', Mallorca's tower of strength, Vedat Muriqi, scores to give Mallorca the lead--1-0. And it's still 1-0 at halftime in Son Moix, where 14,475 are reported to be in attendance. Mallorca hangs on to win 1-0. Players of the game: Muriqi and Mallorca's goalie, Rajkovic. Mallorca climbs to 10th place for the moment; Atleti Now trails la Real Sociedad on points and Betis on GD, meaning that as of the moment they are tied fo fifth and sixth places with Athletic.

Thurs. 10 Nov.

1900 Rayo 0, Celta 0 Rayo surprised the then-leaders on Monday to climb to eighth place, just three points back of the last CL spot. Celta is the top of the drop, even on points with both the team ahead of them and the team behind them in the ranking. I only got to see the last 15 minutes of the first half which ended scoreless. A wee mite rough, perhaps A tie would be good enough to lift Celta out of the drop for the moment. A tie would leave Rayo alone in 8th place. At 75', Rayo comes close, but there haven't been hardly any good scoring chances in the second half. And the game ends scoreless. Quite disappointing after Rayo's win over Real Madrid on Monday, but playing every three days is awfully tough on the players Attendance: 12,419.

2000 Valencia 3, Betis 0 in progress. Valencia is now 11th, five points back of the last European spot. Betis is in the last CL spot after self-destruction in the Sevilla derby. Scoreless first half in Mestalla. At 61', Edgar González of Betis sees a second yellow; the resultant free kick, by André Almeida, opens the scoring--1-0. 36,010 on hand despite a drenching rain in Valencia. At 80', questionable penalty awarded to Valencia, converted by Guillamón at 81'--2-0. Justin Kluivert scores on a breakaway at 93' to make the final 3-0 for los ché.

2130 Real Madrid 2, Cádiz 1 Real Madrid lost their league lead by losing in Vallecas on Monday. Cádiz is likely to "pagar los vidrios rotos" ("pay for the broken glass") in this game . . . Cádiz is next-to-last, but they're even on points with the two teams directly above them. At 40', Kroos centers for Militao to head in--1-0. And it's halftime. At 70', a howitzer shot by Kroos makes it 2-0. At 82', Lucas Pérez puts Cádiz on the board as he puts in a loose ball after Courtois saves in extremis--2-1 the final.

[Michael S Collins]

Jef Hughes (a writing pal): None of Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico have managed to beat Rayo Vallecano this season.
Me: Alan will be delighted!

Delighted, I presume?

[AlanK]

Jef Hughes (a writing pal): None of Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico have managed to beat Rayo Vallecano this season.
Me: Alan will be delighted!

Delighted, I presume?

Well, gee, yeah, kinda . . . OF COURSE I AM I was pretty sure Trejo was gonna make his second chance pk

Now Rayo's gotta come through against theTop of the Drop on Thurs.--and I can't watch all of the game--medical appoiintment

[Michael S Collins]

Jef Hughes (a writing pal): None of Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico have managed to beat Rayo Vallecano this season.
Me: Alan will be delighted!

Delighted, I presume?

Well, gee, yeah, kinda . . . OF COURSE I AM I was pretty sure Trejo was gonna make his second chance pk

Now Rayo's gotta come through against theTop of the Drop on Thurs.--and I can't watch all of the game--medical appoiintment

Take care and good luck!

[AlanK]

Standings after Jornada 14 (Jornada 15 will be played at the end of December)

1. Barça--------------37 points; +33-5 Next hosts Espanyol.
2. Real Madrid---------35 points; +33-14 At Valladolid.
3. Real Soc.-----------26 points; +19-17 Hosts Osasuna.
4. Athletic------------24 points; +24-14 At Betis.
------------------------------------
5. Atlético------------24 points; +21-14 Hosts Elche.
6. Betis--------------24 points; +17-12 Hosts Athletic.
7. Osasuna-----------23 points; +16-14 At Real Sociedad.
-----------------------------------
8. Rayo--------------22 points; +20-16 At Girona.
9. Villarreal----------21 points; +15-10 Hosts Valencia.
10. Valencia---------19 points; +22-15 At Villarreal.
11. Mallorca---------19 points; +13-13 At Getafe.
12. Valladolid--------17 points; +13-21 Hosts Real Madrid.
13. Girona-----------16 points; +20-22 Hosts Rayo.
14. Almería----------16 points; +16-22 At Cádiz.
15. Getafe-----------14 points; +12-20 Hosts Mallorca.
16. Espanyol---------12 points; +16-22 At Barça.
17. Celta------------12 points; +14-26 Hosts Sevilla.
-------------------------------------
18. Sevilla------------11 points; +13-22 At Celta.
19. Cádiz------------11 points; +9-26 Hosts Almería.
20. Elche--------------4 points; +10-31 At Atlético.

[offside]

Standings after Jornada 14

So, title race is only between Barca and Real, but the race for European football still very open, with like ten clubs involved: who do you think will qualify?