LaLiga Matchday 14 Recap: Xavi's back, but so are Real Madrid

Jude Bellingham did it again. Scoring a stoppage-time winner in El Clásico. A goal which sealed a five-goal thriller and surely another league title for Los Blancos.Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) reflect on this game and the rest of the action in LaLiga this weekend.There was goal-line controversy, golazos and much more to get stuck into. Atleti compounded a bad week by losing at Alavés, keeping Athletic in the hunt for fourth spot. Valencia lost to Betis, but Real Sociedad were unable to take full advantage. Girona sealed European qualification for the first time ever, while Iago Aspas did what he does best and led Celta to a massive three points in their battle against the drop.Subscribe for more content at lllonline.substack.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they review Matchday 31 and preview the Champions League quarter-final second-leg fixtures. As always, we look at all the games, starting with Atleti's massive win against Girona, before keeping an eye on their upcoming return at Signal Iduna Park. Barça & Madrid both obtained routine 0-1 away wins, with João Félix and Aurélien Tchouaméni scoring beautiful goals. Betis finally snapped their bad streak, but another is ongoing, as Las Palmas can't stop losing after falling to Sevilla.This, and much more, in our weekend recap of all the action. So don't forget to follow us on lllonline.substack.com if you don't want to miss a thing! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Athletic Club are Copa champions, 40 years later.Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) to review a spectacular night in Seville.We congratulate Athletic and Mallorca for a thrilling approach to a final, laud the two coaches, and discuss the key players in the game.Ernesto Valverde has sealed his place in Athletic Club history, as has Iker Muniain and company.After the break, we react to Valencia's win over Granada and the race for 7th which has now opened up.We also preview the Champions League quarter-final first legs, as three Spanish sides look to reach the final four.Subscribe and upgrade at lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ben Sully (@SullyBen) as they hop to it to discuss all the LaLiga action from the Easter weekend. We delve into an egg-citing game at Montilivi, where Cristhian Stuani delivered a sweet treat for the home faithful in a five-goal thriller. Real Madrid bounced past Athletic Club thanks to a Rodrygo brace, while Álvaro Valles chicks out early in Las Palmas’ defeat to Barcelona.Elsewhere, Jon Pacheco scores the decisive goal to leave La Real feeling hoppy, as Osasuna experienced an egg-cellent outing against Almería. Birthday boy Sergio Ramos gifts Sevilla a precious victory in their quest for resurrection, Cádiz enjoy a Good Friday and Celta fail to come out of their shells in Rayo stalemate. We then go on a hunt for talking points in a goalless affair at Mestalla.April promises to be an egg-ceptional month for Spanish football – sorry, that’s the last pun, we promise. To keep across all of the domestic and European action, come and join us over at lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we head into the international break, it was an important Matchday for the sensations, clubs trying to jostle for position ahead of the final straight. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) reflect on another big weekend in LaLiga. Barça remain unbeaten on the road after taking all three points from the Metropolitano, just as they did 26 games ago back in January 2023. Of course João Félix had a part to play, but it was Robert Lewandowski who was the main man. More vindication for Xavi?As for Atleti, they drop out of the top four and have a daunting task ahead of them.Real Madrid continue clear at the top after a 4-2 win at El Sadar. Despite Vini's brace and Fede Valverde's trio of assists, it is a certain Moroccan who we discuss...Girona's woes on the road continued at the Coliseum, while Athletic continued to power at San Mamés.Almería stole headlines on Sunday, picking up their first win of the season in Pepe Mel's first match in charge.There was also a new manager bounce for Claudio Giráldez at Celta, as they came from behind to beat Sevilla. The game even featured Lucas Ocampos peacemaking between his teammate and his coach.Rayo also tasted victory after what seemed like an eternity, but the troubles go on for Granada.Betis are in a slump at the wrong time, but Real Sociedad and Villarreal picked up important wins to keep their European goals alive.Join us at lllonline.substack.com for all our content throughout the international break and through to the end of the season. Access everything for just a fiver a month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this what winning feels like? Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ben Sully (@SullyBen) as they reflect on a weekend where Cádiz ended their long wait for a victory.First up, we discuss a five-goal thriller at the Benito Villamarín and another red card for Chimy Ávila. Attention then turns to Cádiz's surprise win over Atlético Madrid, reigniting the battle for survival and piling the pressure on Atleti and Diego Simeone. Real Sociedad showed great fight to beat Granada, while Real Madrid swept past Celta Vigo to take another step towards the title.Elsewhere in the top four, Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal produced a stunner as Girona made full use of home comforts to reclaim second spot just 24 hours after they had lost it. Meanwhile, Valencia’s European charge gained more momentum, Alavés ramped up Rayo’s relegation fears and Athletic Club basked in the Gran Canarian sun. We also look ahead to the midweek Champions League fixtures, and remember you can catch our recap of the European action over at lllonline.substack.com later in the week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season's "big 3" all dropped points in Matchday 27, and Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) are here to to tell you all about it. Starting with the controversy in Valencia, where the referee was the unfortunate protagonist of the night after blowing the final whistle just seconds before Jude Bellingham scored what could've been a match winner. They also cover Girona and Barça's missed chance to revive the title race, as well as Atlético's bounce-back from their Copa del Rey elimination.Goals were also a big part of the weekend, with a crazy 3-3 draw between Getafe and Las Palmas, Villarreal thrashing Granada and Sevilla sticking their finger a bit deeper into Real Sociedad's wounds. At the bottom there was late drama, relief for Rafa and a hailstorm at Vallecas.Remember you can support our content by upgrading your subscription and helping ensure LLL's future at lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matchday 26 was a belter, and Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) are here to break it all down.Time waits for no man, and as one Real Madrid legend returned to his former home, another nearing the end of his time stole the show with a typically magical strike. Luka Modrić doesn't score many, but when he does they are spectacular. It needed to be to break down a stubborn Sevilla.Barça found things much easier for a change, easing past Getafe at Montjuïc, as they climb to second in the standings.In Seville, Betis put aside their European disappointment with a statement victory over Athletic Club. The Basque side don't travel well lately, and will now be without Nico Williams for their next game. His sarcastic applause of the referee earning him an early bath. Paco ponders whether this rule is applied consistently enough?Real Sociedad also lost 3-1, at home to Villarreal as their mini-resurgence continues. At the bottom it was a huge six-pointer at the Nuevo Mirandilla but ultimately Celta were left to count the cost of conceding late yet again. From a position of 2-0 up against a side who don't score, this was a damaging loss of two points. Darwin Machís' golazo keeps Cádiz alive and keeps Celta in trouble.Atleti had another poor result on the road, drawing in Almería, who remain winless. Luka Romero (remember him?) stole the show with his brace.It's the Copa del Rey semi-final second legs this week, so subscribe and upgrade at lllonline.substack.com to gain access to all our extra content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just a week after we confidently declared that there is no league, Real Madrid stumble to recover the possibility that there actually might be a little bit of league.Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) to review Matchday 25 in LaLiga. Real Madrid did extend their lead to six points, but Girona have the opportunity to cut that in half, should they win at San Mamés on Monday. A huge game just got even bigger.Atleti warmed up in style for their Italian job by putting five past Las Palmas. Marcos Llorente up front...who says Diego Simeone isn't a revolutionary?As for Barça, it was the same old story. They were made to struggle and suffer, this time with a winning outcome, but the doubts still remain strong. Rafa and Celta can't catch a break, and continue to stutter along, as Robert Lewandowski stuttered from the penalty spot.Elsewhere, there were important wins for Real Sociedad and Osasuna, and a plethora of draws, most of which were unsatisfactory for the clubs involved.This was especially true for Granada and Almería, who seem destined to play each other again next season back down in Segunda.Subscribe and upgrade for extra content at lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No centre-backs, no problem. Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ben Sully (@SullyBen) as they look back on a weekend where Real Madrid overcame a defensive injury crisis to smash Girona’s dreams of achieving their fairytale ending.Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham played starring roles in the demolition job, moving Carlo Ancelotti’s side five points clear at the top. Elsewhere in Part One, we discuss another poor home result for Barcelona as they play out an entertaining 3-3 draw against relegation-threatened Granada. There was also disappointment for Atlético Madrid, who lost out to a rejuvenated Sevilla side at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.Real Betis swept past struggling Cádiz to move into sixth place as goal-shy Real Sociedad dropped down to seventh with a home defeat to Osasuna. Meanwhile, Celta showed all their fighting qualities at the Coliseum to come back from two goals down, only for Getafe to land the killer blow late on. Matt and Ben also discuss all the other fixtures from the weekend, including another solid win for surprise European hopefuls Las Palmas.With the UEFA competitions set to return, make sure to subscribe to lllonline.substack.com to get unlimited access to all of our content throughout the week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.