Matchday 18 of LaLiga arrives before the end of 2024 with several games to highlight. Barcelona and Atlético fought for first place in the table (1-2) and Real Madrid beat Sevilla at the Bernabéu on Sunday (4-2). The match that opened the day was Girona – Valladolid (3-0) and Betis closed it against Rayo Vallecano at Villamarín (1-1).
Girona is approaching the European places after comfortably beating Valladolid in Montilivi. Míchel’s team started winning in the 30th minute with a goal from David López. Shortly before half-time, the Catalan team got the game back on track with a goal from Abel Ruiz. Finally in the 80th, Danjuma sealed the match and plunged Valladolid into the relegation zone.
Mallorca climbed to fifth position in the table thanks to a penalty goal from Larín in the 53rd minute of the match. Getafe started the game better than Mallorca and had several clear chances from Bertug. The penalty at the beginning of the second half marked the match and Getafe tried until the last moment, they had numerous shots on goal that put Mallorca on the ropes, but they did not get the goal.
Great performance by Celta, who showed a great version in Balaídos, where they are usually very reliable, to defeat a Real Sociedad that saw their good streak of six games without losing broken. Pablo Durán with his two goals and the great performance of players like Moriba, Alfon and Borja Iglesias were too much for a fairly dull Basque team, which greatly noticed the absence of Zubimendi and was surpassed from the first minute of play.
Athletic is aiming for everything after winning at El Sadar. Osasuna took the lead with a goal from Torró, but Guruzeta soon tied the score and Berenguer scored in the second half.
Atlético affirms itself as a leader. The blaugrana, generous and superior in play throughout the match, gave up in the areas with a last goal from Sorloth and Simeone was finally able to claim victory in Barcelona’s field
Valencia came out alive from a match they had lost thanks to the naiveté of Alavés, who did not know how to finish off a team that showed nerves due to its agonizing season. The optimist will say that this tie allows Baraja’s team to leave the bottom position in the League at the end of the year, but the pessimist left Mestalla after seeing one of Valencia’s worst matches, which, yes, achieved at least chain two games in a row without losing.
After so many duels and losses since August, Madrid leaves Christmas with its best face of the season. He dispatched a willing Sevilla with one of his most convincing days, despite some concessions behind, and above all he fueled his hopes that, at last, Kylian Mbappé is back to life. The appointment was very useful for him on the Sunday of Jesús Navas’s farewell. The two teams welcomed the Sevilla legend with a walkway and the Bernabéu honored him with a standing ovation. Xavi García Pimienta did not give him a clue until it was 4-1. Half an hour of goodbye that ended with another round of applause from the amphitheater.
Las Palmas continues its climb up the table and takes an important victory in the last match of the year thanks to a solitary goal from Sandro from a free kick in the second half. The Canaries deserved more than Espanyol, who tried to react when it was too late.
A triplet by Thierno Barry brought about the comeback against a Leganés team (2-5) that suffered the expulsions of Óscar Rodríguez and Jorge Sáenz in the second period, leaving them without arguments or strength to combat a rival who signed the ‘little hand’ in injury time with the penalty converted by Gerard Moreno and with Pau Cabanes’ scoring debut in the First Division. It was difficult for the Pepinero team to keep a cool head and temper their spirits, which caused them to miss the two occasions in which they took the lead on the scoreboard.
Betis and Rayo played a high-paced, relentless match, played on a knife’s edge by two teams that sought the rival goal with their weapons. The locals with the quality of Lo Celso and Isco, the visitors with their great speed. Isco scored a penalty on his return as a starter seven months after his injury and Isi did it with a great shot. Betis deserved more on occasions, but they found themselves with a splendid Batalla, which frustrated Vitor Roque and Juanmi
