Barcelona rebounded from their 4-2 loss against Osasuna on Sunday with a win over Alaves, which keeps them at the top of the leaderboard after Matchday 9. Real Madrid was able to stay within three points of Barcelona with a 2-0 victory over Villareal at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. These two teams seem to be breaking away from the pack, creating a gap of over 4 points between second and third place.
Athletic Club had a disappointing week after losing to Girona 2-1. Osasuna was unable to build momentum from their huge win against Barcelona, only managing a 1-1 draw with Getafe this week.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the highlights from Matchday 9, including a full scoreboard for the week’s matches.
Barcelona Back To Winning Ways With 3-0 Victory Over Alaves
Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick in the first-half as cruised past Alaves to re-establish their dominance, keeping a 3 point advantage in the standings.
The first of Lewandowski’s goals came from a header via a curling pass from Raphinha. He then added his second with a close-range shot, again provided by a great ball from the Brazilian. His final goal and hat-trick was completed in the 32nd minute when he was able to reverse a shot past Antonio Sivera from Eric Garcia’s pass.
Lewandowski has now scored 12 goals in 11 games in all competitions for Barca this season. Barcelona as a team have been averaging over 3 goals a game, which is by far the highest in La Liga.
Barcelona will go on to face Sevilla on Sunday, October 21st as they look to widen the gap between themselves and Real Madrid. Alaves, on the other hand, will attempt to recover against Valladolid at home in Matchday 10.
Real Madrid Pull Off Clutch Win Against Villareal
Real Madrid was only one point ahead of third placed Villareal going into Saturday but were able to secure a huge win behind goals from Valverde and Vinícius Júnior. The victory came just a few days after a shock defeat by Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Federico Valverde gave Real the lead in the 14th minute when his shot from the top of the box leaked into the bottom left corner after a deflection. Just moments later, Villareal had a great chance to answer but Nicolas Pepe’s header hit the crossbar.
Later in the match, Vinicius Junior ensured his team would come out on top with a blistering shot from deep which found the top corner. There was a chance to go up 3-0 but Antonio Rudiger couldn’t convert a header and Jude Bellingham missed from long-range.
Real Madrid are now undefeated in 41 La Liga matches which includes 30 wins and 11 draws. This is the second best unbeaten streak by a team in the entire history of the competition.
Atlético Madrid Draw With Real Sociedad 1-1
A sensational late strike by Luka Sucic held Atletico Madrid to just one point on Sunday as Real Sociedad came back to create a 1-1 draw at Anoeta Stadium.
Julian Alvarez gave his team the early lead after Antoine Griezmann backheeled the ball into his path. They kept the advantage for a majority of the match until Sucic looped a long-range effort over Jan Oblak in the 84th minute. In the end Real Sociedad will be happy to take any points after a lackluster showing.
Atletico’s point put them level with Villarreal, but both teams are still well behind leaders Baercelona who are 7 points ahead.
Atletico will have Leganes next on their schedule, a matchup they are expected to dominate.
La Liga 2024/25 Matchday 9 Scoreboard
| Leganes | 0 |
| Valencia | 0 |
| Espanyol | 2 |
| Mallorca | 1 |
| Getafe | 1 |
| Osasuna | 1 |
| Valladolid | 1 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 2 |
| Las Palmas | 0 |
| Celta Vigo | 1 |
| Real Madrid | 2 |
| Villarreal | 0 |
| Girona | 2 |
| Athletic Club | 1 |
| Alavés | 0 |
| Barcelona | 3 |
| Sevilla | 1 |
| Real Betis | 0 |
| Real Sociedad | 1 |
| Atlético Madrid | 1 |
