On Sunday, four matches of the 24th round of the Spanish "La Liga" championship were played.
In the biggest competition in the fight for the title, Madrid's "Atletico" clashed with Bilbao's "Athletic" at home. "Rojiblancos" had difficulties, but in the second half they defeated the Basques with a score of 2-0.
In the first half, a very tough battle took place, in which no goals were scored. The goal count was opened in the 67th minute - after a precise pass from Antoine Griezmann, Kevin Gameiro struck a goal to the opponent's net.
Diego Costa secured the victory after 13 minutes, receiving a pass from the author of the first goal.
"Atletico" marked their fourth consecutive victory and maintained a 7-point gap from the Catalans.
In other matches, Real Sociedad secured a solid victory at home, while "Espanyol" drew with "Villarreal".
In the final match of the evening, as predicted, there were many goals. Seville's "Real Betis" hosted Madrid's "Real" and the country's champions only succumbed after a high-scoring battle.
"Los Blancos" took the lead in the 11th minute after Marco Asensio's goal, but "Real Betis" handled the pressure and dominated the field after conceding a goal.
In the 33rd minute, the equalizer came, and just four minutes later Nacho scored an own goal, making it 2-1.
In the second half, the tables turned - "Real Betis" couldn't press their opponents anymore, and the latter took advantage of their opportunities. Sergio Ramos equalized with a header in the 50th minute.
Marco Asensio restored the lead for the capital's team in the 59th minute, after a fantastic cross and pass from Dani Carvajal.
In the 65th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo extended the lead to two goals. At the end of the match, Sergio Leon managed to bring back the intrigue, but Karim Benzema, who appeared in extra time, sealed the final result in this match.
"Real" secured their second consecutive victory, but still remains in fourth place. "Real Betis" sits in ninth place with 33 points.
Results:
"Atletico" 2 - 0 "Athletic Bilbao" (VIDEO)
67' [1 - 0] K. Gameiro
80' [2 - 0] D. Costa
"Real Sociedad" 3 - 0 "Levante" (VIDEO)
10' [1 - 0] X. Prieto (11 m. penalty)
38' [2 - 0] Juanmi
55' [3 - 0] S. Canales
"Espanyol" 1 - 1 "Villarreal"
25' [0 - 1] R. Hernandez
85' [1 - 1] E. Granero
"Real Betis" 3 - 5 "Real Madrid"
11' [0 - 1] M. Asensio
33' [1 - 1] A. Mandi
37' [2 - 1] Nacho (own goal)
50' [2 - 2] S. Ramos
59' [2 - 3] M. Asensio
65' [2 - 4] C. Ronaldo
85' [3 - 4] S. Leon
90+2' [3 - 5] K. Benzema
Standings:
