On Sunday, five matches of the 18th round were played in the Spanish "La Liga" championship.
The first match took place at the "Mestalla" stadium, where "Valencia" clashed with Barcelona's "Espanyol." The "Bats" interrupted an eight-game winless streak and defeated their opponents from the Catalan capital with a score of 2-1.
The whole game was a fierce and evenly matched battle. The first goal came in the 17th minute when defender Martin Montoya accurately directed the ball into the net.
In the middle of the second half, "Valencia" managed to increase the lead to two goals - Santi Mina scored. In the 85th minute, "Espanyol" scored their goal, bringing back the intrigue. However, the guests failed to equalize, and the hosts celebrated a valuable victory.
It was the fourth victory for "Valencia" this season. The "Bats" with 16 points are in 17th place, while "Espanyol" is in 11th.
Other matches ended with victories for Celta Vigo and Eibar, as well as a draw between Granada and Osasuna.
In the last match of the evening, Sevilla hosted Real Madrid at home for the second time in a week. Zinedine Zidane's team took the lead with a goal, but at the end of the match, the Andalusian team attacked Real's goal and managed to break the "white" team's eleven-game unbeaten streak.
Zidane started the match with an experimental lineup - three center-backs were on the field at once: Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, and Nacho.
Both teams demonstrated a high level of play from the beginning, but the hosts were slightly more active. Neither team managed to score a goal in the first half.
In the second half, attacking football prevailed, and in the 67th minute, Real surged ahead when Dani Carvajal's penalty kick was converted by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sevilla did not intend to surrender and pressed Real in their own half as the match approached its end. In the 85th minute, an equalizing goal was scored - Sergio Ramos scored an own goal after a set piece.
The hosts did not settle for a draw and took advantage of Karim Benzema's mistake to take possession of the ball. Steven Jovetić then unleashed a long-range shot that troubled Keylor Navas and found the net.
Real suffered their first defeat in 40 consecutive matches. The league leaders "Los Blancos" have a one-point advantage over Sevilla and have a game in hand. Barcelona dropped to third place with 38 points.
Results:
"Valencia" 2 - 1 "Espanyol" 17' [1 - 0] M. Montoya 73' [2 - 0] S. Mina 85' [2 - 1] D. Lopez
"Celta" 1 - 0 "Alaves" 89' [1 - 0] N. Radoja 46' Z. Feddal ("Alaves") sent off
"Gijon" 2 - 3 "Eibar" 4' [0 - 1] Adrian (Penalty) 9' [1 - 1] C. Carmona 21' [1 - 2] P. Leon 23' [1 - 3] A. Luna 58' [2 - 3] M. Cases
"Granada" 1 - 1 "Osasuna" 12' [0 - 1] O. Riera 69' [1 - 1] A. Kravets 73' U. Agbo ("Granada") sent off 90+5' E. Ponce ("Granada") sent off
"Sevilla" 2 - 1 "Real Madrid" 67' [0 - 1] C. Ronaldo (Penalty) 85' [1 - 1] S. Ramos (Own goal) 90+2' [2 - 1] S. Jovetić
Standings:
