Spanish League: Barcelona Regains Balance with Six-Goal Win Over Alaves and Retakes Top Spot

Barcelona unleashed their fury on Deportivo Alavés a week after their defeat in El Clásico against traditional rivals Real Madrid, thrashing them 6-1 to reclaim the top spot, which Atletico Madrid had temporarily held after their 2-0 victory over Levante earlier on Saturday in the 11th round of the Spanish football league.

After the Catalan giants suffered their first defeat following a streak of nine consecutive wins, losing 1-2 to their royal rivals, they encountered no difficulty in overcoming the Alavés obstacle.

Goals were shared among Barcelona players under German coach Hansi Flick: Brazilian Raphinha (8th and 41st minutes), Ferran Lopez (23rd), Lamine Yamal (45+1 and 64th), and Englishman Anthony Gordon (81st). Alavés’ sole goal was scored by former Real Madrid striker and Dominican international Mariano Diaz.

Barcelona strengthened their lead at the top with 30 points, two ahead of Atletico, whom they will face next week after playing Aston Villa in the Champions League in a few days, and six points ahead of third-placed Real Madrid, who face Racing Santander on Sunday.

The Catalan side did not give their opponents much time to catch their breath. Raphinha opened the scoring in the eighth minute by tapping in a low cross from Lopez.

The home side continued to press, and Lopez added the second goal about a quarter of an hour after the opener with a precise shot from a very difficult angle that caught the Alavés defense and their goalkeeper off guard following a pass from Yamal.

Yamal played the role of playmaker again, delivering a skillful pass to Raphinha, who broke through to score his second goal and Barcelona’s third (41st minute), before Yamal himself capped off the first-half goal fest with a powerful strike following an organized team attack (45+1).

Barcelona extended their lead in the second half through Yamal, who finished off a pass from Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, who exploited a defensive lapse (64th minute).

Gordon added the sixth goal after a through ball from Rodri put him in a direct confrontation with the goal, before he chipped the ball over the Alavés goalkeeper (81st minute).

Alavés managed to score a consolation goal when Diaz took advantage of a rebound, beat Gerard Martin, and shot from inside the box into the bottom corner of the net (84th minute).

Atletico Madrid secured a convincing away win against Levante 2-0, granting them the top spot for a few hours.

Alejandro Grimaldo and Argentine Juliano Simeone scored the goals for Atletico in Valencia, securing their seventh consecutive league victory and continuing their strong form.

Simeone told Movistar network, “I am very happy with the work the team is doing.”

He added, “We are still far from the end of the season... we will continue to progress match by match.”

Players observed a minute of silence before the match to mourn the victims of the train accident in the province of Toledo, which claimed 69 lives and shook Spain this week.

Young Atletico goalkeeper Dani Rikena forced Slovenian keeper Jan Oblak to make a brilliant save early on.

Morten Hjulmand thought he had given Atletico the lead after a pass from Alex Baena, but Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review showed the Danish player was in an offside position.

Baena, the main source of creative attacking play for the visiting team, was involved in the first goal. Levante’s defense failed to deal with the World Cup champion’s pass, allowing the ball to reach Grimaldo, who fired a powerful shot into the top corner near the near post.

South Korean player Lee Kang-in hit the crossbar early in the second half as Atletico sought to seal the match.

Juliano, son of coach Simeone, added Atletico’s second goal after receiving a pass from Baena.

Oblique shone again by denying Cameroon’s Karl Itoua Eyoung, preventing the home side from regaining momentum in the match.

The victory marked Diego Simeone’s 344th win in La Liga as manager of Atletico Madrid, equalling the club’s record previously set by Luis Aragones.

Simeone, who took charge of Atletico in 2011, said: “I don’t feel this achievement belongs to me alone; it belongs to my players and to everyone who has worked with me over these years.”

Atletico Madrid will host German side Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday, before welcoming Barcelona to the Metropolitano Stadium next week in La Liga action.

Real Betis strengthened their hold on fourth place with a 2-1 victory over visitors Malaga.

It was Betis’ seventh win of the season in La Liga, alongside two losses and two draws, lifting their tally to 23 points in fourth place, one point behind third-placed Real Madrid.

Marc Bartra (38th minute) and Pablo Fornals (45+2) scored for Betis, while Adrian Nino netted for Malaga (68th minute).

Rayo Vallecano secured a comprehensive win against visitors Celta Vigo with a 3-0 shutout.

Jorge de Frutos scored a brace (36th and 55th minutes), and Unai Lopez added the third (73rd minute).

Vallecano moved up to 12 points in 11th place, level on points with 10th-placed Celta Vigo on goal difference, though Vallecano have played one fewer match.

In other fixtures, Real Madrid, led by Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho and sitting third, are scheduled to visit Racing Santander on Sunday.