The anticipated clash between the co-leaders and Girona, plus bottom-placed Almería, unfolded as predicted on the pitch rather than in the math of standings. Yet this encounter was decided not by equations but by football’s unpredictable rhythm, leaving the home side to absorb a goalless draw at their own base. A team that had collected 48 points and 15 wins in the first round could not grab three points against an opponent that had yet to win in the championship, slipping to sixth place after accumulating five draws against Girona.
Almería, too, deserved more from the match because the result did not reflect the balance of play. If victory slipped away, it was a consequence of lingering issues that troubled them in earlier campaigns, even though there was still a long road left in the season ahead. The Girona coach, Míchel, expressed frustration about his team’s efficiency after the final whistle. He framed the point as a mixed bag: not deserved, perhaps, yet offering leadership by example. The problem, he noted, was not a collapse in confidence but a subpar performance on the field. He acknowledged that Almería had the upper hand on the day and that honesty about that performance was necessary. This stance highlighted a coach who remains grounded and unphased by the glamour surrounding Girona, choosing clear-eyed assessment over headline-grabbing narratives.
With Real Madrid and the other three teams involved in the Super Cup briefly in limbo, Girona retained the lead for at least another week. The pause also etched Athletic in a third-place position for a few days, a temporary reordering that could shift again once the schedule resumes.
Berenguer double
The red-white brigade pressed forward in a confident arc, extending a run of flawless results as they navigated the Basque derby at San Mamés with a 2-1 victory. Berenguer stood out by delivering both a pivotal goal and a key moment of assist for Inaki Williams, while the Athletics side anchored by Williams themselves continued to show a sharpened scoring touch. Those who follow the league noted that Real Sociedad remained nine points adrift, with the Basque clubs now in a position to dream about the top European spots next season. A victory for Athletic would bolster their claim to a Champions League berth, though the path remains crowded and unresolved as the campaign unfolds further.
Meanwhile, the rest of the midtable pack faced their own trials. Villarreal and Sevilla have endured a troubling season, each cycling through different managerial changes as the campaign has progressed. The weekend results underscored the depth of the challenge: Las Palmas handed Villarreal a 3-0 defeat, a result that added to the sense of stagnation around the Yellow Submarine. On the other hand, Sevilla allowed Alavés to claim their first away win of the league (2-3) on a Friday night, a blow that left them just one point above the relegation line. The narrative extended to teams like Granada, Cadiz, and Almería, whose performances continue to influence the overall dynamics of the table and the fight to stay clear of the drop zone. The season’s drama remains thick, with a long horizon of matches still to play and a chorus of supporters watching with keen anticipation as the standings shift, players respond, and coaches adjust their tactics in real time. This ongoing struggle matters because it shapes not just the immediate week but the broader contest for European football and domestic pride across the league as a whole, as reflected in the observed shifts and near-misses across the weekend’s results, reported by credible outlets across Spain and the wider football press.