La Liga Roundup: Yamal Shines As Barcelona Extend Lead And Madrid Survives Late Drama

The La Liga title race delivered another captivating weekend as Barcelona and Real Madrid both claimed crucial victories, keeping the gap at the top razor-thin.

‎Here is the full breakdown of all the major storylines from a dramatic matchday in Spain.

‎Yamal Leads Barcelona Past Elche

‎Once again, the spotlight belonged to Lamine Yamal. The 18-year-old sensation delivered another stellar performance on Saturday, scoring early and assisting late as Barcelona claimed a 3-1 victory at Elche.

‎Yamal struck in the sixth minute, cutting through the left side after Dani Olmo released him with a perfectly weighted pass. The teenager danced around former Barcelona goalkeeper Iñaki Peña before firing home his 13th goal of the campaign.

‎Barcelona’s dominance was clear from the start. Hansi Flick’s men produced a whirlwind first half filled with relentless attacks, hitting the woodwork three times and forcing Elche defender Víctor Chus into two goal-line clearances.

‎Yet despite Barcelona’s superiority, Elche briefly pulled level through Álvaro Rodríguez, who slipped behind a high defensive line and finished calmly past Joan Garcia.

‎The equalizer only ignited Barcelona further. Ferran Torres restored the lead just before halftime, rounding off a superb team move by exchanging passes with Frenkie de Jong and smashing the ball into the top corner.

‎Barcelona continued their assault after the break and sealed the victory when Yamal sprinted clear on the counterattack before setting up Marcus Rashford, whose finish deflected off a defender and into the net.

‎The win extended Barcelona’s lead to four points over Real Madrid before Los Blancos played on Sunday. It also marked Yamal’s third consecutive match with a goal, following strikes against Real Oviedo and Copenhagen.

‎Flick insisted there was still more to come from the rising star, saying the teenager “has potential to reach another level.”

‎Elche, meanwhile, slipped to 12th but continued to earn respect for their bold, attack-oriented approach in their first season back in the top flight.

‎Atletico Madrid Falter Again

‎Atletico Madrid’s turbulent week continued as they were held to a scoreless draw by relegation-threatened Levante.

‎After suffering a 2-1 Champions League defeat at Bodø/Glimt earlier in the week, Diego Simeone’s side once again struggled to find fluency in attack.

‎The match was overshadowed by a worrying moment in the first half when striker Alexander Sorloth collided with a Levante player and had to be taken to the hospital for evaluation.

‎With the draw, Atletico slipped 10 points behind Barcelona, and their hopes of staying in the title race took another hit.

‎Gerard Moreno Rescues Villarreal

‎Villarreal earned a valuable 2-2 draw away at Osasuna thanks to a Gerard Moreno brace. Osasuna dominated the opening stages and took a deserved lead through Víctor Muñoz before Ante Budimir doubled their advantage.

‎However, Moreno, one of the league’s most reliable finishers, brought Villarreal back into the contest with two well-taken goals.

‎The point kept Villarreal in fourth place, though the performance left coach Marcelino with concerns about his team’s slow starts.

‎Oviedo Finally Breaks Their Drought

‎Newly promoted Oviedo claimed a long-awaited burst of relief as they edged Girona 1-0 at home to end a miserable 15-match winless run.

‎Ilyas Chaira scored the only goal in the second half to spark celebrations inside the stadium. Oviedo remain bottom of the table, trailing safety by six points, but the victory brought hope after months of frustration.

‎Girona’s defeat halted a strong run of three wins and a draw, slowing their pursuit of the European places.

‎Mbappé Rescues Madrid in Stoppage Time

‎Real Madrid kept the pressure on Barcelona with a nail-biting 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano, sealed by a last-minute penalty from Kylian Mbappé.

‎In a match filled with drama, tension, and emotional swings, Madrid needed every ounce of resilience to pull through.

‎The Santiago Bernabéu was unsettled early as both Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham were jeered when their names were announced.

‎Things worsened when Bellingham appeared to suffer a left hamstring injury just 10 minutes into the match, forcing him off in visible distress.

‎But Brahim Díaz, who replaced him, changed the tone of the match. Just minutes after entering, he created the opening goal for Vinícius, who weaved through defenders before curling a brilliant shot into the top corner.

‎The boos quickly turned to cheers.

‎Rayo refused to back down and equalized early in the second half through Jorge De Frutos. They continued to threaten, forcing Thibaut Courtois into a vital one-on-one save with the game tied at 1-1.

‎Rayo’s hopes took a blow when Pathé Ciss was sent off in the 80th minute, and Madrid pushed relentlessly in search of a winner.

‎Their breakthrough came deep into stoppage time when Díaz drew a foul inside the box. Mbappé, already with eight goals in five matches, stepped up and calmly converted the penalty to seal the comeback.

‎The win kept Madrid just one point behind Barcelona, while Rayo’s fourth consecutive loss pushed them down to 17th, hovering dangerously above the relegation zone.