La Liga Round-up: Dramatic Twists in Champions League Race and Relegation Battle

The 31st matchday of the 2025-26 La Liga season, celebrated as 'retro weekend', delivered abundant drama and action throughout Spain's top football division. Here's a summary of the matches played so far, preceding Monday's fixture between Levante and Getafe.

Alaves Secure Late Draw Against Real Sociedad in Basque Derby

Real Sociedad 3-3 Alaves

A classic La Liga encounter unfolded in Donostia-San Sebastian on Saturday, as Real Sociedad and Alaves played out a six-goal thriller. The visitors took the lead twice early on through goals from Duje Caleta-Car (own goal) and Ibrahim Diabate, but each time, the hosts quickly responded with goals from Luka Sucic and Antonio Sivera (own goal). Orri Oskarsson put La Real ahead in the 60th minute, but after Sergio Gomez received a late red card, Lucas Boye found the net deep into stoppage time to secure a point for Alaves.

Elche Clinches Vital Win in Relegation Scrap

Elche 1-0 Valencia

Elche secured only their second victory of 2026, narrowly defeating Valencia. The visitors had multiple significant opportunities throughout the match but were ultimately undone when Lucas Cepeda scored the decisive goal in the 73rd minute. While this result lifted Elche out of the relegation zone, they are set to return to it by the end of the weekend as their relegation rivals also achieved key victories.

Sevilla Claims First Victory Under Luis Garcia Plaza

Sevilla 2-1 Atletico Madrid

Sevilla was one of the relegation rivals to secure a win this weekend. They capitalized on an Atletico Madrid side fielding a significantly rotated squad, claiming a 2-1 victory at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. Akor Adams opened the scoring from the penalty spot, and after Javier Bonar equalized, Nemanja Gudelj scored the winning goal in stoppage time. This marks the first three points for Los Nervionenses since Luis Garcia Plaza took over as head coach last month.

Real Betis Woes Continue with Draw at El Sadar

Osasuna 1-1 Real Betis

Real Betis' winless streak in La Liga now extends to seven matches after they were held to a draw by Osasuna. Ez Abde gave the visitors an early lead, but a penalty converted by Ante Budimir in the 40th minute ensured that the points would be shared in Pamplona.

Mallorca Dominates Rayo Vallecano at Son Moix

Mallorca 3-0 Rayo Vallecano

Mallorca was another team fighting against relegation that secured a win this weekend, convincingly defeating Rayo Vallecano. Vedat Muriqi's first-half brace set them on their way, and substitute Jan Virgili sealed the three points just after the hour mark.

Real Oviedo Keeps Survival Hopes Alive with Sensational Win

Celta Vigo 0-3 Real Oviedo

The most significant result of the weekend occurred at Balaidos, where Real Oviedo achieved a remarkable victory over Celta Vigo. The hosts had rested several key players in anticipation of their Europa League fixture on Thursday, a decision that proved costly as goals from Alberto Reina and Federico Vinas (twice) secured the win for Real Oviedo, who are now just six points away from safety.

Villarreal Solidifies Third Place After Fine Victory at San Mames

Athletic Club 1-2 Villarreal

Villarreal has extended their lead over fourth-placed Atletico Madrid to four points following an impressive win in Bilbao. Sergi Cardona and Alfon Gonzalez gave the visitors a two-goal cushion at halftime. Although Gorka Guruzeta pulled a goal back late in the game, it wasn't enough for Athletic Club to salvage anything from the match.