Madrid: Real Madrid returned to the top of La Liga on Sunday with a 4-1 victory at home against Las Palmas after both Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona dropped points in their respective matches.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the game took a dramatic turn when Las Palmas took the lead almost immediately as Fabio Silva scored from close range just 30 seconds into the match. Real Madrid responded in the 18th minute when Sandro Ramirez conceded a penalty by pulling Antonio Rudiger during a corner, allowing Kylian Mbappe to equalize from the spot. Brahim Diaz then scored from a Lucas Vazquez pass in the 33rd minute, and Mbappe added another goal shortly thereafter. Rodrygo sealed the win by scoring a fourth goal following a pass from Fran Garcia in the 57th minute. The match was effectively decided when Benito Ramirez received a red card for a high challenge on Vazquez. A positive development for Real Madrid was the return of David Alaba, who made a late appearance after recovering from a serious knee injury sustained over a year ago.
On Saturday, Atletico Madrid's 15-game winning streak was halted by Leganes, who clinched a victory with Matija Nastasic's decisive header early in the second half. Despite impressive saves by Leganes goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic, including one from Angel Correa in injury time, Antoine Griezmann missed Atletico's best opportunity by sending the ball wide from the penalty spot in the 89th minute after a handball by Sergio Gonzalez.
Barcelona failed to improve their record in Getafe, where they have been unable to secure a win since 2019. Jules Kounde gave Barca an early lead, but Mauro Arambarri equalized before halftime. Despite several opportunities, Barcelona was unable to break through Getafe's organized defense.
Athletic Club Bilbao enhanced their fourth-place standing and equaled Barcelona in points following a 2-1 win against Celta Vigo. Athletic dominated the first half but only scored in the 62nd minute through Alex Berenguer, followed by Dani Vivian's goal nine minutes later. Despite Hugo Alvarez's goal for Celta, Athletic's defense held firm to secure the win.
Rayo Vallecano extended their unbeaten streak to six games with a 1-1 draw against Osasuna, who have not won in their last eight matches despite reaching the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Sergio Camello scored for Rayo, while Raul Garcia headed in an equalizer for Osasuna.
Valencia moved off the bottom of the table with a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad, thanks to Hugo Duro's goal in the 26th minute. Real Sociedad, resting players following a Copa del Rey win, struggled against Valencia, who seemed to gain confidence under new coach Carlos Corberan.
Sevilla rallied from a deficit to win 2-1 against Girona, with goals from Saul Niguez and Dodi Lukebakio after Arnau Martinez had given Girona the lead.
Alaves' Kike Garcia scored a hat-trick in their 3-1 victory over Betis, with two of his goals coming after Betis' Romain Perraud was sent off.
Espanyol achieved an important 2-1 win in a relegation battle on Friday night, with goals from Javi Puado and new signing Roberto Fernandez. Valladolid's Javi Sanchez scored but faced a setback as striker Raul Moro suffered a broken collarbone after a fall.