As we've mentioned over and over, Atlético Madrid simply have to keep winning to claim the 2014 La Liga title. While they had a tough go of it on Saturday, they were able to make Raúl García's goal stand-up for a 1-0 win over Valencia. It was Atléti's first victory over Los Che at the Mestalla in 11 years. Los Colchoneros now just need two wins from their last three matches to win the league.
La Liga, Round 35 review: Athletic Bilbao one win from claiming fourth, Real Betis relegated
Athletic Bilbao defeated Sevilla to open up a six-point lead with three matches to play, while Real Betis became the first team relegated. At the top, Atlético Madrid moved within two wins of the league title.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno
Barcelona and Real Madrid both stayed in the title race, and while they still need Atléti to slip-up, the two most dominant teams in La Liga are doing everything they can to keep pressure on the leaders. Real Madrid dominated Osasana, winning 4-0 as Cristiano Ronaldo returned to league play for the first time in over a month, and scored two sensational goals.
The Istanbul Derby
Barca came from behind against Villarreal for a 3-2 win. Trainling 2-0 in the second half, Barca forced two own-goals to pull even, and Lionel Messi netted the winner with seven minutes to play.
The match also featured an ugly incident, turned creatively positive, when a banana was thrown on the pitch at Dani Alves as he prepared to take a corner. Alves walked up to the fruit, picked it up, peeled it and ate half the banana with one bite.
The weekend's biggest match, a battle between Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla for fourth place, was a bit of a dud as Athletic rolled to a 3-1 win. Now holding a six-point lead with three matches to play, Athletic look set to claim the final Champions League place for next season.
Real Betis became the first team to be officially relegated from La Liga this season after Getafe defeated Málaga 1-0 on Saturday. Betis knew their fate by the time they took the pitch against Real Sociedad, and it showed, as they fell 1-0. It was a big win for Getafe who moved up to 16th, two points clear of the drop zone. Almeria got a massive victory over Espanyol, and while they remain in 18th, they still have a chance to escape.
Real Valladolid had a chance to pull themselves out of the drop zone on Monday, but instead got hammered by Celta Vigo. Valladolid still have a game in hand, but since that's against Real Madrid, it's not a match they can likely count of winning.
Here’s a recap of the results from round 35 in Spain.
Elche 1-1 Levante
Getafe 1-0 Málaga
Real Madrid 4-0 Osasuna | Full match report
Real Betis 0-1 Real Sociedad
Espanyol 1-2 Almeria
Valencia 0-1 Atlético Madrid | Full match report
Athletic Bilbao 3-1 Sevilla | Full match report
Villarreal 2-3 Barcelona | Full match report
Celta Vigo 4-1 Real Valladolid
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