La Liga, Round 36: Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid both drop points

It was quite the weekend in Spain, so let’s get right down to business and review everything that happened in round 36 of La Liga.

Those results leave Atleéti still in control on their title fate, needing four points from their final two matches to secure the title. Real Madrid have to win their final three games -- they have an extra midweek match this week thanks to a postponed match from last month -- and hope Atléti to lose one of their final two games. There is also a scenario for Barca to win the title that involves Madrid dropping points, and the Blaugrana winning out, including a defeat of Atléti on the season’s final day.

Real Madrid got off to a fast start, with Ronaldo forcing a save by Diego Alves in the 3rd minute, but they couldn’t find a goal in the first half. Valencia actually had the best chance from open play of the period, with Dani Parejo nearly scoring off a header in the 16th minute that Diego López deflected onto his crossbar. Ronaldo had a couple of other shots on target in the first half, but Alves was able to deny him on each occasion.

Valencia went ahead just before the halftime break, with Jérémy Mathieu scoring an excellent header off a free kick. He was able to hold off Raphaël Varane on the edge of the six-yard box to get on the end of a ball and direct the ball into the top corner, sending Los Che into halftime with a lead.

Levante took advantage of a clearly worn down Atlético Madrid side and pulled off an impressive 2-0 victory over the league leaders on Sunday. A Filipe Luis own-goal early, combined with a David Barral goal midway through the second half, were enough for Les Granotes to pull off the upset.

Raúl García missed a golden chance in the 14th minute when a long ball into the box set him up at point blank range in front of Keylor Navas. The Levante keeper made a tremendous save, blocking García’s hard shot but leaving a big rebound for David Villa, who skied his shot well over the crossbar.

Real Madrid can continue to put pressure of Atético Madrid with a win over Valencia on Sunday. Madrid are fresh off their triumph over Bayern Munich, that will give them a shot at their 10th European Cup later this month.

Carlo Ancelotti and his team can no focus on staying in the title race, just in case their city rivals Atléti were to lose and open the door for them. They’ll likely have to do it without Luka Modrić who is struggling to overcome a leg injury.

Atlético Madrid’s dream season rolled on this week with a convincing defeat of Chelsea on Wednesday that book Diego Simeone’s side a spot in the Champions League final. Before they chase that trophy though, the league title is still yet to be wrapped up, and a win over Levant on Sunday would put them within a single victory of that goal.

Simeone can focus on putting his best available side on the pitch with no more midweek games this season. The only missing face this Sunday will be defender Juanfran, who servers a one-match ban for a red card picked up in the win over Valencia last week.

In the 38th minute, Getafe equalized when Lafita brought down a free kick inside the Barca box, turned and fired a low shot past José Manuel Pinto. For reasons only know to the linesman, he waved his flag for a foul, sending the Getafe players into a tizzy. After a couple confusing minutes, the lead official overruled the linesman, counted the goal, and the match was tied at 1-1.

The Barca pressure continued in the second half, but for awhile Getafe stood strong, keeping the match tied as the Blaugrana’s frustration grew.

Barcelona’s season is once again on the line this week as they face another must win match, this time against Getafe. The Blaugrana sit four points behind Atlético Madrid, needing the league leaders to lose at least once before they come to the Camp Nou on the season’s final day. If that doesn’t happen, there’s nothing Barca can do to catch Atléti.

For now though, all Gerardo Martino and his team can do is try to keep winning matches and hope for a break. Even with several key starters still injured, including Gerard Piqué, Victor Valdés and Neymar, Barca have managed to pul off two straight come from behind wins in the last two weeks.

There are just three weeks left in the 2013/14 La Liga season. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun, and thanks to the incredible title race this season, we’ve been having a lot of fun.

Every team above 13th in the table is now mathematically guaranteed to remain in La Liga for next season, leaving six teams who could find themselves in the drop zone when the season comes to a close.