La Liga round-up: Barcelona head to the World Cup break as leaders

Barcelona have grabbed top spot in La Liga before the World Cup break thanks to a thrilling 2-1 win over Osasuna in midweek.

Real Madrid slipped to second after the 3-2 defeat against Rayo Vallecano last week, although they collected three points against Cadiz on matchday 14.

Let’s take a look at the summary of results on the final matchday before the international break.

Osasuna 1-2 Barcelona: Raphinha wins it at death for 10-man Barca

Barcelona secured a thrilling 2-1 win over Osasuna to maintain top spot in La Liga for the second consecutive week.

However, they did it the hard way as Robert Lewandowksi was sent off in the first half, and they were trailing 1-0 at the break before Pedri pulled level early in the second half.

Raphinha scored the winning goal in the 85th minute. Xavi’s men sit two points clear at the top of the table after 14 games.

Real Madrid 2-1 Cadiz: Toni Kroos shines for Los Blancos

Madrid were handed their first defeat of the season by Vallecano last week and subsequently surrendered top spot.

They returned to winning ways against Cadiz, with Toni Kroos scoring a stunning goal.

The victory helped Los Blancos reduce the gap with arch-rivals Barca to two points.

Real Mallorca 1-0 Atletico Madrid: Los Rojiblancos woes continue

Atletico Madrid’s disastrous season continued with another league defeat against Real Mallorca, which extended their winless run to five games.

Los Rojiblancos failed to respond to Vedat Muriqi’s early strike, with the home side eventually picking up three points.

The setback leaves Atletico fifth in the table with 24 points.

Out of European competitions, Diego Simeone’s men will look to change their fortunes in La Liga after the World Cup.

Athletic Bilbao 3-0 Real Valladolid: The Lions return to winning ways in style

Athletic Bilbao’s impressive start to the season hit a bump after discouraging results against Getafe, Barcelona, Atletico and Girona.

However, they returned to winning ways with a thumping 3-0 victory over Real Valladolid. Gorka Guruzeta scored a double and Dani Vivian netted the winning goal.

Ernesto Valverde will breathe a huge sigh of relief with the win. His side are now fourth in the table.

Sevilla 1-0 Real Sociedad: La Real prevail against nine-man Sevilla

Real Sociedad suffered a lapse after failing to win any of their last three games in La Liga.

However, they gained back the momentum with a 2-1 over Sevilla, who were reduced to nine men in the first half after red cards to Ivan Rakitic and Tanguy Nianzou.

The victory helped La Real jump to third place in the La Liga table, 11 points adrift of Barcelona.

Sevilla’s disastrous season continues as they sit third bottom in the table with 11 points.

Jorge Sampaoli’s appointment hasn’t worked, with the Argentine manager picking up only two wins in 10 games.

Espanyol 0-1 Villarreal: Quique Setien gets his first win

Villarreal’s new manager Quique Setien faced heavy criticism from the fans after failing to win any of his first three games.

However, he will have been relieved to see his side pick up three points against Espanyol away from home.

But it wasn’t a convincing win, as goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte’s own goal made the difference.

There is room for improvement for Setien’s men, as things could have gone worse for them if it wasn’t for Geronimo Rulli’s outstanding goalkeeping and Espanyol’s poor finishing.

Valencia 3-0 Real Betis: Los Che hammer Manuel Pellegrini’s men to end winless streak

Valencia ended their five-match winless run with a dominant 3-0 over Real Betis at the Mestalla Stadium.

Betis defender Edgar Gonzalez’s dismissal played to Los Che’s advantage as they scored three goals after the hour mark.

Other results

Elche 1-2 Girona
Almeria 1-0 Getafe
Rayo Vallecano 0-0 Celta Vigo