Barcelona shook off their previous 4-2 defeat to Osasuna by securing a victory over Alaves, allowing them to maintain their position at the top of the leaderboard after Matchday 9. Real Madrid remains hot on their heels, just three points behind, thanks to a 2-0 win against Villarreal at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. These two titans appear to be distancing themselves from the competition with a gap of more than 4 points separating the second and third places.
Athletic Club faced a setback this week, suffering a 2-1 loss to Girona. Meanwhile, Osasuna couldn’t carry forward the momentum from their impressive win against Barcelona, resulting in a 1-1 draw with Getafe.
Let’s delve into the notable highlights from Matchday 9 and review the scoreboard for all the matches played this week.
Barcelona Back in Form With 3-0 Triumph Over Alaves
Robert Lewandowski netted a hat-trick in the first half as Barcelona cruised past Alaves, ensuring they maintain a 3-point lead in the standings.
The opening goal from Lewandowski came via a powerful header following a well-placed curling from Raphinha. Shortly after, he doubled the score with a close-range effort, again assisted by the Brazilian. Completing his hat-trick in the 32nd minute, Lewandowski skilfully slotted the ball past Antonio Sivera, courtesy of a from Eric Garcia.
This brings Lewandowski’s tally to 12 goals in 11 games across all competitions for Barcelona this season. The team is averaging over 3 goals per game, the highest in La Liga by a considerable margin.
Looking ahead, Barcelona will face Sevilla on Sunday, October 21st, as they aim to extend their lead over Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Alaves will seek redemption in a home match against Valladolid in Matchday 10.
Real Madrid Clinch Crucial Victory Over Villareal
Heading into Saturday’s game, Real Madrid were just a point clear of third-placed Villareal, but they managed to pull off a significant win thanks to goals from Valverde and Vinícius Júnior. Their triumph followed a surprising defeat to Lille in the Champions League earlier in the week.
Federico Valverde opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the 14th minute when his shot from the edge of the penalty area deflected into the bottom left corner. Villareal almost equalized shortly after, but Nicolas Pepe’s header struck the crossbar.
As the match progressed, Vinicius Junior sealed the win with a powerful long-range shot that soared into the top corner. There were further opportunities to increase the lead to 3-0, but Antonio Rudiger failed to convert a header, and Jude Bellingham missed a long-range effort.
With this win, Real Madrid extended their unbeaten run in La Liga to 41 matches, comprising of 30 victories and 11 draws. This streak is the second-longest in the history of the competition.
Atlético Madrid Held to 1-1 Draw by Real Sociedad
A stunning late goal from Luka Sucic denied Atletico Madrid all three points on Sunday, resulting in a 1-1 draw at Anoeta Stadium against Real Sociedad.
Julian Alvarez gave Atletico an early advantage after Antoine Griezmann’s clever backheel set him up. They maintained this lead for most of the match, until Sucic netted a remarkable long-range effort over Jan Oblak in the 84th minute. Despite a lackluster performance, Real Sociedad were pleased to salvage a point.
This draw put Atletico on equal points with Villarreal, though both teams remain significantly behind leaders Barcelona, who are seven points ahead.
Atletico’s forthcoming game is against Leganes, a fixture where they are anticipated to have the upper hand.
Check out our La Liga predictions page to find more info about the matches.
La Liga 2024/25 Matchday 9 Results
| Leganes | 0 |
| Valencia | 0 |
| Espanyol | 2 |
| Mallorca | 1 |
| Getafe | 1 |
| Osasuna | 1 |
| Valladolid | 1 |
| Rayo Vallecano | 2 |
| Las Palmas | 0 |
| Celta Vigo | 1 |
| Real Madrid | 2 |
| Villarreal | 0 |
| Girona | 2 |
| Athletic Club | 1 |
| Alavés | 0 |
| Barcelona | 3 |
| Sevilla | 1 |
| Real Betis | 0 |
| Real Sociedad | 1 |
| Atlético Madrid | 1 |