Liga: Barça secures second place, Real Sociedad qualified for the Europa League, Cádiz relegated

7 months ago 41

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One day before the end of the season on the other side of the Pyrenees, the suspense remains at all levels, except for the quest for the national coronation already promised to Real Madrid. If the trip to Villarreal was not of major interest for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, it nevertheless offered them the opportunity to build confidence in order to best prepare for their Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, June 1. Without Vinicius Jr and Bellingham, absent from the starting lineup, Real Madrid fought a tough battle against the Yellow Submarine. If Güler, Joselu and Lucas Vazquez are the scorers for the Merengues, Villarreal relied on a quadruple from Sorloth, in the running to win the Pichichi title, to grab the draw point (4-4). Pointing 4 units from the last European jump seat, the Castellonians must nevertheless give up on Europe.

For its part, FC Barcelona played its last match of the season at home against Rayo Vallecano. Faced with the Madrid club, guaranteed to play in the first division next year, Barça absolutely had to secure second place in the standings, taken under the nose of Girona last week, to ensure they play in the Super Cup. ‘Spain. To do this, success was therefore essential for Xavi’s men, whose future in Catalonia remains very unclear. Well helped by a fantastic and early goal from Lewandowski after only 3 minutes of play, the Catalan club took the upper hand over Rayo Vallecano before Pedri scored twice to seal the victory for the Blaugranas (3-0). Mission accomplished for Barça who can approach their final trip to Seville next weekend with complete peace of mind.

Two Basque clubs qualified for the Europa League, relegation for Cadiz

Logically, this result confirms the hopes of the Catalan rival, Girona, of finishing on the second step of the podium. However, Michel’s men, who will compete in the Champions League for the first time in their history, will not be able to harbor any regrets as they largely dominated Valencia (1-3), carried by their nugget Savio as well as their serial Ukrainian striker Dovbyk. At the Civitas Metropolitano, Osasuna put an end to Atlético de Madrid’s streak of four wins in a row in style (1-4). A heavy setback with no real consequences for the Colchoneros who will still finish the 2023-2024 financial year in fourth place, qualifying for the C1. A contender for Europe, Betis Sevilla drew a line under its chances of participating in the Europa League by falling against Real Sociedad (0-2) and will have to settle for the C4.

Winner away, the San Sebastian club will be accompanied by another Basque club in C3, Athletic Bilbao, defeater of Sevilla FC (2-0) and reinforced thanks in particular to a goal from Iker Muniain who will leave the Leones at the end of the season after 15 years seasons carried out in San Mamés. In the other matches of the evening, Granada bit the dust against Celta Vigo (2-1). A result which changes nothing for the local team, 19th with 15 lengths behind the first non-relegation team and therefore condemned to relegation. Same story for Almeria, more than ever at the bottom despite the draw point obtained in Mallorca (2-2). In favorable relief on the sidelines of the kick-off of this 37th day of La Liga, the Balearic formation, saved by the ex-Lyonnais Darder, was satisfied with the union minimum to ensure its survival in the Spanish elite to the detriment of Cadiz, frustrated by Las Palmas (0-0) and who will therefore return to the lower level next year.