The first International break of the year is upon us, and now is a good time to look back at some of the most relevant deeds that took place in La Liga this past weekend.
The current league leaders saved a point at home against a combative Elche side, which had put them to test in the Copa del Rey last week. Luckily for Los Blancos, this will be the last time during this season in which they will lock horns with the green and white side.
Other teams that enjoyed key wins during this past weekend were Barcelona and Atlético. Los Blaugranas claimed a late win thanks to a goal by Frenkie de Jong, while Atlético came back from a two-goal disadvantage to score twice in stoppage time and take the points home.
Both the battle for the top spot and to maintain the category are heating up, so let's have a look at the key talking points after a hectic weekend in La Liga.
Who are the top teams in La Liga?
Los Blancos have a four-point lead over Sevilla, who failed to get closer to the league leaders with a draw against Celta. Real Betis are third thanks to a solid outing against Espanyol, who they defeated with a 4-1 score. Completing the top five are Atlético and Barcelona, who are separated by only one point and with a game in hand for each of those squads.
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La Liga top 3 scorers
Karim Benzema failed to find the back of the net against Elche, but he maintained his comfortable lead at the top of the goalscorers' list in Spain. Vinicius Jr also failed to score this weekend, which led to Real Betis' Juanmi to match his 12-goal tally.
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La Liga – top headlines
Benzema's "perfect" penalty run comes to an end - The French star had scored thirteen penalties in a row for Real Madrid, but that streak concluded last weekend with his miss against Elche. Benzema's streak was one of the longest for an active European player.
Simeone enters elite list of La Liga coaches - It has not been an easy season for Diego Simeone, but he has managed to keep his team in contention despite some setbacks. Those wins have granted him a spot among the most winning coaches in La Liga history, with 234. He is still far away from the top spot, which belongs to Atlético legend Luis Arágones, but he could be there in a few years!
Atlético make history with two-goal haul in stoppage time - That win for Simeone and Atlético came with quite a bit of effort, requiring them to score two goals in added time. Those goals made Atlético only the second team in La Liga history to win a game by scoring twice in stoppage time, with the first being Real Betis in 2011 in a clash against...Valencia!
La Liga - Must-watch games from February 4-7, 2022
La Liga will return to action after this week's international break with a host of interesting matches.
Osasuna vs Sevilla: The current runners-up in La Liga need to start winning games if they want to put pressure on Real Madrid. Their game against Osasuna seems like a golden opportunity to do so, especially with Los Rojillos only being able to win two of their last five fixtures.
Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid: Simeone's men travel to the Camp Nou in what shpould be one of the most entertaining games to watch next weekend. Los Blaugranas have struggled to win games against some of the top teams in the league (and in Europe before they were eliminated from the UEFA CL), and this clash will not only put an end to those woes, but it will also confirm their options of fighting for a spot among the top four with almost half La Liga season to be played.
Real Madrid vs Granada: Los Blancos had a bit of a scare last time out, and it will be Ancelotti's duty to get the best out of their team this time against Granada, a team that has not been able to win any of their last four matches and who could battle to avoid relegation if things continue their current course for them. It will be interesting to see how Real Madrid lines up without Karim Benzema, who picked up a hamstring injury against Elche last weekend.
*Keep track of all the action in the Spanish top-flight by following our dedicated La Liga competition page.
