There were several big stories in Spanish football this past week, on and off the pitch, not least the Copa del Rey final in Seville between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The main headlines in LALIGA are all outlined below.
FC Barcelona are Copa del Rey champions
The 2024/25 Copa del Rey final took place in Seville on Saturday night, and it was a thrilling final which was eventually won 3-2 by FC Barcelona in extra time. The Catalan club defeated their rivals, Real Madrid, thanks to a superb long-range strike from Jules Koundé in the final moments.
Hansi Flick continues his winning run in ELCLASICO
That Copa del Rey victory brought Barça coach Hansi Flick his second piece of silverware since taking over, having also defeated Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. The German also steered his side to a 4-0 win at the Bernabéu in LALIGA EA SPORTS, meaning he is just the second coach in FC Barcelona history to win his first three meetings with Real Madrid, the other being Pep Guardiola. On May 11th, with another ELCLASICO in LALIGA EA SPORTS, Flick will hope to maintain that winning run.
Villarreal CF recover fifth place
Over the past week, Villarreal CF temporarily fell from fifth to sixth, but El Submarino Amarillo then recovered fifth place, which is the final Champions League qualification spot, by defeating RCD Espanyol 1-0 on Sunday. That fixture, in which Yeremy Pino scored the only goal, had been postponed from earlier in the season. Now, Villarreal CF sit one point ahead of sixth-placed Real Betis.
CA Osasuna reach the European spots
There was a full midweek round of action in LALIGA EA SPORTS, which produced several interesting movements in the standings. One was the fact that CA Osasuna are now up into eighth place, the final European qualification spot, having won three games in a row. Their most recent victory was a 1-0 triumph over Sevilla FC on Thursday.
FC Barcelona’s lead remains four points
In the title race, both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid won 1-0 in the midweek round, over RCD Mallorca and Getafe CF, respectively. That means Los Azulgranas’ lead at the top of the table remains at four points for now.
Real Valladolid’s relegation is confirmed
At the other end of the table, bottom-placed Real Valladolid have had their relegation down to LALIGA HYPERMOTION mathematically confirmed. They’ll now look to achieve a bounce-back promotion, as they did the last two times they were relegated.
Imanol Alguacil is leaving Real Sociedad at the end of the season
There was major news in San Sebastián this past week, with Imanol Alguacil announcing that he will leave Real Sociedad at the end of this season. The coach has achieved so much at La Real, from regular European qualification to a Copa del Rey triumph in 2019/20. He’ll be replaced by Sergio Francisco, the current B team coach.
Pedri wins the Player of the Month prize
The April winner of the Player of the Month prize in LALIGA EA SPORTS was announced this past week, with FC Barcelona midfielder Pedri claiming the honour. It’s the first time the 22-year-old has been named Player of the Month in his already stellar career.
The other winners of the LALIGA AWARDS for April
The rest of the April winners of the ‘LALIGA AWARDS, The Pride of our Fútbol’ were revealed too. The Best Coach was RCD Espanyol’s Manolo González, the Best U-23 Player was UD Las Palmas’ Fábio Silva, the Best Goal was scored by Athletic Club’s Nico Williams vs Rayo Vallecano and the Best Save was made by Sevilla FC’s Ørjan Nyland against Valencia CF.
Marc Bartra renews with Real Betis
Real Betis were celebrating a contract renewal this past week, the extension of Marc Bartra’s deal until 2027. The centre-back was surrounded by his teammates as the Andalusian club announced the news.
