La Liga Round-Up: Real Madrid Stumbles as Lewandowski Shines for Barcelona

 La Liga Round-Up: Real Madrid Stumbles as Lewandowski Shines for Barcelona

Real Madrid dropped points for just the second time this season, drawing 0-0 away to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Xabi Alonso’s men struggled to find creativity after their midweek Champions League loss to Liverpool, with Kylian Mbappé kept unusually quiet by a well-organized Rayo side.

Rayo’s performance was even more impressive considering they played a UEFA Conference League match just 65 hours earlier, showing remarkable resilience under coach Íñigo Pérez.

Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski reminded fans of his quality, netting a hat-trick in Barcelona’s 4-2 victory over Celta Vigo. The Polish striker converted an early penalty, regained the lead after Celta’s quick equalizer, and sealed his treble in the second half with a precise header off the post. Lamine Yamal also shone with a brilliant solo goal as Barcelona dominated the match.

Elsewhere, Betis and Valencia shared points in a 1-1 draw after late goals from Cucho Hernández and Luis Rioja, while Mallorca edged Getafe 1-0 thanks to Vedat Muriqi’s strike.

Nico Williams delivered a moment of magic for Athletic Bilbao, weaving past defenders before smashing in a stunning winner against Oviedo, while Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann scored twice in a 3-1 win over Levante.

Villarreal defeated Espanyol 2-0, Sevilla broke their losing streak with a 1-0 win over Osasuna, and Girona continued their strong form by beating Alaves 1-0. The weekend wrapped up with Elche and Real Sociedad sharing a 1-1 draw on Friday.

With the title race heating up, Real Madrid’s stumble offers a glimmer of hope to their rivals—while Lewandowski’s return to form could reignite Barcelona’s pursuit at the top.