After a fierce battle, and suffering more than expected, Atletico Madrid managed to dethrone Real Madrid as kings of La Liga. Diego Simeone’s team had to wait until the last fixture, but it was worth it.
Let’s take a look at what happened in the last La Liga fixture, how our sports betting predictions did, who qualified for continental competitions, and who will play in Division 2 next season.
La Liga Breakdown
Top Four
Atletico Madrid suffered until the very last minute against Valladolid, but managed to win 2-1, just as we predicted. Thanks to that victory, Atletico finished at the top of La Liga with 84 points, two more than Real Madrid, who also defeated Villarreal 2-1.
Both scored 67 goals, but Atletico allowed three goals less than Real Madrid (25/28). Also, both finished with one player among the tournament’s top five scorers, Karim Benzema from Real Madrid with 23 goals and Luis Suarez from Atletico with 21.
With Atletico’s success, Diego Simeone has become the winningest coach in the club’s history with eight trophies, and he already confirmed that he’ll be back next season.
“It was a tough year, like our history; it’s one of the best years to be champions. The world is experiencing a very bad situation and I hope that we have given a lot of people some joy, said an emotional Simeone after the game.
Barcelona defeated Eibar 1-0 to clinched third place, while Sevilla defeated Deportivo Alaves 1-0 and finished fourth. Both will play the UEFA Champions League next season alongside Atletico and Real Madrid unless UEFA ends up sanctioning Barcelona and Real Madrid for the Super League case.
UEFA Europa League
Real Sociedad went to Osasuna and won 0-1 to finish in fifth place, while Real Betis came back from 2-0 and ended up beating Celta de Vigo 2-3 to finish sixth. Both will represent La Liga in the next edition of the UEFA Europa League.
La Liga could have an extra team in the Europa League next season if Villarreal defeats Manchester United this Wednesday in the current edition Grand Finale, but the “Yellow Submarine” isn’t the favorite.
Relegated
Losing against Atletico Madrid made it impossible for Valladolid to remain in La Liga. Starting next season, they’ll play in Division 2 alongside S.D. Huesca and Valladolid, who also got relegated after a disastrous season.
Elche saved the season by defeating Athletic Bilbao 2-0. That result plus the goalless draw between S.D. Huesca and Valencia allowed them to finish in seventeenth place, only two points above S.D. Huesca.
Espanyol and Mallorca already got their ticket to play in La Liga, while the third spot is pending.
La Liga Top Scorers
Lionel Messi had another incredible season and won the golden boot after scoring 30 goals. If it was his last season with Barcelona, as some rumors indicate, it was undoubtedly a very good way to say goodbye, as he also led them to the Copa del Rey title. Here’s a quick summary of La Liga’s top scorers:
- Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 30
- Gerard Moreno (Villarreal): 23
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid): 23
- Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid): 21
- Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla): 18
I know, La Liga is over, but don’t worry, the European Championship begins on June 11, and you can check the Euro Odds and start making some predictions right now!
