MADRID, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The race for the La Liga title is as tight as ever with Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barca all winning this weekend and with Sevilla still to play on Monday night. Meanwhile, Eibar's win at home to Alaves leaves the battle to avoid relegation with six teams scrambling for safety with just four games left this season. Here are some things we learned this season in Spain.

1. Jekyll and Hyde Atletico ride their luck in Elche

Atletico Madrid produced a Jekyll and Hyde performance to take all three points away to relegation threatened Elche and ended up needing a large slice of luck to remain at the top of the table.

The first half saw Atletico play more positive football than in their defeat in Bilbao a week ago and it was no surprise when they took the lead through Marcos Llorente's deflected shot.

Atletico controlled the game and could have had more chances before halftime, however, after the break Elche took a step forward and once again Atletico's more conservative alter-ego took over. They nearly paid the price when Llorente committed a last-minute penalty only for Fidel to hit his spot kick against the post. Atletico clung on, but the second half did not inspire confidence that they will win their last four games.

2. Barca show personality in Valencia

Barca's shock home defeat to Granada on Thursday meant Sunday's trip to Valencia was a do-or-die game for Ronald Koeman's side and when Gabriel Paulista put Valencia ahead in the 55th minute for a moment it looked as if Barca's title hopes were disappearing for this season.

However, Toni Lato's handball threw them a lifeline and although Messi saw his penalty saved, Busquets' commitment kept the ball alive and Messi scored from close range before Antoine Griezmann and a Messi free kick made it 3-1. Carlos Soler's thundering shot meant there were some nervous moments, but Barca hung on with a result that shows they still retain their faith in the title a week before they play Atletico in the Camp Nou.

3. Perseverance does it for Real Madrid

Real Madrid made hard work of beating Osasuna 2-0 on Saturday in a game that once again showed that (Karim Benzema apart), their strikers are still struggling to take their chances. Not for the first time it was down to a defender (Militao) and a midfielder (Casemiro) to score the vital goals.

Perhaps Real Madrid's biggest handicap is their Champions League campaign putting a drain on tired legs, but there is no respite with a trip to Chelsea, a vital home game against Sevilla and visits to Granada and Bilbao over the next fortnight.

A draw between Barca and Atletico or a Barca win next Saturday would open the door for Real Madrid to go top and if Zidane's side get their noses in front, tired legs or not, they will be hard to stop.

4. Relegation battle tighter than ever

With four games left to play there are arguably six sides in the battle to avoid relegation (although Getafe have a four-point cushion over the relegation zone) and the dogfight to stay up got even closer after Eibar won a 6-pointer against Alaves, Huesca beat Real Sociedad, Elche slipped up at home to Atletico Madrid and Valladolid continued their run of four consecutive draws.

You could present a case for all of these teams clawing their way to safety, with none looking noticeably worse than their rivals, all showing battling spirit and none having an easier or harder run in that than the others.

Survival will likely come down to nerves and luck. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)