La Liga News: Eder Militao's early header gives Real Madrid FC victory but FC Barcelona stay top of the table
Defender Eder Militao headed home early into the match, landing Real Madrid a marginal 1-0 win at Getafe on Saturday, which momentarily pushed them back to the top of the La Liga standings
Militao's header arrived in the third minute as he tackled several defenders and converted from a corner by Luka Modric. However, they were unable to stretch the lead and exert more dominance.
Getafe's solid defensive wall has previously caused trouble for the La Liga legends, who couldn't win in the previous two outings to the Coliseum. Alfonso Perez conceded clean sheets on both occasions.
Real Madrid has resurfaced after dropping points in the campaign's initial phase and has collected 22 points, equal to Barcelona's rivals, who have won their last five matches.
"Our goal today was to win and keep the pressure over Barcelona," said Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal. Unlike the first seven matches, where they conceded goals in every encounter.
"I think we controlled the game well from the beginning and were really close to securing the points with a second goal," shared coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Before the coming weekend's El Clasico, Ancelotti wants to ensure his team is well rested, so Rodrygo filled in for Karim Benzema on Saturday's match.
Rodrygo misfired a close-range header, and Luka Modric, who returned after a two-week gap that helped him recover from a hip injury, made a bullet shot that travelled wide.
According to VAR, the ball went out of bounds on the left touchline after Vinicus Jr. was fouled by Alves. Real Madrid was denied a penalty before the break after Vinicus Jr. was fouled by Alves.
David Soria then blocked Aurelien Tchouameni's attempt, and his next shot was ruled offside. Real gained more control by the match and Getafe, having lost two straight games, now sits at 16th.
FC Barcelona climbs to the top of the table with a big win
Barcelona won their seventh consecutive La Liga game, landing them at the top of the rankings after a tough 1-0 win over RC Celta de Vigo on Sunday night.
Barca was brilliant in the first 20 minutes prompting Celta's goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin to make three big saves in the first 15 minutes. Pedri was responsible for the only goal two minutes later, as a strong Celta side pressured Barca.
Barcelona's performance visibly dipped in the final 25 minutes of the first half. Except for Raphinha, none of the players posed any threat in the front three.
The Brazilian appealed for a penalty when Javi Galan was inside the box and tackled him. But his claims were dismissed by both the referee and VAR.
The Catalan's defence was solid, although they were shaky in the initial minutes of the second half. Oscar Rodriguez then missed two golden opportunities to score.
Xavi Hernandez then deployed Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele, and Frenkie de Jong to increase the quality of their attack. The visitors scored in the 70th minute with a header from Jorgen Strand Larsen, but it was ruled offside.
Barcelona spent the last 10 minutes of the match trying to avoid a possible equaliser. Celta pressured them till the final seconds, but Barca proved resilient.
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