MADRID, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Matchday 24 in the Liga Santander turned out to be a good one for FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, although neither impressed with their performances, meanwhile Villarreal snatched a lifeline and the battle for Europe got even tighter. Here are some things we learned this weekend in Spain.
1 Football is full of surprises
It's probably fair to say that not even the most ardent Girona fan would have expected their team to win 2-1 away to Real Madrid on Sunday afternoon, while not even the most skeptical Madrid fan would have seen the defeat coming.
Girona traveled to the Santiago Bernabeu without a win in their last 10 league games, while Madrid had won their last five league games and just beaten Ajax 2-1 away in the Champions League. To add to those figures, Girona coach Eusebio Sacristan had lost all nine times he had coached a team against Madrid.
Maybe Real Madrid were tired, maybe they were overconfident, but Girona's second half display deserved a win and it shows us that in football nothing should be taken for granted.
2 Good weekend for Barca, but...
Real Madrid's defeat means that FC Barcelona now have an eight point lead over Atletico Madrid and a nine-point gap over Real Madrid in third, however, Barca fans shouldn't get carried away. Although they won 1-0 at home to Valladolid on Saturday it was another far from vintage show to add to other below par displays against Valencia, Athletic and even Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
The next three weeks will be decisive for Barca's season with a league game away to Sevilla, their Champions League last 16 tie against Olympique Lyon and games away to Real Madrid in both league and Cup. Barca coach Ernesto Valverde, who extended his contract with the club on Friday, probably knows that their recent form won't be good enough to see them though and improvements are needed.
3 Europe again a problem?
The only side that played midweek European football to win this weekend was Villarreal and they beat Sevilla, who had also played in Europe with a tough trip to face Lazio. Elsewhere, Real Madrid, Betis, Sevilla and Valencia all failed to win matches they might have expected to have taken all three points from.
After last week's results it looks as if all of the sides playing in Europe will progress into the next round of their respective European competitions, but several coaches must wonder how that will affect their domestic form.
4 Battle for Europe wide open
A quick look at the table shows just how open the battle to qualify for Europe has become this season. Sevilla's poor form in 2019, which has seen them take just six points from a possible 24, means their position in fourth and a place in next season's Champions League is up for grabs. Just eight points currently separate fourth place Sevilla and 13thh placed Espanyol, meaning any side able to put a solid run of results together over the coming weeks has a chance of a top-four finish, while the race to qualify for next season's Europa League is equally wide open, promising an fascinating last third to the campaign.
