Barcelona rebounded emphatically from a difficult week by routing Alaves 6-1 on Saturday, returning to the summit of the La Liga standings and establishing a two-point advantage at the top.
Hansi Flick’s squad entered the fixture at Camp Nou still reeling from a Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain followed by a home El Clasico loss to arch-rivals Real Madrid last weekend. The Catalan side quickly cast those setbacks aside with a dominant first-half display against the Basque visitors.
Brazilian forward Raphinha ignited the scoring in the opening period, netting twice on either side of a Fermin Lopez strike. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal then added a fourth just before halftime to firmly command the match.
Yamal struck again midway through the second half, and substitute Anthony Gordon added a sixth goal by chipping the goalkeeper. Mariano Diaz managed a late consolation goal for Alaves, but the contest was long out of reach.
“It was a hard week for us. There was no better place than Camp Nou in front of our fans,” Lopez said in a post-match interview. Praising his influential teammates, he added, “They make the difference, Lamine and Raphinha. With them, we will achieve big things.”
Earlier on Saturday, Atletico Madrid temporarily claimed the top spot with a solid 2-0 victory away at Levante, securing their seventh consecutive league win. Alejandro Grimaldo and Giuliano Simeone scored for Diego Simeone’s side, with playmaker Alex Baena assisting both goals. The win marked Diego Simeone’s 344th La Liga victory as Atletico manager, tying the club record previously established by Luis Aragones.
“I’m very happy with the team’s work,” Diego Simeone remarked. “We’re very far from the end of the season. … We’ll keep going game by game.”
For Alaves, the defeat extends their winless run to seven matches, leaving the club in 10th place in the table. “We have to turn the page quickly,” midfielder Ander Guevara acknowledged. “We don’t need to sound the alarms. We know we’re on a bad run, but we’re a mature and humble team.”
Matchdays across Spain began with a moment of silence observed in memory of the 69 people who lost their lives on Wednesday in a train derailment in the province of Toledo.
Looking ahead, Barcelona will turn its attention back to continental competition by hosting Aston Villa in the Champions League on Tuesday, followed by a crucial away fixture against second-placed Atletico Madrid next Sunday. Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, currently sitting in third place, prepares to visit Racing Santander.
