As La Liga results go, it could be one of the most important of the season.
The tension was palpable as fellow strugglers Cadiz and Real Valladolid battled it out on Friday night with the winner knowing they would climb out of the drop zone.
If you are unsure how damaging relegation would be, incidentally, then recently released figures have laid bare the pitfalls.
The cost of going down is so significant, many sides will see their budgets halved, or potentially even more.
A study shows how much each of the sides involved in the basement battle would be set to lose, based on rough calculations and highlighted purely in terms of television money and parachute payments.
The parachute payments, worked out based on results in the last five seasons and the size of their budget this season, show Cadiz would lose €24 million should they lose their top flight status, while Valladolid would receive the least in parachute payments, €11.5m, which would also see them make the largest losses at €30.5m.
After Friday night, Valladolid are closer to having their worst fears realised.
The Andalusians were handed a perfect chance to edge in front before the break but Ruben Alcaraz’s penalty came back off the crossbar.
The game remained in the balance until 20 minutes from time when Theo Bongonda powerfully fired home the opener for the hosts before the Congo international doubled the home side’s advantage, six minutes later.
Martin Hongla’s late dismissal was another negative for Valladolid, who dropped into the drop zone when Getafe gained a point at home to Elche.
The fact remains, though, that they really could have done with all three points at home to already relegated opponents at the foot of the table.
Munir El Haddadi gave them the perfect start after eight minutes when he volleyed home a Damián Suárez cross.
However, Elche – who defeated Atletico Madrid last weekend – took advantage of a defensive error just before the break with a Lucas Boyé header and that’s how it finished.
Getafe may not have but Almería now have some wiggle room after a hat-trick from Brazilian striker Lázaro Vinicius.
He was the star man as they saw off Mallorca, who may find themselves struggling to get motivated in the final weeks of the campaign as they are comfortable in ‘no-man’s land’ – midtable and safe from the drop but too far adrift to challenge for a European berth.
There were plenty of La Liga highlights in that race too as the underdogs of Girona suffered last-gasp heartache at home to Villarreal to drop out of the seventh and final European spot.
Gerard Moreno was the late hero for the visitors as he steered home the winning goal in the fifth minute of added time in Catalonia after fine work from Nicolas Jackson
That, coupled with Athletic Bilbao’s 2-1 home success over Celta Vigo, means the Basque club now occupy that place.
Seventh place, which would put them in the Europa Conference League next term, was claimed after goals from Inaki Williams and Alex Berenguer.
Villarreal actually still have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League, granted that is unlikely after Real Sociedad upset the SBOTOP La Liga betting odds to rain a little on Barcelona’s title party.
The Catalonia coronation was not as home fans wanted on the pitch as Sociedad clinched a first victory in the Nou Camp in 32 years and their first win over Barca since 2016.
On that occasion Mikel Oyarzabal, then 18, scored the only goal of the game for the San Sebastien men, then managed by David Moyes.
This time they got off to an ideal start when Alexander Sorloth set up Mikel Merino to finish from close range.
Sorloth then added a second in the 72nd minute to give the visitors a deserved two-goal lead and, ultimately, an impressive victory.
Robert Lewandowski pulled a goal back in injury time but the champions were unable to find a leveller.
On Sunday, Espanyol did their survival bid no harm at all as they won at Rayo Vallecano to within a point of moving out of the bottom three.
Nicolás Melamed netted the winner just before the hour mark after Sergi Darder and Raul de Tomás had traded goals.
Elsewhere, the battle for Europe remains delicately poised.
Atletico Madrid are back in second ahead of city rivals Real – it’s been a miserable week for them – after they went down to Valencia whose win should see them safe at the end of a tumultuous campaign.
Osasuna, who Atletico saw off 3-0, still have an outside chance of securing a European place, as do Sevilla whose remarkable turnaround continues.
Three days after they reached the Europa League Final with victory over Juventus, they drew with Real Betis and are just two points adrift of Bilbao.
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