The new La Liga season promises to be another frenetic and hard-fought battle after providing the most exciting climax of the 2020/21 campaigns.
Last season Atletico Madrid held off a challenge from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla to win the title, and all four made winning starts over the weekend. The first round of La Liga 2021 results sees these teams occupy the top-four places again, with Valencia also recording a victory in Friday’s curtain-raiser against Getafe.
Ruthless Real set down a marker
The pre-season La Liga 2021 betting odds here at SBOTOP edged towards Real Madrid, after the departure of Lionel Messi from Barcelona, and the Madrid giants made a big statement in their opener. With 19 shots, seven on target and four landing in the net, Los Blancos’ destruction of Alaves was brutal and brilliant in equal measure.
Last season’s top striker Karim Benzema got off to a flyer, scoring twice in Carlo Ancelotti’s first game back as boss, while Gareth Bale also made a start in this opener. Real Madrid fans will have been delighted too, to see Eden Hazard in action as he set up Benzema’s opener with a clever back heel, while Nacho and Vinicius Junior were on target later in the second half. Joselu fired home a penalty for Alaves’ consolation but there was no hiding Real’s second half domination, as they justified their mantel as favourites.
Pique brings hope to the Camp Nou
Barca’s life without Lionel Messi got off to an encouraging start as the Blaugrana blew Real Sociedad away with an attacking display of intent, running out 4-2 winners as Martin Braithwaite helped himself to an opening day brace.
The club is in financial dire straits and was forced to wave a tearful goodbye to Paris bound Messi, and the news that new recruit Sergio Aguero could be out for up to ten weeks with a calf injury has done little to improve the mood in Catalonia.
But another club legend has stepped up to lift the club and fans. Centre-back Gerard Pique took a pay cut so that Barca could register some new recruits, including striker Memphis Depay, and Pique was the man to get the show on the road after Antoine Griezmann had already hit the crossbar with a header. There were only 19 minutes on the clock when the centre-back powered home a header from a Depay cross, and that sparked a flurry from the Blaugrana. Depay had two efforts saved before Braithwaite scored his double.
La Real threatened to make a comeback when Julian Lobete pulled one back on 82 minutes and Mikel Oyarzabal added a second with a spectacular free-kick on 85, but Sergi Roberto confirmed a deserved win for Barca in injury time.
Atleti display the grit of champions
Atleti’s title defence started in Balaidos with a tricky match against Celta Vigo and they came through it unscathed thanks to a fine double converted by Angel Correa. The Argentine wide man gave Los Rojiblancos a first-half lead, taking a pass from Thomas Lemar just outside the penalty area and firing a beauty of a drive into the top-right corner.
Early in the second half, Celta clawed their way back into the game when veteran striker Iago Aspas saw his cross handled by Marco Llorente, and he took the responsibility to fire home the equaliser from the penalty spot. But Atletico were back in front again, midway through the second period, breaking away quickly and when Saul Niguez slid a pass through to Correa he made no mistake, sliding the ball into the bottom left corner.
Diego Simeone’s side are third favourites to win the 2021/22 title, but they have already done it once and, on this evidence, they will be hard to shake off again.
Sevilla set to keep up with the Big Three again
After a fourth-place finish in the 2020/21 campaign in which they stayed in the title hunt until the penultimate weekend, Sevilla showed intention to stay with the big boys again, with an impressive 3-0 home win against Rayo Vallecano. Luca Zidane, the son of former Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane, has a big future ahead of him, but this was a day to forget as he was sent off for a professional foul with just 16 on the clock to put the visitors down to ten men.
Los Sevillanos took advantage as Youssef En Nesryi converted the resulting penalty and a second half double from former Spurs striker Erik Lamela made it a comprehensive victory.
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