Madrid: Real Madrid may not even challenge for the title let alone win it as a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Real Sociedad left them 10 points behind Barcelona in La Liga.
Barca took their advantage over their fiercest rivals into double figures by beating Getafe 2-1 while Atletico Madrid and Sevilla also gained on the European champions, despite earlier sharing a
1-1 draw.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez’s goals were enough for Barca, for whom the weekend could hardly have gone better. Antoine Griezmann’s stunning free-kick earned Atletico a point at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Madrid played with 10 men for half an hour after Lucas Vazquez was sent off but by then they already trailed to Willian Jose’s early penalty. Ruben Pardo wrapped up a brilliant victory for La Real, who had won this fixture only once in their last 22 attempts. This was their first victory at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2004 and then, Madrid fired coach Carlos Queiroz a day later.
Santiago Solari is not there yet, even if he was asked afterwards if he deserved to keep his job. ‘We fight to win the next game,’ he said. The honeymoon period Solari enjoyed in November though after replacing Julen Lopetegui is well and truly over. This loss, coming after the draw away to Villarreal on Wednesday, means Madrid sit fifth, outside even the Champions League places.
“Everything went against us today,” Solari said. “We did everything we could but the ball just would not go in.” Barcelona have won seven out of the last 10 La Liga titles and now own a five-point cushion. If they are to slip up in 2019, Atletico or Sevilla would seem the ones able to take advantage.