Real Madrid go 4 points clear of Barça atop LaLiga
Madrid, Jul 2 (efe-epa).- Real Madrid eked out a 1-0 win Thursday against Getafe to give themselves a 4-point lead over Barcelona in the battle for the 2019-2020 LaLiga title.
The Blancos, with 74 points from 33 matches, also have a head-to-head advantage over their archrivals.
Thursday’s victory was the product of a solid – though hardly dazzling – performance that has carried Real Madrid to six wins in six outings since LaLiga returned to action following the three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus.
Barça, the defending champions, have stumbled in the re-start, dropping 6 points.
While Real Madrid had the edge when the season was suspended, the consensus that the title is theirs to lose took hold after Barcelona drew 0-0 with Sevilla on June 19.
On Thursday, the Blancos faced a Getafe side who look to have returned to their pre-shutdown form after posting three draws and a defeat in their first four matches of the re-start.
Their triumph Monday over Real Sociedad revived Getafe’s dream of a top-four finish and they forced Real Madrid to work hard for the 3 points, which came on a Sergio Ramos penalty in the 79th minute.
As the season enters the final stretch, Real Madrid appear to have the tougher task, facing three clubs in the top half of the table: Athletic Club, Granada and Villarreal, as well as Alaves and Leganes.
Barça must also play surging Villarreal – currently fifth – and Alaves, along with Espanyol, Real Valladolid and Osasuna.
In Thursday’s early action, Real Sociedad defeated last-place Espanyol 2-1 to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League play.
What would become Sociedad’s first win of the re-start got off to an inauspicious start, as they fell behind 1-0 in the 10th minute on David Lopez’s goal.
William Jose brought the hosts level in the 56th minute and Aleksander Isak knocked in the match-winner in the 84th, lifting Sociedad to 50 points, enough for seventh place.
Espanyol are 10 points from safety.
Osasuna, meanwhile, climbed 10 points above the drop zone with a 2-0 away victory over 16th-place Eibar. Ruben Garcia accounted for both of the goals for the visitors. EFE
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