There were four matches played in La Liga on Saturday, with teams picking up points at both top and bottom of the table. Here is our Saturday round-up.
Real Betis 0-5 Real Madrid
Two milestones were reached in this one side match. Karim Benzema scored his hundredth goal for the club and manager Carlo Ancelotti gained his 500th career victory. Read a full match report here: http://laligablog.com/2014/01/19/real-betis-0-0-real-madrid/
Elche 2-0 Rayo Vallecano 0
An important clash at the bottom of La Liga saw Elche pull away from trouble thanks to a two nil win over Rayo Vallecano, who find only the abject Real Betis below them. Vallecano were unlucky to concede a penalty in the 19th minute and even unluckier to then see Baena shown a straight red. Albacar made no mistake from the spot and after that the confidence seemed to drain out of the away team. Ruben was a busy man in the Rayo goal and performed heroics but he was beaten again on 79 minutes by Cristobal Marquez. It was a comfortable victory in the end, but it was hard to say whether the most important individual was Manchester United target Saul Niguez or referee Perez Montero.
Granada 0-0 Osasuna
Granada won the first match between these sides, but Osasuna defended doggedly to earn an important point in an all too tight bottom half of the La Liga table. Granada hit the woodwork twice but a man of the match display from Osasuna keeper Asier Riesgo held them at bay.
Espanyol 1-0 Celta Vigo
The Barcelona side had lost two La Liga games in a row and for most of the game it looked as though their winless streak would continue. There was little to excite the crowd, and the players seemed content to play out a drab draw. The winner came with just two minutes left on the clock and provided the one moment of quality in the game. Espanyol skipper Sergio Garcia struck a superb shot that was simply unstoppable, and lifts his side up to eighth place.
