38th round of La Liga: Real Madrid’s farewell, Valladolid’s relegation and Valencia and Cádiz’s survival

Author: Vishwajit Sawant

The final day of La Liga had an emotional climax, with Real Madrid saying goodbye to Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard. Real Valladolid’s long spell in the top flight came to an end with a 0-0 draw against Getafe.

Celta de Vigo surprise Barcelona and secure their survival

Celta de Vigo produced a stunning turnaround at the Balaidos stadium, securing their top-flight status with a remarkable win over Barcelona.

In a tense battle to avoid relegation, Celta took the lead just before half-time when Gabri Veiga scored in the 42nd minute. He showed off his breakneck pace, dribbling past defenders Marcos Alonso and Andreas Christensen to calmly slot the ball into the bottom corner.

Determined to ensure their safety, Celta continued to dominate the game, launching relentless attacks against Barcelona’s defense. Veiga scored again in the 65th minute when his cross unintentionally found the net, extending Celta’s lead. Despite Ansu Fati’s goal for Barcelona in the 79th minute, Celta held on for a crucial win and finished in 13th place.

Reflecting on the season, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez acknowledged the need to strengthen the team, especially to compete in Europe. He emphasized the importance of increasing depth in all positions and making significant improvements during the summer transfer window to increase their chances of winning the coveted Champions League trophy.

Karim Benzema’s penalty set up a thrilling end to Real Madrid’s draw with Bilbao

Karim Benzema said goodbye to Real Madrid in his final LaLiga match at the Bernabéu. He scored from the penalty spot but was unable to secure victory in the 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao.

Before the match, it was announced that the Ballon d’Or winner would be leaving the club after 14 successful years, with possible links to Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. Bilbao went ahead in the 49th minute through Oihan Sancet, but Benzema calmly equalized from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute.

Real Madrid held on to second place despite the draw, while Atlético Madrid drew 2-2 with Villarreal.

Ángel Correa’s brace earns Atlético Madrid a draw against Villarreal

Ángel Correa scored twice as Atlético Madrid held Villarreal to a 2-2 draw. In his last game of the season, Correa proved to be Atlético’s driving force.

Atlético were 1-0 down after a goal from Nicolas Jackon in the ninth minute. Atlético were awarded a free kick, and Antoine Griezmann cleverly found Correa unmarked inside the penalty area. Correa made no mistake when he converted the chance in the 18th minute.

Later, in a quick counter-attack, Griezmann once again provided the assist for Correa (56′) to skilfully dribble past the goalkeeper and put Atlético 2-1 ahead. However, Axel Witsel’s red card in the 70th minute changed the course of the game. In the 90th minute, Jorge Pascual’s equalizer for Villarreal denied Atlético victory. Despite the draw, Atlético dropped to third place, one point behind Real Madrid. Correa’s impactful performance concludes the season with eight league goals.

Other results:

Elsewhere, Real Sociedad booked their place in the Champions League with a 2-1 win over Sevilla in their final game of the season. Villareal and Real Betis have secured their places in next season’s Europa League. Real Betis and Valencia drew 1-1. Osasuna secured a place in the Europa League Conference by finishing seventh with a 2-1 win over Girona.

At the bottom of the table, Real Valladolid’s long season in La Liga came to an end with relegation on the last matchday. Meanwhile, Valencia and Cádiz secured survival with 1-1 draws, and Almeria fought back twice to secure a 3-3 draw against already relegated Espanyol, narrowly escaping relegation.