La Liga Table 2018: Latest Standings Following Tuesday's Week 26 Results

Real Madrid remain 14 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after losing 1-0 to Espanyol at the RCDE  Stadium on Tuesday night. Los Blancos were beaten by a stoppage-timer winner from Gerard Moreno.

The night also saw Catalan side Girona beat Celta Vigo at home, courtesy of a Christian Portu goal. It was a result good enough to move the debutants in Spain's top flight up to seventh.

Here are the updated standings after Tuesday's matches:

     

1. Barcelona: 65

2. Atletico Madrid: 58

3. Real Madrid: 51

4. Valencia: 49

5. Villarreal: 41

6. Sevilla: 39

7. Girona: 37

8. Real Betis: 36

9. Celta Vigo: 35

10. Eibar: 35

11. Getafe: 33

12. Athletic Bilbao: 31

13. Espanyol: 31

14. Leganes: 30

15. Real Sociedad: 29

16. Alaves: 28

17. Levante: 20

18. Las Palmas: 19

19. Deportivo La Coruna: 18

20. Malaga: 13

     

Full standings are available, per BBC Sport.

      

Moreno snapped Real's five-match winning sequence by sweeping a shot past Keylor Navas in the 93rd minute. It was a fine finish from one of the more underrated strikers in Spain's top flight.

Espanyol's reliance on Moreno should have other clubs taking notice, with this number from WhoScored.com underlining the 25-year-old's growing importance:

A memorable win has not only moved Espanyol 12 points clear of the bottom three. It has also ironically done local rivals Barcelona a favour.

The defeat means Los Merengues can all but forget about staging a late run to retain the title. They are not only 14 points adrift of the Blaugrana but have played a game more.

Real couldn't take advantage of Gareth Bale equalling David Beckham's record for league appearances, per OptaJose. Nor did the visitors make the most of a fine display from creative midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

Bale missed a great chance when he headed over, while manager Zinedine Zidane's decision to rest Cristiano Ronaldo and leave Karim Benzema on the bench backfired.

BT Sport host Gary Lineker summed up the impact of leaving Ronaldo out:

As for Espanyol, beating Real continues a fine recent run against La Liga's elite, according to OptaJose:

Later, Portu needed just 14 minutes to put Girona in front at the Estadi Montilivi. He took a pass from Carles Planas in his stride before lashing a shot into the bottom corner.

Celta battled back, with striker Maxi Gomez and winger Emre Mor both going close in the first half. Hugo Mallo and Iago Aspas posed a threat after the break, as the visitors stepped up the pressure.

Ultimately, though, manager Juan Carlos Unzue's side couldn't find the reply they sought.

Girona are defying expectations after being promoted last summer. By contrast, Real are well below par in what is turning out to be a miserable title defence.

Atletico Madrid can make things worse by winning on Wednesday and moving 10 points clear of their neighbours, before champions-in-waiting Barca travel to relegation-threatened Las Palmas on Thursday.

from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2ovUw3f