Matchday 33 of the 2025/26 La Liga season may have come a matchday early due to scheduling quirks, but it delivered pivotal drama across the table. With Barcelona extending their dominance and Real Madrid clawing back faint hope, the title race and relegation scraps took sharper focus, as just six games remain for most. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at five key takeaways from Matchday 33 of the La Liga season.
Real Madrid snapped a four-match winless streak across competitions with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the struggling Deportivo Alaves side, ending a run that had already torpedoed their Champions League aspirations and all but erased their La Liga title hopes.
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe’s goals proved decisive, but Toni Martinez’s 93rd-minute reply for Alaves added late tension. In the end, Los Blancos held firm, and they will be hoping they can close the season with six more wins.
Barcelona notched their eighth consecutive La Liga win, dismantling Celta Vigo 1-0 to tighten their grip on the title, but the joy was tempered by Lamine Yamal’s worrying injury exit in the second half. Moments after taking the penalty for his side, which was the only goal scored in the match.
Yamal’s absence could test their depth in the final stretch, but at the same time, it could emerge as a great opportunity for Roony Bardghji. The youngster has shown great promise in his limited opportunities, and he could finally make a case to be a regular going forward.
Elche pulled off a stunning 3-2 upset against Atletico Madrid, with Andre Silva deciding the match at the 75th minute mark with the decisive goal for his team. The three points could go a long way in their hopes of surviving the drop, and it dents Atletico’s top-four push.
The home side dominated the ball; they had possession upwards of 70%, and a lot of this dominance came after Thiago Almada’s sending off. He was shown a straight red at the 30th-minute mark for pulling down David Affengruber after losing possession as the last man.
Atletico Madrid going down to ten men allowed Elche to assert dominance, and they certainly made the most out of it. With successive wins, they are now two points off the drop zone at 16th. With six games to go, they have to continue in a similar fashion to survive.
Villarreal’s 1-1 draw with Real Oviedo did little to halt their charge towards a third-place finish, as Nicolas Pepe’s goal from the spot secured a point against a resilient promoted side. Oviedo were the dominant team of the two, as they dominated the ball and created more chances.
Eventually, Ilyas Chaira’s 69th-minute strike brought them back, and they managed to secure a point. However, it doesn’t help them survive the drop, as they sit 20th on the table, six points off safety. Villarreal retain the 3rd spot and look set to finish there as they are still five points clear of 4th-placed Atletico Madrid.
Espanyol’s Vallecas nightmare extended their winless La Liga run through all of 2026 with a frustrating 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano, as Sergio Camello’s lethal 87th-minute counter-attack strike snatched victory for the hosts.
Despite a resilient showing, including a saved penalty from Kike Garcia at the 72nd minute, Los Pericos couldn’t break through Rayo’s defence, leaving them mired in relegation danger.
They are still five points clear of the drop zone, but given the fact that they have been winless in 15 league games suggests the threat is real. With no rewards for a gritty performance, Espanyol now face a desperate fight to avoid the drop in the final stretch.
