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January 2026
The Namibian
Athletic Bilbaoarein 13th place without a win in their last five La Liga games
Source
“Valverde's Athletic, meanwhile, are down in 13th, without a win in their last five La Liga games, and crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday.”
Raphinha and Fermin Lopez goals helped Spanish champions Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in La Liga to continue their perfect start to the season, with new arrival Rodri making his Barca debut.
Raphinha and Fermin Lopez goals helped Spanish champions Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in La Liga to continue their perfect start to the season, with new arrival Rodri making his Barca debut.
Jose Mourinho began his second spell as Real Madrid manager with a 2-1 victory at Espanyol in La Liga, with substitute Carlos Espi scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring for Madrid, who fielded new signings including Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate.
Liverpool named Andoni Iraola as their new manager on Thursday after dismissing Arne Slot following a poor Premier League title defence. Iraola, 43, has signed a reported two-year deal and comes to the club after an impressive spell with Bournemouth.
Spain's World Cup campaign is shadowed by injury concerns, with star winger Lamine Yamal potentially missing the opening two matches against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia due to a hamstring injury, and key players including Ballon d'Or winner Rodri struggling with recent injuries. Coach Luis de la Fuente has nonetheless expressed confidence that Spain can win the tournament.
Mohamed Salah played his final match for Liverpool on Sunday in a 1-1 draw with Brentford, leaving as the club's third-highest goalscorer of all-time with 257 goals after nine years at Anfield. The 33-year-old Egyptian winger provided an assist for Curtis Jones before being substituted.
Real Madrid ended their La Liga season with a 4-2 win over Athletic Bilbao. Mallorca and Girona were relegated from the Spanish top flight despite Mallorca's 3-0 victory over already-relegated Real Oviedo.
Vinicius Junior scored as Real Madrid won 1-0 at Sevilla on Sunday, but Sevilla secured safety from relegation through other results. Mallorca, 19th after losing 2-0 to Levante, and Girona, 18th after a 1-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid, are in danger of relegation.
With Barcelona already crowned champions, La Liga's penultimate round focuses on other matters, including Antoine Griezmann's farewell at Atlético Madrid and a tight relegation battle involving multiple teams between 10th and 19th place, with only Real Oviedo guaranteed to go down.
Barcelona's bid to match La Liga's all-time record of 100 points ended with a 1-0 defeat to Alaves on Wednesday. Hansi Flick's newly-crowned Spanish champions needed to win their remaining three matches to reach that figure but fell to Ibrahim Diabate's goal in first-half stoppage time.
Atletico Madrid faces Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday, seeking redemption after losing the Copa del Rey final to Real Madrid over a week ago. The club, which has never won Europe's premier competition, can take a first step towards a fourth final appearance under Diego Simeone.
Atletico Madrid plays Real Sociedad in Saturday's Copa del Rey final, seeking a rare trophy success under coach Diego Simeone. The match is particularly significant for Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann, 35, who is departing for MLS side Orlando City and hopes to leave with a farewell trophy.
Teenage star Lamine Yamal scored in the 68th minute to secure Barcelona a 1-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, restoring the champions' four-point lead over Real Madrid in La Liga.
Federico Valverde's heavily deflected 95th-minute shot secured a 2-1 La Liga win for Real Madrid at Celta Vigo on Friday, pulling them within one point of Barcelona. The Spanish giants played with 10 injured players, including French striker Kylian Mbappe, and manager Alvaro Arbeloa said he hoped the victory could mark a turning point after two consecutive league defeats.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick faces mounting pressure following two consecutive defeats to Girona and Atletico Madrid, as the Catalan club falls behind Real Madrid in La Liga. Flick acknowledged the team is not in good form due to injuries and fatigue, but resisted calls to adjust his ultra-attacking tactics ahead of Sunday's match against Levante.
Mohamed Salah scored a penalty as Liverpool beat Brighton 3-0 in the FA Cup, while other African players made headline contributions across major European leagues, including Habib Diarra's penalty for Sunderland and Serhou Guirassy's two-goal performance for Borussia Dortmund.
Atletico Madrid overwhelmed Copa del Rey holders Barcelona with a 4-0 victory in their semi-final first leg, with goals from Eric Garcia (own goal), Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman, and Julian Alvarez giving them a commanding advantage ahead of the second leg at Camp Nou on March 3.
Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa and striker Kylian Mbappe both emphasize the need for consistency as the team prepares to face Valencia in La Liga, with Arbeloa stressing that hard work rather than magic is required to turn around recent inconsistent performances.
American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo has revived Real Sociedad from near-relegation with five games unbeaten, including wins over Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, ahead of Sunday's Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao, who are languishing in 13th place without a win in their last five La Liga games.
Fifteen teams have already qualified for the Champions League knockout rounds, with seventeen more competing for remaining places in the final round of the league phase. Arsenal and Bayern Munich are assured of top-eight finishes, while PSG, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Tottenham are among the clubs battling to secure direct passage to the last 16 this week.
Vinicius Junior's resurgent form, highlighted by a dominant display in Real Madrid's 6-1 Champions League win over Monaco, has lifted the team ahead of a crucial La Liga clash with Villarreal where victory could move them top of the table. Coach Alvaro Arbeloa has backed the Brazilian winger publicly, and Vinicius has credited the fans' support for his return to form after a lengthy scoring drought.