LALIGA J24
Barça Takes the Lead in One of the Most Incredible Matchdays in LaLiga History
Published:18/02/2025 - 01:24h
Updated:18/02/2025 - 01:49h
The return of FC Barcelona to the top of LaLiga is a fact: Hansi Flick's team defeated Rayo to conclude a historic matchday 24 in which all results favored the interests of the Catalans.
FC Barcelona regained the lead in LaLiga nine matchdays and 78 days later, thanks to a narrow victory against Rayo (1-0). Matchday 24 of the 2024/25 season will be remembered as one of the most incredible in the history of the Spanish First Division, with all results favoring Hansi Flick's team to erase the 7-point advantage Real Madrid had just three weeks ago.
The draw of the 'merengue' team on Saturday against Osasuna at El Sadar (1-1), combined with the identical result between Atlético de Madrid and Celta de Vigo (1-1), set the stage for Barça to climb to the top of the standings for the first time since the start of matchday 15. The defeat against UD Las Palmas in Montjuïc on November 30 (1-2) had pushed the Catalans away from first place, a position they had maintained since the third matchday.
The First Nine Teams Stumbled on J24, Except for Barça
In addition to the setbacks of Real Madrid and Atlético, the most incredible aspect of matchday 24 is that, except for Barça, none of the top nine teams could earn three points over the weekend. Athletic (4th) drew 1-1 in their visit to Espanyol (15th), while Villarreal (5th) also could not get past a 1-1 draw against Valencia (17th). Interestingly, the four teams closest to Barça all drew with the same result (1-1).
Rayo remains sixth after the defeat in Montjuïc (1-0), while Mallorca climbed to seventh place after their victory against Las Palmas (3-1). Real Sociedad occupied that spot at the start of the matchday, but their thrashing at Betis' ground (3-0) dropped them to 11th place, which the 'verdiblancos' held last week. Manuel Pellegrini's team is now eighth, behind Mallorca.
In that position was Girona, who also surprisingly fell on Friday against Getafe (13th) by 1-2 in Montilivi. Finally, the ninth-placed team until last week, Osasuna, also drew at home against Real Madrid (1-1), a key result for Barça to regain the lead. Thus, of the ten teams in the top half of the standings, only the Catalans and the Balearics managed to earn three points on matchday 24.
LaLiga Results 24/25 - J24
| MATCH | DATE | RESULT |
|---|---|---|
| Girona vs Getafe | 14/02 | 1-2 |
| Leganés vs Alavés | 15/02 | 3-3 |
| Osasuna vs Real Madrid | 15/02 | 1-1 |
| Atlético de Madrid vs Celta | 15/02 | 1-1 |
| Villarreal vs Valencia | 15/02 | 1-1 |
| Espanyol vs Athletic Club | 16/02 | 1-1 |
| Valladolid vs Sevilla | 16/02 | 0-4 |
| Mallorca vs Las Palmas | 16/02 | 3-1 |
| Betis vs Real Sociedad | 16/02 | 3-0 |
| Barça vs Rayo | 17/02 | 1-0 |
LA LIGA STANDINGS 24/25 J24
| TEAMS | MATCHES | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. FC Barcelona | 24 | 51 |
| 2. Real Madrid | 24 | 51 |
| 3. Atlético Madrid | 24 | 50 |
| 4. Athletic Club | 24 | 45 |
| 5. Villarreal CF | 24 | 41 |
| 6. Rayo Vallecano | 24 | 35 |
| 7. RCD Mallorca | 24 | 34 |
| 8. Real Betis | 24 | 32 |
| 9. CA Osasuna | 24 | 32 |
| 10. Girona FC | 24 | 31 |
| 11. Real Sociedad | 24 | 31 |
| 12. Sevilla FC | 24 | 31 |
| 13. Getafe | 24 | 30 |
| 14. Celta Vigo | 24 | 29 |
| 15. Espanyol | 24 | 24 |
| 16. Leganés | 24 | 24 |
| 17. Las Palmas | 24 | 23 |
| 18. Valencia | 24 | 23 |
| 19. Alavés | 24 | 22 |
| 20. Valladolid | 24 | 15 |
