Barcelona thump Getafe to go second
On Saturday, Xavi's Barcelona team defeated Getafe 4-0 to go up to second place in La Liga. Joao Felix and Raphinha, who were brought back, scored goals in the victory.
With 26 games played, the reigning champions have surpassed Girona with 57 points.
With 62 points, Real Madrid leads Sevilla in their upcoming match at home on Sunday.
As they await the return of old boy Sergio Ramos, who left in 2021 to join PSG, Real Madrid hopes to extend their La Liga winning streak to 20 games.
Joao Felix and Raphinha missed the Champions League 1-1 tie against Napoli during the midweek, but their absence paid off.
After 20 minutes, Raphinha, a forward from Brazil, broke the tie by grabbing a long ball and executing a brilliant run and shot into the bottom corner.
After Getafe had struck the post and 53 minutes had passed, Felix increased the lead with a far-post tap-in. Raphinha was part of the build-up to the second goal.
Just before the hour, Robert Lewandowski thought he had made it 3-0, but the referee called him offside.
The Pole, who has nine goals in his last 13 games, was twice denied on Saturday by excellent saves.
Just after the hour mark, Fermin Lopez scored from close range after a rebound, but Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong had already made it 3-0.
Prior to the game, there was a minute of silence in observance of the 10 individuals who died in a fire at a 14-story apartment building in Valencia.
Granada's match against Valencia in the Liga was rescheduled.