La Liga Wrap: Real Madrid Drop to 4th as Barcelona Equals Best Season Start
Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the 2026/27 La Liga season on matchday 8, while Real Madrid grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons despite a 1-0 victory over Villarreal.
The weekend’s results caused a dramatic shake-up at the top of the table, leaving the reigning champions scrambling in fourth place.
Real Madrid began the game week in second position but ended it in fourth place with 18 points following a rocky, chaotic performance at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The match provided a difficult 1-0 victory against Villarreal, but it was Vinícius Jr. who stole the spotlight for both good and bad reasons.
Left out of coach José Mourinho’s starting eleven, the Brazilian winger came off the bench in the 52nd minute. He looked to have sealed the game in the 71st minute, only for his goal to be disallowed. Just two minutes later, Vinícius Jr. was sent off with a straight red card, compounding Madrid’s complicated start to the domestic campaign.
Barcelona Equal Best Ever Winning Start
At the top of the standings, leaders Barcelona matched their best-ever start to a La Liga season by securing their eighth consecutive victory. The Catalan giants eased to a comfortable 3-0 home win over Getafe on Saturday to keep their perfect record intact.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid moved up in the standings with a hard-fought 2-1 away victory against Deportivo Alavés, who finished the match with ten men.
Goals Galore and Fan Protest Action
Sunday’s fixtures delivered plenty of goals and high drama across the country. Real Betis emerged as the weekend’s biggest winners, delivering a 5-2 thumping of Osasuna, while Real Sociedad edged out Deportivo de La Coruña in a 3-2 thriller that saw both teams receive a red card. Meanwhile, Elche and Celta Vigo played out a scoreless 0-0 draw.
The weekend’s most controversial moment occurred during the match between Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao, which had to be completely abandoned. Rayo supporters threw projectiles onto the pitch in protest against their club’s leadership.
Officials initially delayed the match for 13 minutes before making the final decision to abandon the game altogether.
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