Barca stay in the driver's seat, Real Madrid complete close call victory in La Liga

Barcelona win 8 straight in La Liga to hold onto 1st place while Real Madrid capture a crucial 3 points after matchday 16's round of games.

Barcelona vs Osasuna

Barcelona vanquish all competition since their UEFA Champions League loss to Chelsea on November 25 with five straight wins, as their most recent opponents, Osasuna, fell victim to the Catalan's might on Saturday. Barcelona broke down Osasuna's defense throughout the entire 1st half with Ferran Torres heading home a flick off the crossbar that was called back by VAR after Raphinha was caught offside during a short corner kick. It took until the 2nd half for Raphinha to open the scoring in the 70' with darting dribble and quick left-footed finish. The Brazilian claimed Man-of-the-Match with a 86' brace to give the Catalan's the undoubted win after firing off 17 shots, 7 on target with a suppressive 70% possession against the responseless Osasuna side. Barcelona move forward in 1st place in the league with 43 points, 4 ahead of Real Madrid at this time, with 17 matches played.

Alaves vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid almost gave up another 3 points after having a rocky last 5 games in La Liga, although they ultimately pulled through with a necessary 2-1 victory over 12th place Alaves. Real's Kylian Mbappe helped the Royal Whites take the lead after scoring a righted footed curler outside the box on the dribble in the 25'. Real Madrid did put out 11 shots and 5 on target to Alaves 7 shots, 2 on target, yet couldn't find a way to extend their lead as the Barbazorros slightly edged possession with 51%. In the 68', Alaves' Carlos Vincent brought down a long ball pass in the attacking third behind Madrid's defense before burying a half volley past Thibaut Courtois to tie the game. It took just 7 minutes before Madrid's Vinicius Junior swept across a short pass inside the box for Rodrygo to finish on the slide in the 76', earning his 2nd goal in 2 games, and Real Madrid a vital 3 points as they keep 2nd place just 4 points behind Barcelona.

Prepare yourself for more La Liga action next week with plenty of games hitting the pitch, starting with Valencia vs Mallorca on Friday, December 19, with kickoff at 3 pm EST.