La Liga is heating up as we approach the final stretch of the 2025-26 season, and matchday 34 delivered plenty of drama, debuts, and decisive moments. Here's your full round-up of Friday and Saturday's action.
Mallorca took a massive step toward survival on Friday night, edging out Girona 1-0 at Montilivi to move four points clear of the relegation zone. Samu Costa's strike just before halftime proved to be the difference, but the real hero was goalkeeper Leo Roman, who pulled off a series of crucial saves to preserve a clean sheet that could prove priceless in the relegation battle.
Villarreal celebrated in style as they secured their spot in next season's Champions League, joining Barcelona and Real Madrid in Europe's elite competition. The Yellow Submarine put on a show in a dominant derby victory, with Georges Mikautadze opening the scoring in the 38th minute. Levante briefly threatened through Carlos Espi's equalizer, but Villarreal exploded in the second half with four unanswered goals from Alberto Moleiro, Mikautadze again, Tajon Buchanan, and Nicolas Pepe. It was a statement performance from a team hitting top form at the perfect time.
Atletico Madrid used the weekend to fine-tune their preparations for the Champions League semifinal second leg against Arsenal, and the result was a statement of intent. With the tie finely poised at 1-1, Diego Simeone rotated his squad heavily ahead of the trip to London, and it was two young debutants who stole the spotlight. Iker Luque and Miguel "Cubo" Llorente entered the fray on the hour mark and delivered moments to remember, scoring in the 74th and 82nd minutes respectively to secure a 2-0 win over Valencia. The victory puts Atletico on the verge of clinching a top-four finish, but all eyes are now on the Arsenal showdown.
Saturday's action ended with a Basque Country thriller as Athletic Club came from behind to win a six-goal classic at Alaves. The hosts got off to a dream start when Antonio Blanco struck in the eighth minute, but Robert Navarro leveled just after halftime. Nahuel Tenaglia restored Alaves' lead, but Athletic responded with three unanswered goals from Oihan Sancet and a brace from Nico Williams to snatch a vital 4-2 victory. The win keeps Los Leones firmly in the hunt for European qualification as the season enters its decisive phase.