La Liga Matchday 19: Injuries, Drab Football and Rare Sparks of Brilliance
A look at the highs and lows from La Liga's 19th round - from serious injuries to Puado and Vargas to Moleiro's masterclass for Villarreal.
A weekend to forget for most La Liga sides as Matchday 19 delivered more injuries than quality, with Radio MARCA’s La Pizarra de Quintana rating performances in what they bluntly called a “rubbish round” of fixtures.
Injury Heartbreak Takes Centre Stage
The most gut-wrenching moments came via two devastating injury setbacks:
- Espanyol’s Javi Puado lasted just four minutes on his return before suffering an ACL tear
- Sevilla’s Rubén Vargas managed only eight minutes after six weeks out
Both situations described as “truly unfortunate” by the analysts, leaving their respective clubs in the mire.
The Strugglers
Sevilla continue their emotional nosedive with an utterly toothless home display against Celta Vigo. Despite dominating possession, they mustered a paltry 0.27 expected goals, raising serious concerns about their attacking potency.
Osasuna claimed the dubious honour of being the worst away team in the first half of the season, collecting just two points on their travels after falling to Girona.
Valencia defender César Tárrega came under fire for uncharacteristic errors, while Betis will sorely miss Cucho Hernández, who went from nearly scoring a wonder goal to picking up a three-week injury.
Green Shoots
Girona showed signs of returning to form with fewer errors and greater solidity, though the pundits weren’t getting carried away just yet.
Rayo Vallecano’s key man Álvaro García delivered again, providing an assist against Mallorca. The analysts boldly declared: “If there’s an important goal this season, he’ll score it.”
Real Sociedad’s Jon Mikel Aramburu made history with their latest goal this century, scoring in the 96th minute to change momentum and “clean recent wounds”.
Moments of Magic
In an otherwise dreary matchday, a few bright sparks stood out:
- Iker Losada and Carlos Romero delivered stunning goals within three minutes of each other
- Alberto Moleiro was the weekend’s standout performer, leading Villarreal to an excellent second-half display
Marcelino, Villarreal’s manager, praised Moleiro as “very self-demanding, supportive, and giving us tremendous performance” – undoubtedly one of the round’s few highlights in what was otherwise a right old dog’s dinner of a matchday.