Newly crowned Spanish champions Barcelona stumbled to a shock 1-0 defeat against Alaves on Wednesday, ending their hopes of matching La Liga’s all-time record tally of 100 points.
Hansi Flick’s side needed victories in their final three matches to reach the milestone but fell short at the first hurdle in Vitoria.
Ibrahim Diabate struck in first-half stoppage time to hand Alaves a crucial win in their fight for survival. The result lifted Quique Sanchez Flores’s side out of the relegation zone and up to 15th place.
“It was not an easy game. They fought really hard, but that’s normal because they are battling to stay in La Liga,” Flick told reporters.
“We conceded right before half-time, but I’ll focus on the positives — the young players who featured today and managing the minutes for others.”
Flick rotated heavily after Sunday’s title-clinching Clasico victory, handing 21-year-old centre-back Alvaro Cortes his debut among several changes to the starting line-up.
Barcelona, who celebrated their league triumph with an open-top bus parade on Monday, looked short of sharpness throughout much of the contest.
Although the visitors dominated possession and Marcus Rashford provided energy down the flank, Alaves defended resolutely to keep Barca at bay.
The decisive moment came just before the interval when Antonio Blanco nodded a corner back into the danger area and Diabate reacted quickest, firing past Wojciech Szczesny as Barcelona’s defenders hesitated.
Szczesny denied Diabate early in the second half as Alaves pushed for a second, while Barcelona struggled to carve out clear-cut chances.
The hosts nearly doubled their advantage through Jon Guridi, whose powerful effort beat Szczesny but crashed against the post.
Sevilla stage dramatic comeback
Earlier, Sevilla produced a stunning fightback from two goals down to beat Villarreal 3-2 and move closer to safety.
The Andalusian club, who had been dragged into a relegation battle in recent months, secured a third straight victory to climb provisionally to 10th place, four points above the drop zone.
Villarreal, sitting third, raced into a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes through Gerard Moreno and Georges Mikautadze.
But Sevilla responded brilliantly before the break as Oso and Kike Salas levelled the score, before Akor Adams netted the winner in the 72nd minute.
The victory came amid reports that former Sevilla defender Sergio Ramos is close to helping lead a takeover of the club alongside an investment firm.
“It’s an indescribable feeling to give something back to the fans for all the love they show us,” said Sevilla defender Salas.
Elsewhere, Espanyol beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 at home to claim their first win of 2026, snapping an 18-match winless streak.
Second-half goals from Pere Milla and Kike Garcia lifted the Catalan side to 14th place, three points clear of the relegation zone.
“It’s been one of the worst experiences of my professional and personal life,” Espanyol coach Manolo Gonzalez said of the club’s barren run.
The emotional coach was left in tears after Garcia’s late strike sealed the long-awaited victory.
“Now we have to go to Pamplona and win against Osasuna on Sunday,” Gonzalez added.
“We can’t go there just to defend. We have to carry this momentum as far as possible.”
Meanwhile, Mallorca slipped deeper into trouble after a 3-1 defeat at seventh-placed Getafe, boosting the hosts’ hopes of qualifying for the Conference League.
AFP
