The 2025/26 La Liga season continues to twist and turn with every passing week, and Matchday 12 was no exception.
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid dropped valuable points against Rayo Vallecano, allowing Barcelona to close the gap at the top of La Liga with a thrilling win over Celta Vigo.
Atletico Madrid continued their resurgence under Diego Simeone with another convincing victory, while Villarreal strengthened their top-four ambitions after securing a third straight league win.
At the opposite end of the 2025/26 La Liga table, Valencia’s struggles showed no sign of easing as their winless run stretched to seven matches, leaving them perilously close to the relegation zone.
With momentum shifting at both ends of the standings, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the key talking points from Matchday 12 of the 2025/26 La Liga season.
Real Madrid drop valuable points in La Liga title race
For the fourth year running, Real Madrid have failed to win away from home against Rayo Vallecano. Xabi Alonso’s men were held to a 0-0 draw, dropping two valuable points and handing Barcelona an opportunity to reduce the gap at the top of La Liga.
With the Blaugrana beating Celta Vigo, they are now only three points behind the league leaders. Apart from the defeat against Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid had a perfect record in La Liga, and they were favourites to win yet again.
However, it seemed they had not recovered from their defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. Just like in the game against the Premier League champions, Real Madrid’s attack could not find a way to go past Rayo Vallecano’s defence. They could only create a handful of chances.
All passing lanes to Kylian Mbappe were cut off, and with the French international isolated, Los Blancos did not really know how to go past the Rayo Vallecano backline. With two winless games in a row, Alonso now has quite a few questions to answer.
Antoine Griezmann delivers a masterclass
Since their 4-0 defeat to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League, Diego Simeone’s team have bounced back impressively, winning each of their last four games across competitions. Three of those victories have come in the league, extending their domestic winning streak to four matches.
Atletico Madrid had to work hard for their 3-1 win over Levante. While they dominated possession and created plenty of chances, the score was level at 1-1 before Simeone played his trump card. He introduced Griezmann in the 60th minute, and before Levante could adjust, the veteran striker had found the back of the net.
The 34-year-old struck again in the 80th minute to seal the victory. Despite not being a regular starter, Griezmann remains one of the most important players in Simeone’s squad, and he certainly reminded everyone of that with his performance against Levante. He is now making a strong case to be reinstated as a starter going forward.
Third straight win for Villarreal
The Yellow Submarine secured a fifth-placed finish in La Liga last season, securing a spot in the Champions League. They have once again made a promising start, and this time around, they look set for a top-four finish.
Villarreal have won eight out of their 12 outings and have only suffered two defeats so far. They are third on the table with 26 points. Following their 2-0 win over Espanyol on Saturday, Marcelino’s team are now six points clear of fifth-placed Real Betis.
They are in sensational form, having won each of their last three league games. After suffering a shocking midfweek defeat at the hands of Pafos in the UEFA Champions League, Villarreal bounced back in some fashion. They might not have dominated the proceedings, but they took their chances and were brave enough to keep a clean sheet.
Barcelona are very much in the 2025/26 La Liga title race
Heading into this round of La Liga fixtures, Barcelona were five points behind league leaders Real Madrid. While the defending champions had made a promising start to the season, they had not been in the best of form in recent weeks.
The Catalan giants had lost two out of their last four league outings, and they were heading into this one on the back of a disappointing 3-3 draw against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League. With Real Madrid dropping points, this was a golden opportunity for Flick’s team to reduce the gap at the top.
However, an away game against Celta Vigo has often proved to be a major challenge for Barcelona. They were handed a huge boost ahead of this fixture, with Robert Lewandowski finally regaining full fitness.
Hansi Flick handed the Polish international a start, and he delivered a masterclass by netting a hat-trick. Celta Vigo fought hard and made things difficult for Barcelona, with the away side’s defensive woes continuing. But in the end, the gulf in quality in the final third was clear. Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski proved decisive, guiding their team to an impressive 4-2 victory.
Valencia’s winless run continues
Valencia finished 12th in La Liga last season with 46 points. While Los Che went through a difficult run of results in the final phase of the season, they still managed to comfortably avoid relegation. However, things might get more difficult for them this time around.
The Valencian giants are 17th in the table with just 10 points from 12 outings. Valencia have managed only two wins so far, and following their 1-1 draw against Real Betis, they are now winless in their last seven league games.
Having lost 4-0 to Real Madrid heading into this fixture, a 1-1 draw might seem like a decent result. However, the fact that Valencia have not won any of their last seven La Liga outings suggests they are in a very difficult position, and getting out of it will require something special. Los Che are level on points with 18th-placed Girona, and if they continue in similar fashion, Valencia could soon find themselves in the drop zone.