From a dominant night at the Santiago Bernabeu to relegation battles in Mallorca and Seville, the latest round of matches underlined how tight and unpredictable the Spanish top flight remains as the season gathers pace.

Garcia Hat-Trick Powers Madrid Past Betis

Real Madrid closed the gap on league leaders Barcelona with a commanding 5-1 victory over Real Betis, their third straight La Liga win. Gonzalo Garcia stole the headlines with a superb hat-trick, scoring his first league goals for the club in emphatic fashion.

Madrid dominated from the opening whistle, with Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior stretching Betis early on. The breakthrough arrived in the 20th minute when Garcia powered home a header from Rodrygo's free-kick. Betis struggled to escape their own half, although they defended in numbers to keep the scoreline respectable at the break.

The hosts turned pressure into goals after half-time. Garcia controlled Valverde's lofted pass before volleying in his second, and Raul Asencio headed home from a corner to make it three before the hour.

Betis responded late through Cucho Hernandez, but Garcia completed his hat-trick with a clever backheel before Fran Garcia added a fifth in stoppage time. Madrid stayed unbeaten in their last seven home meetings with Betis, who remained sixth.

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso spoke after the victory, praising hat-trick hero Garcia, saying, "evidently, Gonzalo has had the game of his dreams. Playing at the Bernabeu, scoring a hat-trick in your first season in the first team.

"I'm delighted for him, he works so hard and has an impressive attitude, when he's playing and when he doesn't, and he's a great example of the club's youth academy. I congratulate him and encourage him to carry on like this."

Sociedad Hold Atletico in Matarazzo's Debut

Pellegrino Matarazzo began his reign at Real Sociedad with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid, denying Diego Simeone's side the chance to move into the top three.

Both teams created early chances, with Julian Alvarez missing twice for Atletico and Jan Oblak forced into action by Brais Mendez. Sociedad thought they had taken the lead before half-time when Alexander Sorloth turned the ball into his own net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Atletico struck first after the break when Sorloth atoned by heading in Giuliano Simeone's cross. The lead lasted just ten minutes, as Goncalo Guedes finished a swift counter-attack from Takefusa Kubo's delivery. Despite late chances at both ends, neither side found a winner, and Sociedad climbed to 15th.

Girona Sink Mallorca to Escape the Drop Zone

Girona boosted their survival hopes with a crucial 2-1 win away to Mallorca, ending the hosts' four-game unbeaten run.

Viktor Tsygankov gave Girona a deserved first-half lead with a left-footed strike from the edge of the area. Mallorca thought they had equalised early in the second half through Takuma Asano, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside.

The visitors doubled their advantage when Vladyslav Vanat converted a penalty after being fouled by Leo Roman. Vedat Muriqi pulled one back from the spot in added time, but Girona held firm to climb out of the relegation zone and up to 16th.

Boye Free-Kick Rescues Alaves Point

Deportivo Alaves and Real Oviedo shared the points in a 1-1 draw that did little to ease either side's struggles.

Oviedo struck first through Federico Vinas after a slick move early in the second half, but Alaves responded quickly. Lucas Boye produced a moment of quality with a stunning 30-yard free-kick that left Aaron Escandell helpless.

Both sides finished with ten men after late red cards, leaving Alaves three points above the drop zone and Oviedo five points from safety.

Levante End Drought with Sevilla Rout

Levante climbed off the bottom of the table with a convincing 3-0 win over Sevilla, ending an eight-match winless run.

In difficult conditions, Iker Losada gave Levante a surprise lead just before half-time. Sevilla pushed hard after the break, but Carlos Espi punished their wastefulness on the counter. A missed penalty summed up the hosts' night, before Carlos Alvarez sealed the result late on.

It was Levante's first league win at this ground since January 2014 and a damaging defeat for Sevilla as they opened 2026 in disappointing fashion.

Steve Barker in awe of current Stellenbosch squad