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1. Barcelona overcomes Sociedad curse after the international break:
FC Barcelona traveled to the Anoeta for the fourth round of La Liga matches after the international break. Except for Leo Messi and Gerard Pique, most of the other players had been on international duty with their respective national teams. This meant that players were somewhat weary and this translated to their performance on the pitch as well.
A goal from Aritz Elustondo in the 13th minute meant that Barcelona was behind early on and would need something special if they were to win. Busquets and Coutinho were both rested after the international break but replaced Nelson Semedo and Rafinha respectively in the second half. A goal from Luis Suarez from close range and an Ousmane Dembele strike just three minutes later meant that Sociedad was 1-2 behind.
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It was not the Barcelona way that we know of but they still overcame tough opposition under tough conditions to maintain a perfect record. The next opponent for the Blaugrana is PSV Eindhoven in a midweek UEFA Champions League clash.
2. Real Madrid drop points against Athletic club:
Real Madrid has had a superb start under Julen Lopetegui so far this season in La Liga. But the fatigue of the international break clearly showed in their match against Athletic Bilbao. The San Mames is always a tough stadium for opposing teams and it proved to be no different for Real Madrid.
Most of the players had an average and sloppy first half but Athletic Club was relentless in their effort and got their first goal in the 32nd minute from Iker Muniain. Athletic did get more chances to score post this as well but could not due to some excellent defending from Ramos and Casemiro.
In the second half, the match turned quite physical with five of the Athletic players and two Real Madrid players- Carvajal and Vazquez receiving yellow cards. But the introduction of Isco in the 61st minute reaped an instant reward for Lopetegui as he equalised two minutes later.
The match ended 1-1 which was a result which the Basque side would have taken any day. After this tough match, Real Madrid will face Roma at home in the UEFA Champions League match.
3. Atletico Madrid's new signings need more time together:
Atletico Madrid started the season on a strong note defeating their neighbors Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup Match. They have also brought in new players- Thomas Lemar, Gelson, Rodri and Nikola Kalinic over the course of the summer to bolster their squad. But the start in La Liga this season has been far from ideal.
A loss to Celta Vigo on matchday 3 saw them slip to the bottom half of the table. They were expected to win against a resurgent Eibar side and had their chances throughout the match but a superb performance from the Eibar goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic saw him saving shots from Antoine Griezmann, Diego Costa and Saul.
An 87th-minute strike from Sergi Enrich saw Eibar leading close to full time, but right on the stroke of full time, 19-year-old Borja Garces equalised for Atleti. While the equalizer would be a reliever for Simeone, the fact which is evident is that the new signings especially Lemar and Rodri need to fit in with Atleti's style of play. Next up for Atletico is a trip to Monaco in the UEFA Champions League.
4. Valencia holds off Real Betis to a draw:
Valencia faced off against Betis at the Mestalla on MatchDay 4 of La Liga. Betis have already shown this season that they will be tough competitors as they defeated neighbors Sevilla in their previous match.
Valencia have high expectations this season especially after their strong performance last season. Rodrigo Moreno for Valencia was easily the best player on the pitch and the second half substitutes Michy Batshuayi and Guedes could not provide the much-needed winner either. Valencia had to settle for the 3rd draw this season after having already drawn with Atletico and Levante.
Valencia will face off next against Italian champions Juventus in the Champions League whereas Betis will face Greek opponents Olympiacos in the Europa league.
5. Sevilla loses against Getafe at home:
Sevilla faced Getafe at the Ramon Sanchez Pijuan stadium and was expected to get their La Liga campaign back on track after their loss to Betis. Getafe took the lead early on in the match with an Angel Rodriguez goal in the 3rd minute.
Getafe then doubled their lead with another goal from Rodriguez in the 38th minute to make it 2-0.
In the second half, coach Pablo Machin brought on Ben Yedder and Franco Vasquez for some much-needed change. Sevilla created multiple chances and two clear-cut chances were ruled out due to offside. Ultimately, it was the stubborn defense of Getafe who protected their 2 goal lead throughout the entire 90 minutes as well as an additional 9 minutes extra added on.
The next opponents for Sevilla are Standard Liege of Belgium in the Europa League at home and they would look to start their European adventure with a win.
