First it was Barcelona. Then Real Madrid.
Both Spanish league leaders were stunned on Wednesday, with Barcelona losing 2-1 at last-place CD Leganes and Madrid falling 3-0 at Sevilla, marking the first time since 2015 that they lost on the same day.
The thrilling night was also marked by Pablo Fornals’ beautiful goal from about 45m away in Villarreal’s 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao, and by Valencia’s winless streak being extended to seven matches after a draw against RC Celta de Vigo.
Photo: AP
Barcelona’s loss came as Lionel Messi made his 700th appearance with the club, including 55 unofficial games. It was the second consecutive setback for the defending champions.
“We lost five points in three days,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. “It’s difficult to explain.”
The Spanish powerhouses have 13 points each after six rounds, two points in front of Atletico Madrid, who defeated Sociedad Deportiva Huesca 3-0 on Tuesday for their second straight league win.
If Deportivo Alaves won their home match against Getafe yesterday, they would have joined Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of the standings.
Messi’s celebration of his milestone match was marred by a Leganes team who had only one point from their first five league games. They have never earned a point against Barcelona in their three seasons in the first division.
The 53rd-minute winner at Estadio Municipal de Butarque was scored by Oscar Rodriguez after a bad mistake by Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, who gave the ball away while trying to clear it from inside the area.
Messi has 58 fewer matches than Andres Iniesta with Barcelona. Xavi Hernandez holds the club record with 869 games.
Real Madrid entered the match at Sevilla with a chance to take sole possession of first place for the first time this season, but it did not take long before they found themselves in a deep hole.
Portugal forward Andre Silva scored in the 17th and 21st minutes to take his league-leading tally to six goals, while Wissam Ben Yedder added another in the 39th to leave Sevilla in control.
“It’s simple: We gave it away in the first half,” Madrid midfielder Casemiro said. “Then it was impossible to come back.”
Sevilla have won three in a row in all competitions, outscoring their opponents 14-3. They moved three points behind Madrid and Barcelona in the league.
“Sevilla was better and deserved to win,” Lopetegui said. “We didn’t start the way we wanted and paid for it by conceding two quick goals.”
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