Hammer Oviedo, and Barcelona Keep Athletico in Reach

**Vallecano turn the screw on Oviedo**

Vallecano made the sharpest statement of the round on Monday, beating Oviedo 4-0 away and leaving the hosts in the relegation zone with little comfort to take from the afternoon. Pedro Mora opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 34th minute, placing his effort near a post. Rafael made it two in the 59th, finishing with a shot at mid height; Román Pastor’s volley stayed along the ground nine minutes later, and Pablo Gálvez drove in the fourth in the 86th.

Pastor was Vallecano’s outstanding figure, his display earning the match’s top individual recognition. There was no late doubt to settle, no narrow escape: Vallecano’s four goals gave the result an emphatic shape, while Oviedo were left to face the table’s blunt arithmetic. They are 18th, on 32 points after 35 games, one place above Leganés and only above the bottom two. Vallecano sit eighth.

**Girona silence Bilbao**

Girona strengthened their hold on fourth place with a 3-0 win at A. Bilbao on Monday. Santi put the visitors ahead in the 16th minute, guiding a shot along the ground and inside a post. Ferran Izquierdo doubled the lead with a penalty on the stroke of half-time; Jofre Ramos then headed in from close range, high through the middle, in the 64th minute.

Santi was the game’s standout, and Girona’s win carries weight beyond its clean scoreline: they remain fourth, now with 60 points from 35 games, while A. Bilbao are 17th. For the Basque side, a home defeat by three goals is a hard result to absorb. For Girona, it is another firm step in a season that has them among the leading five.

**Barcelona answer again**

Barcelona beat C. Leonesa 4-0 on Sunday, an important response in a title race that remains alive with three rounds left for the leaders. Athletico Madrid have 76 points from 35 games; Barcelona have 75. The margin is one point, and Barcelona have done their part to keep the pressure there.

Andreu Mariño struck first in the 24th minute, driving in at mid height. Five minutes later Danijel Sekulić finished low from close range. C. Leonesa’s Christian Bähr then put through his own goal in the 34th minute, leaving Barcelona three ahead before the interval. Jesús Prats completed the scoring in the 73rd, putting a shot through the middle at mid height.

His finish gave a commanding team performance its final flourish; the result keeps Barcelona in second and makes every remaining point matter. C. Leonesa, meanwhile, stay bottom on 23 points with three matches to play. The result leaves their position perilous.

**Sociedad take the points; Leganés steal a late one**

Real Sociedad beat Getafe 1-0 on Sunday, a tight result settled by an own goal from Mohamed Gnessoa in the 47th minute. Goalkeeper Rareş Măriean was the game’s standout, helping Real Sociedad protect the lead. They are fifth on 56 points; Getafe are 16th.

Alavés and Leganés shared a 1-1 draw on Sunday, with the visitors rescuing a point deep into added time. Endika Goti had put Alavés ahead in the ninth minute with a drive at mid height. Óscar Fernández levelled in the 93rd, his effort rolling along the ground. Goti was the standout for Alavés, who are 13th; Leganés remain 19th, one point behind Oviedo and in the relegation zone.

The standings are still led by Athletico Madrid, with Barcelona close behind and Villarreal third on 64 points. Girona’s win keeps them fourth, four points ahead of Real Sociedad. At the other end, the bottom three remain Oviedo, Leganés and C. Leonesa. The round offered no escape route for any of them: Oviedo were beaten heavily, Leganés had to wait until the final moments to draw, and C. Leonesa lost by four. The title race has its own kind of pressure, but Barcelona have ensured Athletico cannot afford to treat their lead as secure.