LaLiga File: The Birthday Boy of Bilbao
Athletic and Atletico's aging marksmen defy Father Time and two castoffs from the Spanish capital prove their worth on the road.
Player of the Round: Aritz Aduriz
36 is officially the new 22. At least that’s the case for the man, the myth, the legend Aritz Aduriz.
Aduriz rang in his 36th birthday on Sunday with a bang, gifting the San Mames a late winner to bag Athletic Bilbao 3 points over Deportivo.
Iker Muniain's run was deflected but the birthday boy was at the right place at the right time to net the last-gasp winner from a tight angle with panache.
The Basque legend now has 15 goals and 4 assists in 28 appearances across all competitions, officially proving that age is just a number.
Super-Sub: Burgui
Burgui the game changer.
The 23-year old came on in the 58th minute in Sporting Gijon’s trip to Leganes, proving to be the best decision boss Rubi made all match.
The ex-Real Madrid starlet was key to Sporting’s revitalization, sending in the perfect corner 10 minutes after stepping onto the pitch to set up Roberto Canella with the opening goal.
The Spaniard then went on to hit the back of the net himself in the 83rd minute, marking the first time in Burgui’s career that he has assisted and scored in a single match. This marks Sporting's first away win since January 2016.
Boom! That’s a super-sub performance to a tee!
Rising Star: Joaquin Correa
Las Palmas’ unbeaten run at home came to an end this weekend thanks to a young man by the name of Joaquin Correa.
The 22-year old came on for Ben Yedder in the 77th minute in Sevilla’s clash at the Estadio Gran Canaria and scored 3 minutes later. Sevilla covered the length of the pitch with just two passes, ending with a lovely finish by the Argentinean to score the only goal of the evening.
This marks Correa’s first ever goal in LaLiga and brings his tally across all competitions to 4 goals and 3 assists in 18 appearances.
This rising star single handedly sealed 3 points for Jorge Sampaoli’s men to keep pace with top of the table Barcelona and Real Madrid. Something tells me after that performance, we’ll be seeing even more of him in coming rounds.
Goal of the Week: Fernando Torres
El Nino + back to goal + one touch + overhead kick = goal.
Vintage Fernando Torres is back and the world is celebrating (well, he was back momentarily).
The Spaniard scored an absolute stunner in Atletico Madrid’s match against Celta Vigo, defying the odds with his back to goal to stun Sergio Alvarez, the Vicente Calderon, every LaLiga fan watching, and possibly even himself.
Torres would go on to miss a penalty later in the match but honestly, he could miss the next 5 and that fabulous goal would still make up for it.
LaLiga File is your one stop shop for a look back at the latest round in the Spanish top-flight. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes its cheeky, but it always strives to bring you a sassy synopsis of (one of) the world’s best leagues. Tweet at us @beINSPORTSUSA and @gabbyamado using the hashtag #LaLigaFile with your comments, questions and, if you must, complaints.