With a crucial 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, Julian Alvarez placed Atletico Madrid back on top of La Liga. After a deft pass from fellow substitute Marcos Llorente, Alvarez scored a crisp finish to end the match at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano and put his team two points ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are vying for the crown.

But as their 16-game league winning streak comes to an end, Athletic will lament a plethora of wasted opportunities, including three shots that struck the woodwork and at least two terrible misses in prime situations. Real's own dreams of reclaiming the top place were dashed earlier when they lost 2-1 to Real Betis. Johnny Cardoso headed home from a corner to tie the score after Brahim Diaz gave Carlo Ancelotti's team the lead in the tenth minute. Betis had a chance to win it thanks to a penalty kick early in the second half, and Isco, a former Los Blancos attacker, converted.