Temas: La Liga, Real Madrid, Athletic Club, Karim Benzema, Lionel Messi, Alvaro Morata, Diego Simeone
The French striker was instrumental to keep Los Blancos in the race to end the season in second place, while also cementing his spot in Zidane's lineup for next season.

It has not been the best of seasons to be a Real Madrid fan, but there have been some highlights for Los Blancos that could make the end of the campaign a bit more bearable for them.

Even if Real Madrid seems destined to end the season in third place, one player has lived up to the expectations following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, and that's Karim Benzema. The French footballer finally put the debate about the team's need to sign another striker to rest, and he did it with what the fans asked from him: with goals. Without Benzema's contribution, the team would surely be out of UEFA Champions League spots right now, as these numbers will show.

Benzema has scored eight consecutive goals for Real Madrid. Now, the Frenchman needs two more to surpass Messi's standing record of 10. Added to that, scoring for a ninth consecutive game would also see him reach La Liga history, since only three players have been able to score goals in nine consecutive games.

La Liga standings after Matchday 33

There was no change in the top four spots in La Liga, as Barcelona, Atlético, Real Madrid, and Getafe all won their games. With Matchday 34 starting on Thursday, there will be lots to play in the next ten games, including the clash between Getafe and Real Madrid and the classic showdown between Atlético and Valencia, who is the closest team to Getafe in the race to secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.

Pos.EquipoPJGEPGFGCDIFPRacha
1 Real Madrid 33 26 6 1 71 22 +49 84 GGGGG
2 Barcelona 33 22 7 4 68 39 +29 73 GPGGG
3 Girona 33 22 5 6 69 40 +29 71 GGPGP
4 Atlético Madrid 33 20 4 9 62 39 +23 64 GPGGP
5 Athletic Club 33 16 10 7 53 33 +20 58 PEEPG
6 Real Sociedad 33 13 12 8 46 35 +11 51 PEEGG
7 Real Betis 33 12 13 8 41 39 +2 49 EGGPP
8 Valencia 33 13 8 12 37 38 -1 47 PPGGE
9 Villarreal 33 12 9 12 54 55 -1 45 GGEPG
10 Getafe 33 10 13 10 41 45 -4 43 GEEPG
11 Osasuna 33 11 6 16 37 49 -12 39 PPPGP
12 Deportivo Alavés 33 10 8 15 31 38 -7 38 GGPPP
13 Sevilla 33 9 11 13 42 46 -4 38 EGGGP
14 Las Palmas 33 10 7 16 30 41 -11 37 PPPPP
15 Rayo Vallecano 33 7 13 13 27 42 -15 34 PGEEG
16 Mallorca 33 6 14 13 27 39 -12 32 EPPEG
17 Celta de Vigo 33 7 10 16 37 50 -13 31 PGPEG
18 Cádiz 33 4 14 15 23 46 -23 26 EPPGP
19 Granada 33 4 9 20 36 61 -25 21 GEGPP
20 Almería 33 1 11 21 32 67 -35 14 PPEPG

Champions League, Fase de Grupos
Europa League, Fase de Grupos
Promotion - Europa Conference League (Qualification: )
Relegation - LaLiga2

Pichichi race

Neither Lionel Messi nor Luis Suárez scored this weekend, and while the Argentine ace has a comfortable lead at the top of the best scorers' race, Karim Benzema's scintillating performance helped him claim the second place in this department, which will surely make the end of the season more interesting.

Simeone steps up to defend Alvaro Morata after referee incident

Atlético claimed a narrow 1-0 win against Eibar, but the talk of the game had to do with Alvaro Morata. The striker was involved in a heated bust-up with none other than the match referee, Alberola Rojas, who appeared to slap him on the back of the neck. Morata argued for several minutes with the officer until he got a yellow card.

Once the game concluded, coach Diego Simeone stood by his player, remembering a similar incident in which he was handed an eight-match ban for touching the fourth officer: four four touching the ref and four for the red card.

"Morata is angry about what happened, of course. It reminds me of when I got four games for doing that to the fourth official," Simeone said.