Barca finally returns to the top of La Liga

The next day, a massive piece of good news left everyone at Barca brimming with excitement.

Atletico Madrid had drawn once again.

And it was against their own city rivals, Real Madrid; both teams scored a goal apiece, ending the match in a stalemate.

Naturally, the happiest people of all were at Barca.

With the first and third-place teams facing off, both sides suffered.

Atletico Madrid, after 27 matches, held 20 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses, totaling 65 points and sitting in first place for the time being.

FC Barcelona, after 28 matches, had 19 wins, 5 draws, and 4 losses, totaling 62 points, ranking second.

Real Madrid, after 28 matches, had 17 wins, 7 draws, and 4 losses, totaling 58 points, ranking third.

Barca had played one more game and trailed the leaders, Atletico Madrid, by only 3 points; the two teams still had a direct head-to-head clash remaining, making it the perfect opportunity to close the gap.

As for Real Madrid, they looked completely exhausted; with 1 win and 3 draws in their last four matches, they had effectively announced their withdrawal from the La Liga title race.

However, that was fine, as Real Madrid could now focus all their attention on the Champions League Round of 16.

Atletico Madrid also had their own Champions League matches to play.

Now, only FC Barcelona was single-mindedly focused on winning the league title, especially since they had already been eliminated from both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.

Midweek, Atletico Madrid's Champions League campaign began, and in the weekend's league fixture, they would travel to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, the home of the fourth-placed Sevilla, to challenge the red-hot hosts.

Aside from their loss to Barca, Sevilla had won all their other matches and were now only four points behind third-placed Real Madrid, meaning they were well within reach of the top three.

With their form so strong, taking a step forward would be a great achievement for the team.

Initially, Sevilla hadn't given it much thought, but with Real Madrid offering an opening, the morale of the Sevilla squad suddenly soared.

For this weekend's match, Sevilla had a very real chance of taking the win.

Soon, the midweek Champions League matches arrived.

Atletico Madrid faced Chelsea; in the previous leg at Atletico Madrid's home ground, they had lost 0-1 to Chelsea.

Chelsea had scored a golden away goal.

Playing at home, Chelsea only needed to keep a clean sheet against Atletico Madrid to successfully advance to the quarterfinals.

But Atletico Madrid would not sit idly by; they were certain to fight with everything they had in this match.

90 minutes concluded.

The score was 1-2.

Atletico Madrid eliminated Chelsea thanks to the away goal rule.

However, because the two teams had clashed so fiercely, Atletico Madrid's right-wing speedster Llorente was injured during a challenge and could not continue the match.

Post-match diagnosis showed nothing too serious, just a mild concussion.

However, his availability for the weekend remained in doubt.

Atletico Madrid's schedule was incredibly grueling, with four matches to play in the span of 12 days.

Such a congested schedule was hardly the treatment a league leader deserved.

Atletico Madrid's top brass scoffed at the football association's scheduling.

Soon, the weekend arrived.

Atletico Madrid arrived at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

A pre-match report confirmed that Llorente had not traveled with the team.

This was a favorable piece of news; missing an attacking outlet on the flank put Atletico Madrid in danger.

In the hellish atmosphere of the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, Sevilla played like warriors, repeatedly charging at the exhausted Atletico Madrid side.

The final score was 2-0; Sevilla scored twice to crush the visiting Atletico Madrid team.

In an instant, the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium became an ocean of joy.

Stopping the league leaders.

What a joyous thing that was.

San Sebastian.

The Barca players, who were in the middle of their warm-up, learned the news and began to cheer excitedly, as if they had already won the La Liga title.

Even Li Mingyu was so moved that he clenched his fists and pumped them hard.

Now, after 28 matches, Barca trailed Atletico Madrid by only 3 points; it was a matter of just one game.

Moreover, the two teams still had a direct clash ahead; as long as Barca could maintain their current momentum and win when they faced Atletico Madrid, even if they finished with the same points, they would take the title on goal difference.

In this match, FC Barcelona was playing away against Real Sociedad.

Like players who had received a buff, the FC Barcelona squad began a wild slaughter at the Anoeta Stadium.

Li Mingyu came off the bench in the 75th minute.

[Congratulations to the host, check-in at Anoeta Stadium successful, obtained the precise long-passing ability of Real Sociedad legend Xabi Alonso.]

This skill boosted Li Mingyu's passing from 70(75) directly to 80(85).

On the pitch, Li Mingyu felt as if numerous passing lanes had suddenly appeared before his eyes.

In the final moments, Li Mingyu took possession near the midfield and launched a thirty-five-meter lofted long ball, finding Messi on a high-speed run and allowing the boss to complete his hat-trick.

Although Li Mingyu did not score in this match, this long pass left Koeman stunned on the sidelines.

What a treasure of a boy; is there anything he can't do!

Even Messi, after scoring, sprinted quickly toward the center circle and lifted Li Mingyu right off his feet.

The weight and speed of that pass had been absolutely perfect; all he had felt he needed to do at the time was extend his foot.

Messi felt a shiver run through him; ever since Xavi and Iniesta left Barca, he had never received such a comfortable pass.

In this match, Messi was in spectacular form, contributing one assist and three goals to help the team secure a 6-0 rout of Real Sociedad.

Finally, FC Barcelona appeared at the top of the La Liga table once again.

Having played one more game, they finally returned to the top spot thanks to their superior goal difference.

Four matches, 3+5+7+6, totaling 21 goals—such terrifying scoring efficiency meant that the Barca team that struck fear into everyone had returned.

With 9 games left, anything could happen.

The remaining 9 matches:

A home game against Real Valladolid, who are on the edge of the relegation zone.

An away trip to challenge 8th-placed Athletic Bilbao.

A home game against Getafe, who are two points ahead of Real Valladolid.

An away trip to challenge the mid-table The Bats, Valencia.

El Clasico, an away match against Real Madrid.

A home game against 7th-placed Yellow Submarine, Villarreal.

An away trip to challenge 11th-placed Levante.

The direct clash between FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid is in the penultimate round.

In the final round, FC Barcelona will play at home against Eibar, who are deep in the relegation zone.