Alavés defeats Barcelona, escapes relegation

Deportivo Alavés beat Barcelona 1-0 on Wednesday at Estadio de Mendizorroza, with Ibrahim Diabaté scoring in first-half stoppage time to move the Basque club out of La Liga’s relegation zone. The result came three days after Barcelona clinched the title and ended the champions’ 11-match league winning streak. La Liga’s official standings after Matchday 36 showed Alavés in 15th place on 40 points, above Levante, Girona and Real Oviedo in the bottom three. ### How did Alavés get the result? Ibrahim Diabaté scored at 45+1 minutes, according to match records and post-match reports, giving Alavés the only goal of the game. Reuters and other match reports said the striker’s finish was enough to secure a clean-sheet win over the newly crowned champions. (thestar.com.my) FOX Sports’ box score showed Alavés had 23% possession and three shots on target, while Barcelona had 77% possession and failed to register a shot on goal. The same data showed Alavés created a higher expected-goals total, 0.57 to 0.20, despite having far less of the ball. ### Why did the win matter so much in the table? (thestar.com.my) La Liga’s official standings listed Alavés on 40 points after 36 matches, one point ahead of Elche, Mallorca and Levante on 39, with Girona also on 39 from 35 games. That left the relegation fight compressed with two rounds left for Alavés and several direct rivals still in range. Reuters described the battle to avoid the drop as increasingly tight, and the official table confirmed that Alavés climbed to 15th from the relegation places after Wednesday’s result. (foxsports.com) The same standings page showed Real Oviedo bottom on 29 points. (laliga.com) ### What did the defeat mean for Barcelona? Barcelona stayed top of La Liga on 91 points, but the loss ended the club’s chance to reach 100 points this season, according to AP and other reports. Barcelona had sealed a second straight title on May 10 with a 2-0 win over Real Madrid and needed to win their final three matches to hit the century mark. (thestar.com.my) Hansi Flick said he was “a little bit disappointed about the result,” AP reported after the match. Reports also said Barcelona made heavy changes to the lineup after winning the title at the weekend. ### Was this a smash-and-grab or a controlled defensive win? FOX Sports’ match statistics pointed to a defensive performance built on clearances and compactness, with Alavés recording 42 clearances and allowing Barcelona no shots on target. (msn.com) The same box score showed Barcelona completed passes at 91% accuracy but did not convert that control into clear chances. (abcnews.com) BeIN Sports said Alavés hauled themselves out of the relegation zone with the victory, while Reuters said the result eased relegation fears. Those descriptions were borne out by the standings published after the match. ### What comes next for both clubs? (foxsports.com) Deportivo Alavés’ official calendar lists a Matchday 37 trip to Real Oviedo on May 17 at Estadio Carlos Tartiere. Barcelona’s official schedule lists a home match against Real Betis on May 17, followed by a May 23 trip to Valencia in the final round. May 17 now carries direct implications at both ends of the table: Alavés face the last-placed side in Oviedo, while Barcelona return home with their title already secured and their 100-point bid over. (beinsports.com) (deportivoalaves.com)