MADRID, May 14 -- The penultimate round of games in the Spanish La Liga produced one of the most entertaining matches of the campaign as Barcelona ended their unbeaten run 5-4 away to Levante. Here are a few things we learned this weekend in Spain.
1 Double winners have work to do
Most Barcelona followers agreed after their Champions League exit to Roma that the squad needs strengthening over the summer if they are to compete on three fronts next season. The defeat to Levante highlighted where the work needs to be done.
Although Ernesto Valverde left Lionel Messi at home, Barcelona scored four goals, but the fact that they conceded five showed they need to strengthen their defense. Thomas Varmaelen suffered another injury and Yerri Mina, who only arrived in January, looked slow and awkward, highlighting why Valverde has hardly used him.
2 Bale gives Zidane something to think about
While Celta Vigo were hardly the most demanding of rivals for Real Madrid on Saturday evening, Gareth Bale's two goals in the 6-0 win will give coach Zinedine Zidane something to think about as he prepares for the Champions League final.
The Welshman's pace and finishing were decisive in both goals and after being on the bench in the quarters and semi-finals, he may have won a place in the starting 11 for Kiev. Although the fact that Zidane has to decide between Bale, Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Isco and Lucas Vazquez to see who will play alongside Ronaldo says a lot about the depth of talent available to him.
3 A Seville derby with everyone happy
Given the huge rivalry between Betis and Seville, it is not normal to see a Seville derby where both sides finish happy, but that is what happened following the 2-2 draw in Betis's Benito Villamarin Stadium on Saturday evening.
The result means Betis, who were already assured a place in next season's Europa League, will avoid any play-off rounds. For their part Sevilla will finish seventh and have at last qualified for the competition (although they won't be looking forward to their season kicking off in July). The arrival of Joaquin Caparros for the end of the season has seen Sevilla win two games and the draw away to Betis and taken them into Europe again.
4. Getafe pay the penalty
How different could things have been in the battle for Europe if Getafe had been able to take penalties? The answer is probably haunting fans, players and the coach of the club after Faycal Fajr saw his penalty saved by Jan Oblak on Saturday as they lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid to see their European ambitions vanish.
Fajr's miss means Getafe have failed to score from seven of their last eight spot kicks awarded to them this campaign and the points those misses have cost them have made the difference between qualifying for Europe with ease and missing out.?