At El Madrigal Stadium on May 19, Real scored four goals in the first half thanks to Joselu, Lucas Vazquez and a double from Arda Guler, but still only came away with one point.
In the 39th minute, Yerson Mosquera crossed from the right side so Sorloth jumped high and headed diagonally past goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Three minutes into the second half, the Norwegian striker completed his double header with another powerful aerial attack. He has six headed goals in La Liga this season – the best statistics of a Villarreal player in the tournament since the 2003-2004 season.
In the 52nd minute, Sorloth entered the penalty area, turned the ball past Eder Militao, then placed a diagonal ball past Lunin. Four minutes later, the 28-year-old striker completed the poker with a left-footed finish to set the score 4-4.
Sorloth is the 11th player to score four goals against Real in an official match, after Taty Castellanos (Girona 2023), Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund 2013), Diego Milito (Real Zaragoza 2006), Eulogio Martínez (Barca 1957), Esteban Echevarria (Real Oviedo 1947), Emilín (Real Oviedo 1944), Martínez Català (Real Oviedo 1940), Martín Vantolrà (Barca 1935), Carlos Bestit (Europa 1929) and Josep Samitier (Barca 1926). Echevarria is the only person to score five goals against Real while playing for Oviedo in La Liga in 1947.
The poker shot against Real also helped Sorloth rise to the top of the La Liga top scorer list with 23 points. Next are Girona’s Artem Dovbyk (21 goals) and Real’s Jude Bellingham (19 goals).
The draw result did not affect the situation because Real won the championship with a 3-0 win over Cadiz in round 34 of La Liga on May 4. Coach Carlo Ancelotti also emphasized that the most important thing for Real right now is to maintain the pace of play towards the Champions League final against Dortmund at Wembley on June 1.
Meanwhile, in the penultimate round of La Liga, Barca won 3-0 against Rayo Vallecano thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s opening goal and Pedri’s double. In particular, Pedri scored a double for the first time and reached the 20-goal mark in his 143rd match for Barca in all competitions. This result helps Barca definitely finish second with 82 points, four points more than Girona, and La Liga only has one round left.
According to Spanish media, despite having just reached an agreement to continue cooperation in the 2024-2025 season, Xavi is at risk of being overturned and fired by Barca due to criticizing the club’s financial situation. But both before and after the win over Rayo, the Spanish coach denied this information and affirmed that he still maintains a good relationship with the board of directors.
