La Liga: Real Madrid Show The World How to Lose a League in Three Days

Though it seems unbelievable, just three days have apparently been enough for Real Madrid to throw away the La Liga title.

Los Blancos lost their second successive league match as they went down 2-1 at Sevilla, falling to third place behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, who both won.

Real led early through Cristiano Ronaldo's 14th minute free-kick after he had been fouled by Andujar Coke, but Sevilla needed only five minutes to equalise through Carlos Bacca.

Real's disaster was complete in the 73nd minute as Colombian striker Bacca scored his second following superb skill from Ivan Rakitic. The Croatian international, reportedly a target for Manchester United and Liverpool, directed the whole game from midfield and was the key player in helping Sevilla claim the three points.

Real Madrid came close to an instant equaliser as Ronaldo tried his luck from long range, but Beto pushed the dipping shot around the post to keep the Andalusian club ahead.

It was a record sixth straight win for Sevilla, lifting them up to fifth, six points behind Athletic Bilbao in fourth.

The Spanish giants' title aspirations are almost extinguished, following their twin defeats in the space of three days. Atletico now lead the way on 73 points while Barca are second on 72, with Madrid third on 70.

Great teams are those that get back up when they fall down. And this virtue is what has made ​​Barcelona such a great side. Two Neymar strikes and one from Leo Messi gave the Catalans a comfortable 3-0 win against Luis Enrique's Celta Vigo at Camp Nou, which keeps them in the hunt for the title.

However, the win was marred by a knee injury suffered by goalkeeper Victor Valdes which could keep him out for up to six months. After announcing in January he will leave the Camp Nou when his contract runs out at the end of the season, his career at Barca could now be over – and possibly his World Cup hopes with Spain too.

Barcelona are one point behind the sole leaders Atletico, after Diego Costa's second half solitary goal lifted Los Rojiblancos back to the top of La Liga with a 1-0 victory at home over Granada.

Cholo Simeone's side, who are getting used to leading the table, limited the Andalusian club's attacks. It was a close game as Granada worked hard and looked solid for long periods while Atletico did not have their best game, but were safe at the back and were successful in set-pieces.

Results:

Sevilla 2-1 Real Madrid

Barcelona 3-0 Celta

Atletico Madrid 1-0 Granada

Elche 0-0 Athletic

Malaga 1-2 Espanyol

Rayo 1-0 Osasuna

Levante - Betis (Thursday-22:00)

Almeria - Valencia (Thursday-22:00)

Real Sociedad - Valladolid (Thursday-22:00)

Getafe - Villarreal (Thursday-22:00)