Late winners, three points and Atlético Madrid's run of league wins

A winning run in La Liga

A winning run is a sequence of consecutive league victories. Draws and defeats break it, and so do matches in other competitions if the count is limited to La Liga, as it is here. Football España reports that the win in Catalonia was Atlético's fifth in a row in the league. The publication also describes the run as built on late winners. That means several of the victories were settled close to full time rather than wrapped up early.

The latest match was played away, against Espanyol. Espanyol are the second club of Barcelona and play their home games in Cornellà-El Prat, on the city's south-western edge. Football España reports that one goal decided the game and that it came in the 89th minute, with the normal ninety almost over. The report does not give the line-ups, how the match unfolded or where either side now sits in the table, and those details are not covered here.

Origins of the fixture and the points system

Atlético Madrid and Espanyol both helped found the Spanish league in its first season, 1929. They have met many times since, but not every season. Espanyol have spent spells in the second tier, so the fixture has disappeared from the top-flight calendar for a time on more than one occasion. That is why a meeting between the two in La Liga depends on both clubs avoiding relegation, or on one being promoted back.

The value of a winning run comes from the points system. For most of the twentieth century Spanish football gave two points for a win. La Liga moved to three points for a win and one for a draw in the mid-1990s, as the rest of European football was doing at the time. The change was meant to reward attacking play. It also changed how the end of a match is valued. Under two points, a late winner turned a one-point draw into a two-point win. Under three points, the same goal is worth two extra points rather than one. A side drawing late in a match therefore has a stronger reason to keep attacking and accept the risk of conceding.

How runs and late goals work today

La Liga has twenty clubs. Each plays the other nineteen home and away, so a season has thirty-eight matchdays running from late summer to late spring. The league publishes the fixture list before the season starts. Exact kick-off times are confirmed later in blocks, because they have to fit around broadcasting slots and European competition. A run of five wins can therefore be spread across very different weeks. Some come straight after a midweek European match, and others after an international break when players have been away with national teams.

Several things make late goals more likely than they once were. Teams may now make five substitutions in a match, in a limited number of stoppages. A coach chasing a result can put fresh attacking players on in the final quarter of an hour while the opponents are tiring. Referees are also expected to add on time lost to substitutions, injuries, video reviews and goal celebrations, so play after the ninetieth minute can last a long time. A goal in the 89th minute, like the one Football España reports, falls just before that stoppage-time period starts.

The squad cost rules that govern Spanish clubs also play a part. La Liga sets each club a limit on what it may spend on its squad, based on the club's income and finances. A club that has room within that limit can register a deeper squad. The players on the bench then matter as much as the starting eleven, because substitutions now play a bigger role in deciding matches. A deeper squad also allows rotation during congested weeks, which helps a club keep a run of results going.

For the home side, the problem is the reverse. A team holding a draw against stronger opposition has to decide how deep to defend and when to bring on defensive substitutes. It also has to judge whether a counter-attack is worth the risk of leaving space behind.

Common misreadings

The first is to treat a winning run as a measure of position. Five wins in a row say nothing directly about where a club sits in the table. That depends on results across all matchdays and on what rivals have done. Football España's report, as summarised here, gives no league position, and none should be inferred from it.

The second concerns tie-breakers. Many readers assume that clubs level on points are separated by overall goal difference, as in some other leagues. La Liga looks first at the head-to-head record between the clubs involved, and turns to overall goal difference only after that. A single win against a direct rival can therefore count for more than its three points suggest.

The third is to read late winners as luck, or as proof of some special quality. A goal in the 89th minute counts the same as one in the ninth. Whether a pattern of late goals reflects fitness, squad depth, tactical approach or chance cannot be worked out from a short run of matches.

The fourth is to treat a run as a forecast. The next fixture starts at zero for both sides, and nothing in this entry is meant to predict an outcome.

Further reading for the interested

Readers who want to follow this up should start with the official sources. La Liga publishes the fixture calendar, the competition regulations, including tie-breakers, and its framework for squad cost limits. The Royal Spanish Football Federation sets out the disciplinary and refereeing framework. The International Football Association Board publishes the Laws of the Game, which cover substitutions and added time. For individual matches, the clubs' own official channels and established Spanish sports newspapers carry match reports. Football España, the source for the report summarised here, covers Spanish football in English.

Frequently asked questions

How many La Liga games in a row have Atlético Madrid won?

Football España reports that the win at Espanyol was Atlético Madrid's fifth consecutive victory in La Liga. The count covers league matches only. It says nothing about results in other competitions, and it does not show the club's position in the table. That depends on results across the whole season and on what rival clubs have done over the same matchdays.

Who scored when Atlético beat Espanyol 1-0?

Football España reports that Álex Baena scored the only goal of the match in the 89th minute. The game was played away from Madrid, at Espanyol, so the late goal gave Atlético all three points on the road. The report as summarised here gives no further detail on how the goal was scored or on the line-ups used by either side.

Why do so many La Liga matches turn on late goals?

Several features of modern football push decisive moments towards the end of matches. Teams may make five substitutions, so fresh players arrive while opponents tire. Referees add time for stoppages, substitutions and video reviews. Three points for a win also gives a team drawing late in a game a strong reason to keep attacking, because a winning goal is worth two extra points.

How are tied teams separated in La Liga?

When clubs finish level on points, La Liga first compares their head-to-head record in the matches between them. Only if that does not separate them does it turn to overall goal difference and then other criteria. A single result between direct rivals can therefore decide final positions, which is one reason individual away wins against close competitors attract attention beyond the three points.

Where does Espanyol play its home matches?

Espanyol is a Barcelona club, but its home ground is in Cornellà-El Prat, on the south-western edge of the city. The club and Atlético Madrid were both founding members of the Spanish league in 1929. Espanyol's spells in the second tier mean the fixture has not appeared in La Liga every season, and it returns only when both clubs are in the top flight.

Sources and further reading

• Football España: the English-language report of Atlético Madrid's win at Espanyol and their five-match league run
• La Liga: official competition regulations, fixture calendar and squad cost limit framework
• International Football Association Board: the Laws of the Game, including substitutions and added time
• Royal Spanish Football Federation: governance and refereeing framework for Spanish football