Soccer Monday – review and guide

Barca, Real to race until the final minute

Readers who followed last Monday's recommendation by watching the Barcelona – Cordoba match on Saturday would not have been disappointed.

Barca, now leading La Liga, clinically swept aside its Andalucian counterpart 8-0 in a brutal display of the league's hierarchical system whereby a superstar-studded high flier only makes a relegation-bound underdog look more hopeless than ever.

Barcelona's Luis Suarez (R) celebrates his second goal with team mate Lionel Messi during their Spanish first division soccer match at El Arcangel stadium in Cordoba, Spain, May 2, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

The outcome was so predictable as bottom-placed clubs, such as Cordoba, normally have few chances to take points from the Spanish first division's big hitters – Barca and Real. The eight-goal spree, however, still created headlines as it came weeks after Real stunned Granada 9-1 in similar merciless style.

Real defeated resilient Seville 3-2 in a tough match on Sunday, sending a clear message to its Catalan rival that it will continue the head-to-head title race, that sees only two points separating the clubs, until the very last minute.

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his third goal against Sevilla while his coach Carlo Ancelotti (L) watches him during their Spanish first division soccer match at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, southern Spain, May 2, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

Though being applauded for its exhibition of exquisite skills, some of which can only be found in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking players, the Spanish league has long been accused of being mundane having long been dominated by the Barca-Real duopoly, in contrast to the more competitive English Premier League where title contenders can be overrun by a weaker side.