Real Madrid and Barcelona both easily won their respective home games on Saturday, as was expected and anticipated.
Real defeated Almeria 4-2 to trim the gap to eight points before Barca destroyed Real Betis 4-0 with 10 men on the field to maintain their 11-point lead and tighten their hold on first place.
After the 32nd round of games was over, however, another competition heated up as Karim Benzema moved up to 17 goals in La Liga this season with his treble, leaving him two behind Robert Lewandowski.
The Pichichi Trophy, a famous personal award by the top sports publication Marca for the top La Liga goalscorer, is currently held by Barca’s Polish striker, but he is up against tough competition.
following scoring the first goal against Real Betis, Lewandowski currently has 19 goals following his goal against Real Betis. The Pole has gained momentum after a slump in goal-scoring performance by scoring in back-to-back matches against Rayo and Betis.
Benzema is now closing in on Lewandowski, who has held the lead for the majority of the season thanks to his goal-scoring resurgence. The Frenchman, who has struggled with ailments, scored two hat-tricks in recent games, the first against Real Valladolid and the second at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu against Almeria.
While Lewandowski has games against Osasuna, Espanyol, Real Sociedad, Valladolid, Mallorca, and Celta Vigo, Benzema is scheduled to play the remaining matches against Real Sociedad, Getafe, Valencia, Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla, and Athletic Club.