La Liga Week 18 Standings: Lionel Messi, Barcelona Defeat Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid Remains on Top

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Jan 12, 2015 01:55 PM EST

After a week of losing, Real Madrid and Barcelona each found their winning ways.

Barcelona defeated the defending La Liga champions, Atletico Madrid, 3-1 at home. Brazilian superstar Neymar kick started things off by scoring in the 11th minute. Luis Suárez added the second goal and Lionel Messi scored the third and final goal in the 86th minute of play.

Messi now has 16 goals, while Neymar has 12 himself. The two South American teammates have created a dynamic duo with a combined 28 goals, and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has been fantastic in net. Bravo has allowed just nine goals in his 18 starts this season for Barcelona. Barcelona has had by far the best defense in the league this season.

With that win, Barcelona improved their overall record to 13-2-3, giving them 41 points.

Barcelona's rival, Real Madrid, also picked up a win. Real Madrid defeated Espanyol, 3-0. With that victory, Real Madrid improved their record to 14-0-3, giving them a lead-leading 42 points. This was a huge win for Real Madrid, because they had just come off a loss last week to Atletico Madrid to Valencia. If Real Madrid had lost this week, they would have fallen to second place behind Barcelona.

Surprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo did not score a goal against Espanyol. This was the first game Ronaldo failed to score since Week 13, when he played Malaga. Despite not scoring, Ronaldo still has a La Liga-high 26 goals this season. Even when Ronaldo is not scoring goals, he has a huge impact on the game because opposing teams are double teaming him.

For Atletico Madrid, this was a very disappointing loss. The defending La Liga champions have now lost two of their last four games, and offensive questions remain. Atletico Madrid has scored nine fewer goals than Barcelona, and 14 less than Real Madrid. but they're still not out of it. Outside of Mario Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid does not have a lot of scoring depth.

One team that is making run is Sevilla. Sevilla hasn't lost a game since November, and they quietly sit in fourth place. Colombian forward Carlos Bacca has been one of the most underrated players in the league this season with 10 goals. Bacca has the fourth-most goals in the league behind Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar.

Sevilla has had a strong defense allowing just 17 goals in 17 games, but putting the ball in the net may keep Sevilla from winning the 2015 Spanish Football Championship.

With 18 weeks complete and 20 more to go, soccer fans have a lot to look forward. Real Madrid and Barcelona will continue their all-time great rivalry, Ronaldo is 25 goals away from passing Messi's 50-goal record set in the 2011-12 season, and Atletico Madrid looks to repeat as champions.