La Liga Matchweek 5 was full of goals, red cards and 11 players who helped their teams collect all three points.
Although this weekend's La Liga fixtures did not include any top six matchups, Matchweek 5 still delivered plenty of highlight-worthy moments. From the hat trick that solidified Espanyol's second victory of the season to the first-half brace that sent Barcelona past Girona, the league's top talent was on full display across Spain. Not a single match ended in a draw, which means those on the winning teams made their fair share of heroic plays.
Here is SI Soccer's La Liga Team of the Week.
La Liga Team of the Week (4–2–3–1)
GK: Ørjan Nyland (Sevilla)
Sevilla has Ørjan Nyland to thank for its clean sheet against Getafe. The goalkeeper made four critical saves to maintain his side's 1–0 lead over the course of 90 minutes and 14 additional minutes of stoppage time.
Not only did Nyland come up huge between the posts to register his second clean sheet of the season, but he also created the most chances (2) in the match for his side.
RB: Jules Koundé (Barcelona)
Jules Koundé continues to be one of Barcelona's unsung heroes. The defender is as solid as any right-back in the league, both on the attack and in his own half.
The Frenchman assisted Dani Olmo's goal in the second half, recording his first assist of the season. He also did well to lock down Arnaut Danjuma, who was subbed off in the 55th minute after failing to impress against Koundé.
CB: Éder Militão (Real Madrid)
Without a true defensive midfielder available for Real Madrid, Éder Militão had his work cut out for him to keep Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo and Umar Sadiq off the scoresheet. The Brazilian won 100% of his tackles and aerial duels, and also got himself in the correct positions to stifle the counter-attack.
Militão's efforts were a large reason why Real Madrid kept a clean sheet and earned its first away victory of its 2024–25 La Liga campaign.
CB: Logan Costa (Villarreal)
Logan Costa was only one of two starting center-backs to find the back of the net in La Liga Matchweek 5. The defender headed in Villarreal's opening goal against Mallorca, bagging his first goal of the season.
The 23-year-old also performed his defensive duties with little mistakes. In fact, Mallorca's only goal of the contest was scored by Villarreal's Raúl Albiol.
LB: Adrià Pedrosa (Sevilla)
Adrià Pedrosa recorded his first assist of the season on Saturday in Sevilla's 1–0 victory over Getafe. The defender sent a lofty cross from the left flank that Jesús Navas buried with his right foot.
Pedrosa's runs forward were almost as good as his work in his own half to preserve his team's lead and clean sheet, especially after Sevilla went down to ten men.
DM: Pedri (Barcelona)
Pedri only needed to attempt one shot against Girona to find the back of the net. The midfielder's goal gave his side the 4–1 victory over the team that Barcelona could not defeat in its 2023–24 La Liga campaign.
Pedri's passing was excellent as usual; the 21-year-old only misplaced three passes in his 69 minutes on the pitch. He also looked more than comfortable playing alongside Marc Casado for just the second time this season.
DM: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid)
Conor Gallagher scored his first goal for Atletico Madrid in his best appearance yet. The 24-year-old linked up with Rodrigo De Paul in the 39th minute to slot home the game's winner.
His goalscoring was just one aspect of his impressive performance against Valencia. Gallagher had the most tackles (3) in the match and won the most duels (8) of anyone on the pitch. His work-rate in the midfield embodies Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid's style of soccer.
RW: Inaki Williams (Athletic Club)
Inaki Williams might not have found the back of the net against Las Palmas, but the 30-year-old assisted all three of Athletic Club's goals to three different players. Whether it was a ball squared in the six-yard box or a clever pass on the counter-attack, Williams's playmaking helped his side walk away with all three points despite having ten men for over 30 minutes.
The hat trick of assists gave him the second most assists in the league, behind only Lamine Yamal.
AM: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Lamine Yamal scored the second brace of his young La Liga career on Sunday. The 17-year-old showed off his skill on the ball and sublime finishing ability to beat Paulo Gazzaniga twice within seven minutes.
The Spain international became the youngest player in La Liga history to record a first-half brace. Yamal already has three goals and four assists for Barcelona through five games.
LW: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
Vinícius Júnior was Real Madrid's best player against Real Sociedad. After a quiet first half, the Brazilian scored his side's winner from the penalty spot in the 58th minute. The winger has never missed a penalty in a competitive match.
Vinícius Jr. also won Real Madrid's second penalty with a dynamic run into the box that forced a poor challenge from Jon Aramburu. Without the 24-year-old's contributions, Carlo Ancelotti's side could very well have recorded its third away draw.
ST: Javier Puado (Espanyol)
Espanyol's captain came up huge for his side against Alavés, scoring a hat trick that would give the newly promoted side its second consecutive victory in La Liga. Javier Puado found the back of the net in the 21st, 56th and 63rd minute to secure Espanyol's 3–2 win.
Puado's heroic efforts in front of goal produced the club's first hat trick since 2013. He now is one of nine players with three goals in La Liga this season, all tied for second place in the Golden Boot race behind Robert Lewandowski.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as La Liga Team of the Week: Matchweek 5.
