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BARCELONA: FC Barcelona’s Luis Suarez (R) heads the ball to score against Espanyol’s Enzo Roco, (L) and Javi Lopez during a Spanish soccer match between FC Barcelona and Espanyol at the Camp Nou stadium. — AP Barca trash Espanyol, Atletico crash out Madrid keeps title dreams alive with close win

MADRID: Barcelona are one win away from retaining top scorer as he powered home his 56th goal of the sea- smashed home from the edge of the box before Valencia their La Liga title after Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and son from Neymar’s corner. A howler from Lopez handed were reduced to 10 men late on when Rodrigo was shown Spanish League results/standings Neymar all scored as they thrashed Espanyol 5-0 in the Rafinha an open goal to tap home his first goal since a straight red card. Catalan derby yesterday. Real Madrid moved into sec- suffering a serious knee injury at the start of the season, Atletico paid for their exertions in setting up a second Celta Vigo 1, Malaga 0; Eibar 1, 1; Barcelona 5, Espanyol 0; Getafe 1, Sporting Gijon 1; Las Palmas 0, Athletic ond place, a point behind Barca with one game remain- before Neymar rounded off the scoring. Madrid all-Madrid Champions League final against Bayern Munich Club 0; Levante 2, Atletico Madrid 1; Real Madrid 3, Valencia 2; ing, as they racked up an 11th straight La Liga win, 3-2 shrugged off the absences of Gareth Bale and Luka in midweek, despite getting off to a brilliant start when 2, 1; Sevilla 1, Granada CF 4; over Valencia, thanks to two goals from Cristiano Modric through injury to move above Atletico for the Fernando Torres opened the scoring from Koke’s pass after Villarreal 0, Deportivo Coruna 2. Ronaldo. first time in 2016 with victory over Valencia. two minutes. had left inspirational central P W D L F A Pts However, Atletico Madrid’s title hopes are over as defender Diego Godin and top scorer Antoine Griezmann Barcelona 37 28 4 5 109 29 88 they lost 2-1 at already relegated Levante. Barca will be Madrid holds on on the bench and was made to pay when Victor Casadesus Real Madrid 37 27 6 4 108 34 87 champions with victory at Granada next weekend, who “Now we are second, there is one game to go and any- headed Levante level on the half hour mark. Griezmann Atletico Madrid 37 27 4 6 61 18 85 crucially are now mathematically safe from relegation thing can happen,” said Real coach . “In was introduced for the second half and came closest to Villarreal 37 18 10 9 44 33 64 after a 4-1 win at Sevilla. Real Madrid travel to Deportivo football you never know what can happen. We need to be finding a winner for Atletico when Diego Marino turned Celta Vigo 37 17 9 11 51 57 60 Athletic Club 37 17 8 12 55 44 59 la Coruna on the final day of the season. aware of that, give our all until the end and see what hap- his near post effort wide 15 minutes from time. But Sevilla 37 14 10 13 50 47 52 “We are going to play for a league of 38 games in pens.” Ronaldo opened the scoring when he fired into the Giuseppe Rossi finished off a sweeping Levante counter- Malaga 37 11 12 14 34 34 45 one match,” said Barca boss Luis Enrique. “There will be far corner for his 48th goal of the season. attack in the final minute to end Atletico’s hopes of an Real Sociedad 37 12 9 16 44 48 45 tension, Real Madrid and ourselves are in the same situ- Valencia felt hard done by for Madrid’s second three unlikely second title in three years. Las Palmas 37 12 8 17 44 49 44 ation of playing away from home and having to win. minutes before half-time as the referee overruled his lines- “We are ending a fantastic season and we are one game Valencia 37 11 11 15 46 47 44 “The prize is there and it is attractive enough that we man, who had flagged offside, before he away from competing with Barcelona and Real Madrid,” Eibar 37 11 10 16 47 57 43 will all be very motivated.” slotted home as the ball through to the French striker said Simeone. “We were a little bit short. I am hurting to fall Deportivo Coruna 37 8 18 11 45 59 42 Barcelona got off to a perfect start when Messi deflected off Valencia defender Joao Cancelo. The visitors’ at the penultimate hurdle, but I am delighted to have been Real Betis 37 10 12 15 32 51 42 curled a delightful free-kick into the top corner after bright start to the second period was rewarded when fighting until now for the championship.” At the bottom, Espanyol 37 11 7 19 36 72 40 Granada CF 37 10 9 18 46 66 39 just eight minutes. However, they had to wait until sev- Rodrigo pounced on an error from Raphael Varane to Sporting Gijon remain out of the relegation zone thanks to Getafe 37 9 9 19 36 65 36 en minutes into the second half for the second as Messi halve the deficit. their superior head-to-head record with Getafe after the Sporting Gijon 37 9 9 19 38 62 36 teed up Suarez to fire high past Pau Lopez. Suarez main- Ronaldo quickly restored Real’s two-goal advantage, two drew 1-1. Rayo Vallecano also remain in the bottom Rayo Vallecano 37 8 11 18 49 72 35 tained his four-goal lead over Ronaldo as the league’s but Andre Gomes ensured a nervy finish when he three after losing 2-1 at Real Sociedad. — AFP Levante 37 8 8 21 36 67 32 Sanchez upstages Pellegrini

if they win both games, and Arsenal avoid defeat skipper , misjudged Elneny’s against bottom club Villa, Guardiola will begin life delivery and Giroud headed home his first goal in Man City 2 at City as a Europa League manager. 16 league outings. Arsenal were quickly deflated For Arsenal, victory over Villa in next Sunday’s again, however, as an apparent knee injury to final game will secure a Champions League berth Welbeck saw the England forward walk straight off for the 19th season running and they could yet fin- the pitch and down the tunnel, with Jack Wilshere ish above local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who they coming on and Alex Iwobi moving wide. Arsenal 2 trail by two points. But there was a concern for Arsenal were already missing German playmak- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, and his England er Mesut Ozil due to what the club said was a counterpart Roy Hodgson, in the shape of a first- “slight hip injury”. After warning shots from Jesus MANCHESTER: Alexis Sanchez’s 68th-minute half injury to Danny Welbeck. Navas and Fernandinho, City went ahead in the equalizer dealt a potentially fatal blow to The match program contained a message from 51st minute. De Bruyne brought down a bouncing Manchester City’s Champions League qualification Emirati club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak thank- ball just inside the Arsenal half and held off Hector hopes as Arsenal claimed a 2-2 draw at the Etihad ing Pellegrini and hailing his “engaging approach, Bellerin before surging towards goal, cutting inside Stadium yesterday. In his final home game as City integrity and humility”. In his own notes, Pellegrini Elneny and guiding a low shot past Cech’s out- manager before handing over to , describing managing City as a “privilege” and said stretched right hand. Manuel Pellegrini saw Kevin De Bruyne put the that he would “take nothing but great memories” But the introduction of Theo Walcott for Iwobi hosts in front after Sergio Aguero’s early opener to his next job. provided an injection of dynamism to Arsenal’s was cancelled out by Olivier Giroud. City failed to register a single shot on target in attack and after he had lofted a shot wide from But Sanchez’s strike means that Pellegrini is their meek 1-0 Champions League semi-final Giroud’s lay-off, the visitors equalized through now dependent on fifth-place Manchester United defeat at Real Madrid, but after a sprightly start Sanchez. Picking the ball up deep, the Chilean for- dropping points in their last two games-or Arsenal they went ahead in the eighth minute. Jesus ward rolled a pass forward to Giroud, who brilliant- losing at home to Aston Villa-if his side are to finish Navas’s cross from the right was nodded back and ly steered it back into his path, and Sanchez pow- in the top four. Having seen his team tamely con- down by Fernandinho and Aguero eluded ered through a gaping hole in the City defense to cede defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions Mohamed Elneny before driving a left-foot shot clip a shot past Hart. League semi-finals on Wednesday, it threatens to into Petr Cech’s bottom-left corner. Pellegrini sent for the cavalry, with Raheem be a miserable end to Pellegrini’s three-year tenure, Arsenal had barely set foot in City’s half, but Sterling, Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony all joining within two minutes their former player Gael Clichy the fray, but the closest his side came to a winner which has yielded the 2013-14 title MANCHESTER: Manchester City fans hold a banner thanking Manchester City’s and two League Cups. offered them an attacking foothold with a mis- was a deft Bony volley that crashed against the United visit West Ham United tomorrow before judged back header that bobbled past a scram- bar. Pellegrini, who bows out at Swansea City next Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini after he managed his final home game of finishing the season at home to Bournemouth and bling Joe Hart, hit the post and went behind for a Sunday, covered his face with his hands in the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and corner. , deputizing for injured anguish. — AFP Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. — AFP