Villarreal beat Barca to secure Champions League place
Villarreal beat champions Barcelona in an entertaining match on Sunday in La Liga (MANAURE QUINTERO)
Villarreal qualified for next season's Champions League with an entertaining 3-2 win at newly-crowned La Liga champions Barcelona on Sunday.
Elsewhere Kylian Mbappe struck as Real Madrid won 2-0 at nine-man Sevilla, while Leganes gave themselves a chance of survival with a win at Las Palmas.
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Barcelona stars celebrated their 28th league title on an open-top bus on Friday but Hansi Flick warned that "those who party, can work" and selected a strong side.
However the visitors took the lead through in-form striker Ayoze Perez, who slotted past Marc-Andre ter Stegen after Nicolas Pepe set him up.
Lamine Yamal, who scored a vital goal as Barca clinched the league on Thursday at Espanyol, scored another stunner to level.
The 17-year-old breezed past two defenders and arrowed a shot into the far bottom corner.
Yamal hit the bar before Fermin Lopez sent Barca ahead, walloping home from the edge of the box.
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Santi Comesana lofted over Ter Stegen to equalise for the visitors, who nosed in front through Tajon Buchanan in the 80th minute.
Barca fell to their first home defeat of 2025 and also their first league reverse this year, but chants of "champions" rang around the Olympic stadium, on potentially the team's last game there before a return to the renovated Camp Nou next season.
The domestic treble winners were presented with the league trophy at the end of the game.
Villarreal booked their return to Europe's top competition as they opened up a big gap on Real Betis, sixth, as they were thrashed 4-1 at Atletico Madrid.
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Julian Alvarez scored two and created another as Diego Simeone's side, third, ran out comfortable winners.
French superstar Mbappe netted his 29th league goal of the season to help Real Madrid to a narrow win over nine-man Sevilla in coach Carlo Ancelotti's penultimate match at the helm.
Loic Bade's 12th minute red card for a professional foul on Mbappe set back the hosts, and then Isaac Romero was dismissed at the start of the second half for a high tackle on Aurelien Tchouameni.
Eventually the division's top scorer Mbappe drilled home Madrid's opener from range and Jude Bellingham nabbed a second from close range late on.
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At the bottom of the table Leganes took their fight for survival to the last day of the season with a 1-0 win at downed Las Palmas, thanks to Dani Raba's early strike.
The Madrid minnows, 18th, are two points from safety and face relegated Real Valladolid in their last game.
Espanyol's 2-0 defeat by Osasuna leaves them in danger of the drop and the Catalan side, 17th, welcome Las Palmas next weekend knowing a win would keep them up.
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Washington Post
11 minutes ago
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12 minutes ago
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PSG aims for Club World Cup glory after historic Champions League win
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Chelsea is arriving at the Club World Cup with a new team, coach and even owners since it won the Champions League four years ago. The club is one of 12 from Europe, including stellar names like Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Inter and Juventus. South American clubs are Europe's top rivals Some of Latin America's biggest teams are in the tournament — including reigning Copa Libertadores champion Botafogo from Brazil. Three other Brazilian teams have qualified: Palmeiras, Flamengo and Fluminense. Argentina's famous rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors will also be there — and are expected to be backed by thousands of fans traveling to the U.S. It is the Latin American contingent that likely will likely present the biggest challenge to the European teams. 'Everyone wants to compete — the question is how you prepare to win, to try to win. That's what challenges me,' said Marcelo Gallardo, River Plate head coach. 'I want to win. 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Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
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