Villarreal beat Barca to protect Champions League location
Villarreal qualified for next season’s Champions League with an entertaining 3-2 win at newly-crowned La Liga champs 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.Advertisement Barcelona stars commemorated their 28th league
title on an open-top
bus on Friday however Hansi Flick cautioned that “those who celebration, can work”and selected a strong side.However the visitors took the lead through in-form striker Ayoze Perez, who slotted previous Marc-Andre ter Stegen after Nicolas Pepe set him up.Lamine Yamal, who scored a crucial 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 out Barca ahead, walloping home from the edge of the
box.Advertisement Santi Comesana lofted over Ter Stegen to equalise for the visitors, who nosed in front through Tajon Buchanan in the 80th minute.Barca was up to their first home defeat of 2025 and likewise their first league reverse this year, but chants of”champs”called
around the Olympic stadium, on possibly the team’s last game there before a return to the remodelled Camp Nou next season.The domestic treble winners were presented
with the league prize at the end of the game to top an outstanding first season under Flick. “We saw a great deal of potential in the team … we can enhance(Barca) a little bit a bit, they adapted to the idea of how we want to play and they
showed they can play football,” said a proud Flick.Advertisement”When you have confidence, everything is possible.”Villarreal scheduled their go back to Europe’s top competition as they opened a big gap on Genuine Betis, sixth, as they were thrashed 4-1 at Atletico Madrid.Julian Alvarez scored 2 and produced another as Diego Simeone’s side, 3rd, ran out comfy winners.- ‘Safeguard this t-shirt’
-French super star 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 held up the hosts, and
then Isaac Romero was dismissed at the start of the 2nd half for a high tackle on Aurelien Tchouameni.Advertisement Ultimately
the division’s leading scorer Mbappe drilled home Madrid’s opener from distance and Jude Bellingham nabbed a 2nd from close quarters late on.”It was a weird environment, at this club you always play for everything and today we weren’t betting much, however we need to defend this t-shirt,”stated Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde.Madrid failed to win a significant trophy this season after declaring a Champions League and La Liga double in the previous campaign, but will play in the Club World Cup this summer in the United States.” We’re thrilled and looking forward to it, happy to represent Madrid,”included Valverde.Advertisement By the time Madrid arrive in the United States they may have a brand-new coach, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso poised to take over.Veteran Luka Modric impressed for Madrid and is nearing completion of his agreement, with the 39-year-old’s future beyond the end of the season uncertain.
“Everybody understands how much Madrid loves Modric, they will have time to make the right choice,” stated Ancelotti.”For the club, for him, and for the future.”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.Advertisement The Madrid minnows, 18th, are 2 points from safety and face relegated Real Valladolid in their last game.Espanyol’s 2-0 defeat by Osasuna leaves them in risk of the drop and the Catalan side, 17th, welcome Las Palmas next weekend understanding a win would keep them up.Getafe and Alaves secured safety with wins over Mallorca and Valladolid respectively.rbs/ mw