Atletico Madrid seal LaLiga title with comeback win at Real Valladolid
Second-half goals from Angel Correa and Luis Suarez secured silverware for Diego Simeone’s side.
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Your support makes all the difference.Atletico Madrid were crowned LaLiga champions for the first time in seven years after holding off the title challenge of city rivals Real by coming from behind to win 2-1 at Real Valladolid
Second-half goals from Angel Correa and Luis Suarez overturned Oscar Plano’s opener to secure silverware for Diego Simeone’s side.
Victory for the visitors relegated Valladolid and proved vital as reigning champions Real – who needed to beat Villarreal to stand any chance of snatching glory – also recovered from a goal down to win 2-1.
Late strikes from Karim Benzema and Luka Modric gave Zinedine Zidane’s men a glimmer of hope following Yeremi Pino’s first-half opener but their near neighbours held on to retain a crucial two-point advantage at the top of the table.
Atletico’s triumph was their 11th LaLiga title and second under manager Simeone following the Argentinian coach’s maiden success in 2014.
Valladolid joined Eibar and Huesca in slipping into the Segunda Division.
Eibar finished bottom after Antoine Griezmann’s 81st-minute goal saw them lose 1-0 at home to third-placed Barcelona.
Huesca were held to a goalless draw by Valencia and slipped into the bottom three below fellow promoted side Elche on head-to-head results.
Elche registered a crucial 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao courtesy of goals from Lucas Boye and Raul Guti.
Real Sociedad retained fifth position after an 86th-minute own goal from goalkeeper Juan Perez secured a 1-0 win at Osasuna, while sixth-placed Real Betis are also Europa League-bound after storming back to beat Celta Vigo 3-2.
Iago Aspas’ penalty and a goal from Brais Mendez put Celta in control but a Borja Iglesias spot-kick followed by strikes from Nabil Fekir and Victor Ruiz turned the tables, before Betis had Cristian Tello sent off.
In Germany, Robert Lewandowski broke the Bundesliga record for goals in a season as champions Bayern Munich finished with a thumping 5-2 win over Augsburg, while Cologne dramatically scraped survival at the expense of Werder Bremen.
Jeffrey Gouweleeuw’s early own goal, plus first-half strikes from Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich and Kinglsey Coman set Hansi Flick on course for victory in his last game as Bayern head coach ahead of the trophy presentation.
Augsburg, who saw Daniel Caligiuri’s 25th-minute penalty saved by Manuel Neuer, halved their deficit courtesy of second-half finishes from Andre Hahn and Florian Niederlechner before Lewandowski’s 41st of the campaign completed the scoring in front of 250 fans at the Allianz Arena, surpassing Gerd Muller’s long-standing feat from the 1971-72 season.
Cologne preserved their top-flight status for the time being at least after Sebastiaan Bornauw struck four minutes from time to earn a crucial 1-0 win over already-relegated Schalke.
The hosts were set to go down on goal difference until Belgium defender Bornauw intervened and will now face a two legged play-off against the third-placed second-tier club to ensure survival.
That late winner meant Werder Bremen drop out of the Bundesliga for the first time since 1981, following a 4-2 home defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach.
Bremen, who dismissed head coach Florian Kohfeldt in the build-up to the game and replaced him with club great Thomas Schaaf, fell emphatically behind after conceding goals to Lars Stindl, Marcus Thuram, Ramy Bensebaini and Florian Neuhaus, before Milot Rashica and Niclas Fullkrug made a painful afternoon slightly more respectable in the final 10 minutes.
Union Berlin qualified for the inaugural Europa Conference League at the expense of Gladbach thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Max Kruse in a 2-1 success over second-placed RB Leipzig.
Justin Kluivert put the Champions League-bound hosts ahead before Marvin Friedrich levelled.
Erling Haaland scored twice to finish the season with 27 Bundesliga goals as Borussia Dortmund held on to third position by registering a seventh consecutive win courtesy of a 3-1 success over Bayer Leverkusen.
Marco Reus was also on target for Dortmund, while Lars Bender claimed Leverkusen’s late consolation from the penalty spot.
Wolfsburg had to settle for fourth position following an entertaining 3-2 home defeat to Mainz.
Stefan Bell registered Mainz’s 77th-minute winner after Wolfsburg pair Maximilian Philipp and Joao Victor struck either side of goals from Jean-Paul Boetius and Robin Quaison.
Andre Silva’s 28th Bundesliga goal of the season helped fifth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt to a 3-1 success over Freiburg.
Jeong Woo-yeong cancelled out Silva’s penalty but late goals from Almamy Toure and Ragnar Ache earned Frankfurt the three points.
Arminia Bielefeld, who began the day in relegation danger, won 2-0 at Stuttgart following a Fabian Klos spot-kick and Ritsu Doan’s strike, while Andrej Kramaric’s stoppage-time effort secured Hoffenheim’s 2-1 victory over Hertha Berlin.
Vladimir Darida put Hertha ahead before the break before Sargis Adamyan levelled.
In Serie A, Sampdoria thumped bottom club Parma 3-0 following goals from Fabio Quagliarella, Omar Colley and Manolo Gabbiadini, while another already-relegated side, Crotone, drew 0-0 with Fiorentina.
Genoa held on for a 1-0 success at Cagliari in another dead rubber as Eldor Shomurodov’s early strike proved decisive. Valon Behrami was dismissed for the visitors late on.