Chaos across the continent as La Liga’s qualifying battle heats up and Europe’s race in Italy heats up
The most important result of the day in terms of La Liga’s relegation battle came from Levante, who entered Saturday with 36 points and in the bottom three, produced their best performance in recent weeks to beat Mallorca 2-0 at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia and pulled themselves out of the water with one game to spare.
Carlos Espi opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a finish from outside the area, while Kervin Arriaga scored the second from a corner in the 87th minute to put the result beyond doubt. A
Adrian de la Fuente’s late penalty hit the post in stoppage time, but it didn’t matter. Both teams also had players sent off in the 85th minute – Levante’s Roger Brugue and Mallorca’s Johan Mojica – following a VAR review for violent conduct.
Elsewhere, there was a straight win for Elche, but with a significant weight in the battle to hit the ground running.
Victor Chust scored in the 19th minute with a low drive from outside the area, and the goal was held despite Getafe playing with 10 men in the 39th minute after Djene was shown a second yellow card.
Espanyol collected three crucial points in the relegation battle, coming from behind to beat Osasuna 2-1 in a result that keeps safety within reach.
Carlos Romero’s free-kick gave Espanyol the lead on 27 minutes, Victor Munoz equalized soon after the break with a shot from outside the box, but Kike Garcia finished coolly on 53 minutes to return the favor and finally secure victory.
Atletico Madrid kept their hopes of a third-place finish alive with a 1-0 win over Girona, although the result dealt a major blow to Girona’s survival hopes. Ademola Lookman finished from close range on 21 minutes after Griezmann’s through ball, and Oblak did more, denying several efforts from Girona in the second half. Girona descend into a dangerous place with one game left.
Serie A round-up: Juventus’ top four dreams in turmoil
The biggest shock of the weekend in Serie A came from Juventus, who were beaten 2-0 at home by Fiorentina in a result that opened up the race for the top four last weekend.
Cher Ndour opened the scoring in the 34th minute, assisted by Manor Solomon, and Rolando Mandragora – a former Juventus player – curled a stunning left-hander into the top corner in the 82nd minute to seal the deal.
Vlahovic had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside. Juventus dropped to sixth place going into the final day. They will need to beat Torino in the Derby della Mole and hope that at least two of Milan, Roma and Como drop points.
Milan held on from Luigi Ferraris to collect three vital points, moving into third place on an important afternoon in the European football race.
Christopher Nkunku scored a penalty in the 50th minute after carelessly bending the ball at Amorim. Zachary Athekame scored twice in the 81st minute with a superb shot from the edge of the field after Pulisic’s hard work in the box. Johan Vasquez pulled Genoa back late in the end, but Milan held on.
It was a top derby performance from Roma, who beat Lazio 2-0 at the Olimpico with Gianluca Mancini heading home twice – in the 40th and 66th minutes, both from corners. A double red card in the 70th minute saw Wesley sent off for Roma and Lazio’s Nicolo Rovella. The Romans moved up to fourth.
Alberto Moreno’s first-half volley on 58 minutes was enough to give Como a win over Parma and move them into fifth place – right behind Roma and right behind beaten Juventus.
Como go into the final day knowing that victory can still secure Champions League football if the results go elsewhere.
Ligue 1: Paris FC produce historic comeback to stun PSG
The most unusual result of the weekend came in the French capital, where Paris FC beat city rivals PSG 2-1 in a comeback on the final day of the Ligue 1 season.
Bradley Barcola gave Luis Enrique’s side the lead in the 50th minute, but Paris FC, back in Ligue 1 for the first time in 46 years, refused to bend.
Substitute Alimami Gory equalized in the 76th minute with a close-range finish, and in the fourth minute of stoppage time, a lightning strike from the newly introduced trio of Kebbal, Koleosho and Gory split PSG wide open. Luca Koleosho raced past the defense and squared back for Gory to tap into the empty net and complete one of Ligue 1’s biggest upsets.
PSG, who had already secured the title, were heavily circling the Champions League final against Arsenal in Budapest on May 28, and paid the price.
