Late Suarez strike sends Atletico to brink of title; Barcelona hopes end
Atletico Madrid took a giant step towards La Liga title in dramatic circumstances by fighting their way back to beat Osasuna 2-1 at home on Sunday thanks to a late strike from Luis Suarez.
Atletico dominated the game and hit the woodwork twice in the first half before having two goals ruled out for offside but fell behind in the 76th minute when a bullet header from Ante Budimir crossed the line before Jan Oblak could punch it away.
Atletico hit back with an emphatic finish from substitute Renan Lodi in the 82nd minute while top scorer Suarez completed the comeback by firing home from inside the area in the 88th, netting for the first time in six matches.
Diego Simeone’s side nearly conceded an equaliser deep into added time though when Chimy Avila caught sight of goal but Oblak got across to parry before grabbing the ball with both hands.
The victory took Atletico on to 83 points after 37 games, two ahead of second-placed Real Madrid who won 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao.
Atletico visit relegation-fighting Real Valladolid on the final day of the season next Sunday knowing victory will deliver them a first title since 2014. Real, meanwhile, will host Villarreal.
“It was a moment of pure happiness,” Suarez said of his winner. “We didn’t deserve to suffer like we did, it was one of our best first-half performances of the season but we missed so many chances, me more than anyone. But to win La Liga you have to suffer and that’s what we had to do today.”
Real Madrid’s 1-0 win at San Mames thanks to a second-half goal from defender Nacho Fernandez saw them move to 81 points, two behind Atletico Madrid. In a first half shorn of clear-cut chances, Real were adamant they should have had a penalty when Alvaro Odriozola’s cross hit Jon Morcillo’s arm, however referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz waved away the protests.
Bilbao almost opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime, however Alex Berenguer’s free kick bounced just wide of Thibaut Courtois’s far post.
Casemiro had a header bounce back off the crossbar shortly after the restart, however the Brazilian midfielder then teed up defender Nacho from close range to give Zinedine Zidane’s side a priceless three points.
“Obviously we wanted to win, and for Atleti to drop points, but there’s a long way to go still,” Nacho said. “They came back to win at the death and that shows things aren’t easy. We just need to concentrate on ourselves and see how it goes next time out (against Villarreal next Sunday).
Barca lose at home BARCELONA:
Barcelona saw their hopes of winning La Liga extinguished as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Celta Vigo. Barca were dominant in the first half and deservedly took the lead through Lionel Messi after 27 minutes in what could be the Argentine’s final game at the Camp Nou given his unresolved contractual situation. Messi expertly headed Sergio Busquet’s precise cross past Ivan Villar to make it 30 league goals for the season.
“We hope that won’t be his last game here at the Camp Nou, but it’s a decision he needs to make,” defender Jordi Alba said. “We were really good in the first half, they didn’t really create much and took their one chance when they got it. We had the game under control but in the second half just lost our heads a bit. They play really good football, they made it difficult for us and their second goal is unlucky for us.”
Indeed, Celta equalised against the run of play 11 minutes later as Santi Mina fired in from the edge of the box following a pacey counter-attack to stun the hosts.
Barca are third on 76 points, four behind Real Madrid in second with one game remaining and two ahead of Sevilla in fourth.
AC Milan held MILAN:
AC Milan squandered the chance to secure a longawaited return to the Champions League as goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma came to their rescue in a 0-0 Serie A draw at Cagliari. Victory over the 16th-placed Sardinians would have assured Milan of a top-four finish and their first appearance in European football’s top club competition since 2013-14 next season. But Stefano Pioli’s side toiled to a disappointing draw that leaves them third on 76 points going into the final round, level with Napoli in fourth but above them on head-to-head record, and one point ahead of fifth-placed Juventus.