BENZEMA SEALS REAL’S 34th TITLE

REAL MADRID clinched their 34th La Liga title last night with a 2-1 home win over Villarreal. Barcelona’s hopes of ruining Real’s night were dashed when they lost 2-1 at home to Osasuna. Karim Benzema scored in each half, the first after 29 minutes following an assist by Luka Modric. The second was a bizarre penalty in the 77th minute. Sergio Ramos took the spot kick after he was fouled but the referee ordered it to re-taken and this time Benzema stepped up to score.

ENGLAND will host Wales on October 8 in a friendly at Wembley which is expected to be played behind closed doors. The countries last met at Euro 2016, when England won 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time strike from Daniel Sturridge. SHEFFIELD UNITED defender Chris Basham is attracting interest from Burnley and Newcastle United. The 32-year-old has been outstanding this season, making 40 appearances as Chris Wilder’s side push for an unlikely European place on their return to the top flight. However, he has only one year left on his contract, which has alerted Premier League rivals.

KEVIN O’CONNOR has returned to Cork City on a short-term deal until the end of the season. O’Connor, 25, spent three seasons with City where he won the League and FAI Cup double in 2017. The full-back was a free agent after his release from Preston North End last month. His arrival ahead of the SSE Airtricity League restart on July 31 is timely as City lie ninth of ten teams with one win from five games played. ‘Cork is a second home to me, and it’s good to see a few old faces here,’ he said.

CONTRIBUTORS: Simon Jones, Nathan Salt and Philip Quinn