Real a win away from title after beating Granada
MADRID: Real Madrid need one victory to secure La Liga after they held off a second-half comeback from Granada on Monday to win 2-1 and move four points clear of Barcelona.
With two games left, Madrid will be crowned champions if they beat Villarreal at home on Thursday regardless of how Barca fare against Osasuna.
But Real were made to sweat by the promoted Granada. Ferland Mendy and Karim Benzema looked to have set Madrid on course for a comfortable win at Los Carmenes but Granada were transformed after the break and Darwin Machis’s 50th-minute strike gave them hope.
Madrid were clinging on by the end and needed Sergio Ramos to clear one shot off the line as Real dug in for a ninth straight win. “Our vision when we start every season is to win the league,” said Real boss Zinedine Zidane. “We are close but we’re not there yet.”
OLE CONFIDENT DESPITE UNITED SETBACK
LONDON: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Manchester United “will put it right” after conceding a late goal against Southampton on Monday to dent their hopes of reaching Champions League.
United were on course for a fifth successive Premier League victory after bouncing back from Stuart Armstrong’s early opener through strikes from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. But just as third place beckoned for Solskjaer’s men Saints substitute Michael Obafemi struck in stoppage time to seal a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford.
“I am very confident in the mentality of them. Very disappointed, of course, but we have to take the disappointments as well as the positives when you win games,” the United boss said.
INTER RALLY TO BEAT TORINO, GO SECOND MILAN: Two quick second-half goals lifted Inter Milan to a confidence-boosting 3-1 comeback win over Torino in Serie A.
Inter moved into second place in the standings, although their title hopes are slim. Ashley Young and Diego Godín scored shortly after the break after a howler from Nerazzurri goalkeeper Samir Handanovi gifted Andrea Belotti the opener. Lautaro Martínez all but sealed it.
ARTETA BEMOANS TIGHT PL SCHEDULING LONDON: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has bemoaned the fixture scheduling since the Premier League restart, saying his players have amassed “crazy minutes” on the pitch recently.
The Gunners host Liverpool on Wednesday, three days after losing to Tottenham.
“Obviously they’ve been hit and a lot of them have played some crazy minutes up until now and again we’re going to have games every two-and-a-half days,” Arteta said.
DUTCH STAR SNEIJDER MULLS COMEBACK ARMSTERDAM: Wesley Sneijder is considering following in the footsteps of his former Netherlands team mate Arjen Robben and returning to playing football next season, Dutch media reported on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old Sneijder will start training later this month at amateur team DOS Holland Stichtse Boys, which could be the prelude to joining home town club FC Utrecht.