
Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 but will have to wait at least another week before claiming their 31st Spanish league title.
Bayern Munich need just one point from their last four matches to claim the German Bundesliga crown while the English Premier League title will not be decided until the last day of the season after Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-1.
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SPAIN
Real Madrid crushed Athletic Bilbao 3-0 at the Bernabeu but Villarreal’s 1-0 victory at Real Betis put their title celebrations on hold for at least another week.
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Real’s victory came courtesy of an early opportunist strike from Javier Saviola and two classy second-half goals from substitutes Arjen Robben and Gonzalo Higuain, while keeper Iker Casillas got in on the act when he saved a penalty.
With four games left to play Real remain 10 points clear of Villarreal at the top of the table and will claim their 31st league title if they win next week’s match at Osasuna.
Third-placed Barcelona, who are four points behind Villarreal after their 2-0 defeat at Deportivo Coruna on Saturday, can now only hope to dispute second place with Villarreal.
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FRANCE
Olympique Lyon maintained a four-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 despite being held 2-2 by Caen.
The six-times French champions, who had Fabio Grosso sent off for slapping Yohan Gouffran at halftime, have 72 points with three matches left to Girondins Bordeaux’s 68 after the Aquitaine side drew 0-0 against Nice.
Olympique Marseille leapfrogged Nancy into third place when a late Djibril Cisse goal gave them a 3-2 win at Monaco on Sunday.
Nancy were held 1-1 at Valenciennes and drop to fourth, one point adrift of Marseille.
Paris St Germain beat AJ Auxerre 3-1 on Saturday but are still in the relegation zone behind RC Lens on goal difference.
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GERMANY
Bayern Munich moved 12 points clear in the Bundesliga with a 4-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart on Sunday and now need just one point in their last four matches to seal a 21st German championship.
Second-placed Werder Bremen lost ground with a 3-3 draw at Karlsruhe and now have 54 points to Bayern’s 66 but still lead Schalke, also on 54, on goal difference in the race for direct qualification into the Champions League.
Luca Toni scored his 36th goal in 42 matches in the eighth minute and Mark van Bommel fired in a superb low shot that curled around the wall off an indirect free kick in the 55th minute for Bayern, resting five first-team players for a key UEFA Cup semi-final match at Zenit St Petersburg on Thursday.
Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld let Franck Ribery into the match in the 57th minute and the France winger scored two memorable goals within two minutes.
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ENGLAND
The Premier League title will be decided on the last day of the season after Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-1 to pull level on 81 points with two games remaining.
In a terrific game at Stamford Bridge, Michael Ballack headed Chelsea into the lead and then, after Wayne Rooney had equalised, won it with an 86th-minute penalty.
United still remain favourites, courtesy of their vastly superior goal difference, but a slip in their remaining games against West Ham United (home) and Wigan Athletic (away) could let in the Londoners, who visit Newcastle United and end at home to Bolton Wanderers on May 11.
In the battle for fifth, a virtual UEFA Cup playoff, Everton and Aston Villa drew 2-2 at Goodison Park to leave Everton three points ahead with two games each to go.
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ITALY
Inter Milan are tantalisingly close to retaining their title after a 2-1 win over Cagliari.
Second-placed AS Roma thumped struggling Torino 4-1 with Mancini scoring twice but their hopes of catching Inter are all but over.
With three games left, Roberto Mancini’s side are six clear of Roma and have a better head-to-head record, meaning if they beat rivals AC Milan next weekend they will be champions.
Milan will be highly motivated for the derby after moving two points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina in the race for the final Champions League spot.
Filippo Inzaghi bagged a hat-trick in Milan’s 4-1 win at bottom side Livorno while Fiorentina conceded in injury time to draw 2-2 with Sampdoria.
Juventus, in third, sealed their Champions League qualifying place with a 5-2 drubbing of Lazio