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May 2026
The Namibian
Alavesearneda vital victory in their battle against relegation
Source
“Ibrahim Diabate's goal in first half stoppage time earned Alaves a vital victory in their battle against relegation, taking Quique Sanchez Flores's team out of the drop zone and up to 15th.”
Mohamed Salah played his final match for Liverpool on Sunday in a 1-1 draw with Brentford, leaving as the club's third-highest goalscorer of all-time with 257 goals after nine years at Anfield. The 33-year-old Egyptian winger provided an assist for Curtis Jones before being substituted.
Mohamed Salah played his final match for Liverpool on Sunday in a 1-1 draw with Brentford, leaving as the club's third-highest goalscorer of all-time with 257 goals after nine years at Anfield. The 33-year-old Egyptian winger provided an assist for Curtis Jones before being substituted.
Vinicius Junior scored as Real Madrid won 1-0 at Sevilla on Sunday, but Sevilla secured safety from relegation through other results. Mallorca, 19th after losing 2-0 to Levante, and Girona, 18th after a 1-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid, are in danger of relegation.
With Barcelona already crowned champions, La Liga's penultimate round focuses on other matters, including Antoine Griezmann's farewell at Atlético Madrid and a tight relegation battle involving multiple teams between 10th and 19th place, with only Real Oviedo guaranteed to go down.
Barcelona's bid to match La Liga's all-time record of 100 points ended with a 1-0 defeat to Alaves on Wednesday. Hansi Flick's newly-crowned Spanish champions needed to win their remaining three matches to reach that figure but fell to Ibrahim Diabate's goal in first-half stoppage time.
Atletico Madrid plays Real Sociedad in Saturday's Copa del Rey final, seeking a rare trophy success under coach Diego Simeone. The match is particularly significant for Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann, 35, who is departing for MLS side Orlando City and hopes to leave with a farewell trophy.
Lamine Yamal assisted twice and scored in Barcelona's 4-1 derby victory over Espanyol, extending their advantage over Real Madrid to nine points with seven games remaining. The win came as Barcelona prepare for a Champions League quarter-final second leg against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick faces mounting pressure following two consecutive defeats to Girona and Atletico Madrid, as the Catalan club falls behind Real Madrid in La Liga. Flick acknowledged the team is not in good form due to injuries and fatigue, but resisted calls to adjust his ultra-attacking tactics ahead of Sunday's match against Levante.
Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa and striker Kylian Mbappe both emphasize the need for consistency as the team prepares to face Valencia in La Liga, with Arbeloa stressing that hard work rather than magic is required to turn around recent inconsistent performances.
American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo has revived Real Sociedad from near-relegation with five games unbeaten, including wins over Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, ahead of Sunday's Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao, who are languishing in 13th place without a win in their last five La Liga games.
Vinicius Junior's resurgent form, highlighted by a dominant display in Real Madrid's 6-1 Champions League win over Monaco, has lifted the team ahead of a crucial La Liga clash with Villarreal where victory could move them top of the table. Coach Alvaro Arbeloa has backed the Brazilian winger publicly, and Vinicius has credited the fans' support for his return to form after a lengthy scoring drought.