BARCELONA (AP) — Barcelona finished what it started at Camp Nou, wrapping up a flawless home campaign with a 3-1 win over Real Betis on Sunday to close out 19 wins from 19 La Liga matches in front of the ir own fans.
A perfect send-off
Two goals from Raphinha and another by João Cancelo supplied the goals as the Catalan club closed out its second consecutive league title — sealed two rounds ago — with a perfect home record and one round still to play.
Robert Lewandowski, the 37-year-old Polish striker who announced his departure on Saturday after four season s, received an emotional tribute. After the final whistle, his teammates tossed him into the air, the n lining up to applaud him as he walked toward the locker room.
"It's been an honor to play for this club," Lewandowski told the crowd. "We've enjoyed some great moments in the se four years. I'm very proud of everything we've achieved together. Today I say goodbye, but I'll always carry Barcelona in my heart. Once a Barça fan, always a Barça fan."
The numbers behind his exit are stark: three La Liga titles in four attempts, one Copa del Rey, and 119 goals across 192 appearances — a scoring rate that made him the heartbeat of this team through two championship runs.
Griezmann's second apology
Antoine Griezmann offered his own farewell at the Metropolitano before moving to Major League Soccer, and for the second time in as many days, he apologized to Atletico fans for having left for rival Barcelona earlier in his career.
"I didn't realize how much I loved you here," Griezmann said. "I was very young. I made a mistake, I reconsidered, and we did everything we could to come back and enjoy it again."
Atletico coach Diego Simeone called the 35-year-old Frenchman "possibly the best one to have ever played here" — high praise from a manager not known for handing the m out. Griezmann departed with Atletico's all-time scoring record and a 1-0 win over Girona to show for it.
Relegation picture remains tight
Sevilla avoided the drop despite a 1-0 home loss to Real Madrid, with Vinícius Júnior supplying the goal for a side that had already secured second place. Kylian Mbappé started the match — his first league start since revealing he'd been the team's fourth-choice striker under coach Álvaro Arbeloa.
Alaves also ensured survival with a 1-0 win at already-relegated Oviedo.
The fight to stay up going into the final round involves five clubs: Levante, Osasuna, Elche, Girona and Mallorca. Levante moved to 15th with a 2-0 win over Mallorca, reaching 42 points — level with 16th-place Osasuna and 17th-place Elche, both of whom occupied the same points before the ir respective results. Osasuna fell 2-1 at home to Espanyol, while Elche beat 10-man Getafe 1-0.
Girona sits 17th on 40 points, with Mallorca second-from-bottom on 39 and Oviedo rooted to the foot of the table on 29.