Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres scored late as Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-1 in Pamplona, moving Hansi Flick’s side close to another Spanish league title.
Barcelona opened a 14-point lead over Real Madrid with four rounds left. Madrid must beat Espanyol to keep Barcelona from clinching a second straight La Liga crown, and a Madrid victory would send the title race into a clasico at Camp Nou.
Substitute Marcus Rashford crossed for Lewandowski in the 81st minute, and the striker powered in a header to break the match open. Torres made it 2-0 five minutes later before Raúl García headed in for Osasuna in the 89th.
“We have put the pressure on Madrid,” Torres said. He added that he would be fine with Barcelona being crowned from home if Madrid slip at Espanyol: “For me I just want to be champions as soon as possible. That way we can start celebrating.”
Flick said his players “were celebrating” in the changing room at Sadar Stadium after what he called “a huge victory for us.” The former Bayern Munich coach said Barcelona had done its job.
Joan García made two important first-half saves for Barcelona, while Ante Budimir hit the post before halftime. The result was only Osasuna’s third league defeat in Pamplona this campaign, with the club sitting 10th.
Atletico Madrid Win 2-0 At Valencia Before Arsenal Trip
Atletico Madrid rested most of its starters and still beat Valencia 2-0 at Mestalla Stadium before traveling to London to face Arsenal for a place in the Champions League final.
Julián Álvarez, Alexander Sorloth and Giuliano Simeone were left out of Atletico’s squad after finishing Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal with niggles. Diego Simeone called up nine youth team players, and Iker Luque and Miguel Cubo came off the bench to score in the 73rd and 82nd minutes.
Nahuel Molina nearly produced a standout goal in the first half, striking the corner of the goal frame from near the midfield circle. Atletico stayed fourth and on course for another Champions League berth, while Valencia was 13th and still close enough to the bottom to remain under pressure.
The match was Simeone’s 1,000th as a coach, including 795 with Atletico Madrid since taking charge in 2011. He posted on X that he was grateful to the players, colleagues, club executives and fans who had helped him since he began coaching in 2006.
Athletic Bilbao And Villarreal Add Wins
Ernesto Valverde coached his 500th game for Athletic Bilbao in a 4-2 win at Alaves, with Nico Williams scoring twice. Both Valverde’s mark and Simeone’s Atletico total are club records.
Athletic’s players wore shirts with their mothers’ last names to mark Mother’s Day in Spain.
Villarreal secured a top-four finish and a place in Europe’s elite club tournament for a second straight season by beating Levante 5-1. Georges Mikautadze scored twice for third-placed Villarreal.