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La Liga: Barca return to winning ways, thrash Mallorca 5-1
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Raphinha and Lamine Yamal inspired Barcelona to a first win in four La Liga outings as they beat Mallorca 5-1 on Tuesday.
The comprehensive victory brings the Catalans to 37 points at the top of the league table, four ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, but with two extra matches played.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Spanish and European champions will have the chance to cut that lead back to one point on Wednesday when they travel to Athletic Bilbao.
Mallorca stay sixth in La Liga, still two points behind Athletic Bilbao in the final Champions League spot.
Ferran Torres gave Barcelona the lead, before Vedat Muriqi equalised to ensure the sides were level at half-time.
Raphinha and Yamal lit up the second half as the away side ran riot with the Brazilian scoring a double, followed by strikes from Frenkie de Jong and Pau Victor.
Barcelona were boosted by the return of teenage starlet Yamal, who started the match after recovering from an ankle problem.
Hansi Flick’s side dropped points in the two league outings Yamal missed, and were also defeated last time out at home to lowly Las Palmas when he was only fit enough to start on the bench.
The hosts gifted Barca the lead in the 12th minute when panicked defending resulted in Torres being presented with a golden opportunity when there seemed to be no danger.
As a trio of Majorcan defenders shepherded the ball back to their goalkeeper, full-back Johan Mojica suddenly decided to try to lash it away, only to smash the ball straight into Antonio Raillo and it fell perfectly to the feet of the Barcelona forward, who duly stroked home the opener.
The Catalans’ high defensive line caught Mallorca out on several occasions as they tried to spring their attackers with passes over the top.
Mallorca were, however, starting to build pressure on Barcelona, though the visitors remained dangerous on the counter with their fleet-footed attacking quartet of Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha and Torres.
A second goal in the match did not seem far away, for either side, and it came for the hosts in the 43rd minute.
Inigo Martinez was deeper than the rest of the Barcelona line and Pablo Maffeo timed his run onto Sergi Darder’s pass to perfection, before rolling the ball across to Muriqi to tap into an open net.
• Yamal show –
Another defensive lapse nearly restored the visitors’ lead on the stroke of half-time, but goalkeeper Leo Roman bailed out Raillo for his poor back-header by denying Raphinha one-on-one.
The Mallorca ‘keeper thwarted the Brazilian again early in the second period, punching away a fizzing free-kick from close range.
But it was eventually third time lucky for Raphinha in his duel with Roman as he flashed a 56th-minute penalty just beyond the Spaniard’s reach.
The sheer pace of the returning Yamal had earned the spot-kick as he raced onto Olmo’s through-ball, before being brought down by Mojica inside the box.
Barcelona struggled recently in Yamal’s absence, and the 17-year-old displayed his brilliance again moments later when an inspired backheel created a chance out of nothing, until Pedri’s snapshot was blocked.
Raphinha made the game safe for Barcelona with 14 minutes remaining when he latched onto a magnificent outside-of-the-foot cross courtesy of Yamal.
The Euro 2024 winner repeated the trick five minute later, this time finding the forward run of Victor, whose pass across goal was cut out, but only as far as the onrushing De Jong who finished unerringly.
De Jong then turned provider in the final 10 minutes as he squared for 23-year-old substitute Victor to score.
Yamal could have capped off a superb second-half showing but his dinked finish near the end was well saved by the defiant Roman.
AFP
Tottenham Hotspur secured Premier League survival on a dramatic final day of the season, while West Ham United were relegated after 14 years in the top flight.
Spurs went into their final match against Everton needing at least a draw to guarantee safety, with only goal difference separating them from West Ham.
João Paulinha gave Tottenham a crucial breakthrough just before half-time, easing tension at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and putting Spurs in control of their survival battle.
West Ham, meanwhile, were also fighting for survival in their own fixture against Leeds, knowing only a strong result combined with other outcomes could save them.
Valentín Castellanos briefly raised hopes for the Hammers by giving them the lead, but it was not enough to overturn their situation in the table.
Late goals from Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson were insufficient as West Ham’s 14-year stay in the Premier League came to an end.
Tottenham held firm to secure the result they needed, completing a dramatic escape from relegation on the final day of the campaign.
Rangers International F.C. have etched their name deeper into Nigerian football history after defeating Ikorodu City F.C. 2-1 on Sunday to win the 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title.
The victory at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena secured Rangers’ ninth league crown, drawing them level with Enyimba F.C. as the most successful clubs in NPFL history.
The encounter, widely regarded as the standout fixture of the final matchday, lived up to expectations as both sides approached the contest with everything at stake.
Rangers arrived in Lagos knowing that only victory would guarantee them the title, with second-placed Rivers United F.C. waiting to capitalise on any slip from the league leaders.
Ikorodu City, meanwhile, also had plenty to fight for, as a win would significantly boost their hopes of securing continental football next season.
The Flying Antelopes began brightly and eventually found the breakthrough in the 30th minute through captain Chidiebere Nwobodo, who finished calmly to hand the visitors a deserved lead.
Rangers maintained control for large spells of the opening half and carried their 1-0 advantage into the break.
The Enugu side resumed the second half with renewed attacking intent, repeatedly testing the Ikorodu City defence in search of a second goal.
Their pressure paid off in the 55th minute when Nwobodo struck again, completing his brace and sending Rangers supporters into wild celebrations.
However, the hosts responded almost immediately.
Ikorodu City pulled one back three minutes later through Moses Ali, setting up a nervy finish and raising the intensity inside the stadium.
The goal ensured a tense final stretch for Rangers, who knew that anything short of victory could hand the title to Rivers United, who were already cruising to a comfortable win over Katsina United F.C. in Port Harcourt.
Despite mounting pressure from the hosts, Rangers held firm to preserve their 2-1 lead until the final whistle, sparking jubilant scenes among players and fans, who broke into chants of “Holy, Holy, Holy, Enugu Rangers is another champion”.
The victory capped one of the most dramatic final-day title races in recent NPFL history, with Rangers ultimately finishing ahead of Rivers United, who defeated Katsina United 3-0 but fell just short in the championship race.
Both Rangers and Rivers United will represent Nigeria in next season’s CAF Champions League, while Shooting Stars S.C. secured a CAF Confederation Cup spot after finishing third.
At the other end of the table, there was a major shock as defending champions Remo Stars F.C. suffered relegation after ending the campaign in 17th position.
Elkanami Warriors, Bayelsa United F.C. and Wikki Tourists F.C. were the other teams relegated, finishing 18th, 19th and 20th respectively.
Rangers’ triumph marks another landmark achievement for the Coal City club and further cements their place among Nigeria’s football elite.
Pep Guardiola and Mohamed Salah entered the history books following the conclusion of the 2025/26 Premier League season on Sunday.
Both men will leave Manchester City and Liverpool, respectively, after the Premier League campaign ended on Sunday evening.
Guardiola led Man City in his final game in charge of the club as they lost 2-1 against Aston Villa at Etihad.
However, according to OptaJoe, the match against Villa was Guardiola’s 593rd and final game at Manchester City, overtaking the Cityzens former manager Les McDowall for most games in charge of the Premier League giants in their history.
Similarly, Salah provided teammate Curtis Jones with an assist as Liverpool drew 1-1 with Brentford at Anfield on the final day of the Premier League.
Salah’s assist was his 93rd for Liverpool in the Premier League, surpassing Steven Gerrard’s 92 assists to become the outright most for the Reds in the competition.
The Egyptian international will now leave Liverpool for a new club as the Premier League season ended today.
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