Barcelona champions again as Suarez breaks spell of Ronaldo and Messi
MADRID: Luis Suarez became the first striker in nine years to outscore Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Spanish league as his hat-trick secured a second successive title for Barcelona.
The Uruguayan reached 40 goals for the season as the Catalans won 3-0 at Granada to finish one point clear of Champions League finalists Real Madrid who won 2- at Deportivo de La Coruna.
Suarez’s first-half double put the defending champions in control and the Uruguay international confirmed Barca’s 24th La Liga crown with his third goal four minutes from time.
Madrid, who entered the weekend just a point behind their fierce rivals, beat Deportivo 2-0 courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo brace but it proved in vain.
Ultimately Barcelona recovered in winning style from three defeats in a row last month as they secured a fifth successive victory and a sixth title in eight years.
Ibrahimovic farewell
In France outgoing Zlatan Ibrahimovic became Paris Saint-Germain’s top-scorer in a single season after marking his final appearance at the Parc des Princes with two goals in the champions’ 4-0 victory over Nantes.
The Sweden international, who will leave PSG when his contract expires in the summer, netted in the 17th and 89th minutes to surpass the 37-goal record set by Carlos Bianchi in 1977-78.
The first-half opener came just seven minutes after the home crowd paid tribute to Ibrahimovic, skipper for the night, with a standing ovation.
Ibrahimovic was also involved in the build-up to PSG’s second goal two minutes before half-time from Lucas Moura and, after Marquinhos added a third seven minutes after the interval, the striker had the final say with his record-breaking effort at the death.
Toulouse scored two late goals to beat Angers 3-2 and retain their top-flight status, condemning both Reims and Ajaccio to relegation in a dramatic relegation finale.
Lewandowski records
In Germany Stuttgart were relegated for the first time in more than 40 years as Bayern Munich sealed their league success with Robert Lewandowski become the first 30-goal marksmen in the Bundesliga in 39 years.
Lewandowski scored Bayern’s first goal in their 3-1 win over Hannover to become the first non-German to reach 30 goals in the history of the Bundesliga. The Poland centre-forward also thus became the first player with 30 goals to his name since Dieter Muller hit 34 in 1976-77.
In Italy Gonzalo Higuain scored a hat trick to break a 66-year-old record and help Napoli secure second spot in Serie A with a 4-0 win over 10-man Frosinone.
Napoli gained direct entry to the Champions League by finishing two points above Roma who won 3-1 away to Milan in the final round of matches. Roma enter the Champions League playoffs.
Higuain’s third goal, an acrobatic bicycle kick, took him to 36 league goals in 35 matches, bettering Milan forward Gunnar Nordahl, who scored 35 times in 37 matches in 1949-50.
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