United, Barca and Inter win league titles

LONDON – Manchester United and Barcelona, who meet in the Champions League final later this month, sealed their respective domestic league titles at the weekend with games to spare.Inter Milan won their fourth Serie A title in a row, while VfL Wolfsburg went two points clear in Germany with one game to go.

SPAIN
Barcelona were gifted their 19th Primera Liga title and a first in three years without kicking a ball on Saturday when second-placed Real Madrid were beaten 3-2 at Villarreal.
Barca put out a second-string side on Sunday and lost 2-1 at Real Mallorca as they prepare for the Champions League final against United on May 27 and remained on 86 points with two games left, eight ahead of Real.
At the other end of the table, Sporting Gijon grabbed a 2-1 home win over Malaga that lifted them to 17th on 37 points, above Osasuna, who drew 0-0 with Sevilla, thanks to a better head-to-head record. Recreativo Huelva are bottom on 33 points after they lost 1-0 at Numancia, who have 35.
ENGLAND
Manchester United captured their 18th English league title, and their third in a row, when they secured the point they needed in a nervy 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal.
United moved to 87 points with one game remaining, ending the formidable challenge of Liverpool, who are on 83 after a 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion that relegated their opponents.
Chelsea, whose fans applauded interim manager Guus Hiddink in his last home game in charge, beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 to stay third, three points behind Liverpool.
ITALY
Inter Milan picked up their 17th league title and fourth in a row when second-placed AC Milan lost 2-1 at Udinese on Saturday. Jose Mourinho’s side then beat Siena 3-0 at home on Sunday to celebrate their triumph.
Juventus, forced to play behind closed doors because of fans’ racist chanting, drew 2-2 at home with Atalanta and are in danger of losing the third automatic Champions League spot.
With just two games left, fourth-placed Fiorentina are a point behind after beating Sampdoria 1-0.
Lecce look doomed after slipping five adrift of safety at the bottom following a 2-1 loss at fellow strugglers Bologna.
GERMANY
Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko scored his second hat-trick in four matches as league leaders VfL Wolfsburg stormed to a 5-0 win at Hanover 96 and opened up a two-point gap with one match left.
Champions Bayern Munich are second after dropping two points in their 2-2 draw against Hoffenheim despite yet another sparkling display by playmaker Franck Ribery who scored one and set up the other for Italian Luca Toni.
VfB Stuttgart eased past Energie Cottbus 2-0 with Thomas Hitzlsperger and Cacau on target, to go level on 64 points with Bayern Munich, whom they face next week.
FRANCE
Girondins Bordeaux made a step towards their first Ligue 1 title in 10 years as they moved three points clear at the top of the standings with two games left.
They extended their winning streak in the league to nine games with a 3-2 home victory against Le Mans while former leaders Olympique Marseille fell 3-1 at home to outgoing champions Olympique Lyon.
Bordeaux are on 74 points, three ahead of Marseille. Lyon are four points further behind and cannot be crowned champions for an eighth year in a row.
NETHERLANDS
Heerenveen won the Dutch Cup for the first time on Sunday by beating Twente Enschede 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Gerald Sibon struck the winning penalty for Heerenveen, runners-up in 1993 and 1997, after Youssouf Hersi had missed the fifth spot kick for Twente.

RUSSIA
CSKA Moscow went top with 19 points from nine matches after an 85th-minute penalty from Brazilian striker Vagner Love gave them a 2-1 home win over Zenit St Petersburg in an entertaining match.
Champions Rubin Kazan slipped to second, a point behind CSKA, after scraping a last-gasp 2-2 draw at Amkar Perm thanks to a stoppage-time goal by Sergei Semak.
– Nampa-Reuters