Barcelona strengthen grip on LaLiga title with win over Valencia

Barcelona bounced back from their Champions League exit in midweek by strengthening their grip on the LaLiga title with a 2-1 victory against Valencia at the Nou Camp.

Luis Suarez and Samuel Umtiti scored early in each half to put the hosts in control but a late penalty, converted by Dani Parejo, made for a nervy finish.

Barcelona are now 14 points ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid while Valencia are a further three points back following the end of their five-match winning run.

Barcelona did not have it all their own way and Marc-Andre ter Stegen had to make saves from Goncalo Guedes and Rodrigo either side of Suarez's opening goal after 15 minutes.

Philippe Coutinho was afforded too much space just outside the area, allowing him to roll an inch-perfect pass into the path of Suarez who calmly slotted past Murara Neto at his near post.

Umtiti headed home Coutinho's corner to give Barcelona a two-goal cushion and some breathing space after 51 minutes.

A poor challenge from Ousmane Dembele on Parejo gave Valencia a way back into the match with three minutes remaining. Parejo picked himself up to score the spot-kick, squeezing the ball beneath Ter Stegen's body to set up an unexpected tense finale.

In the early game on Saturday, Sevilla drew 2-2 with Villarreal - who led through goals from Daniel Raba and Carlos Bacca.

However, the game turned after a 76th-minute red card for Jaume Costa and Nolito and Steven Nzonzi scored to level things up.

Late Ceppitelli winner takes Cagliari closer to Serie A safety

Cagliari eased their Serie A relegation fears courtesy of Luca Ceppitelli's late winner against free-falling Udinese.

Just like last week's defeat to Lazio, Kevin Lasagna gave Udinese an early lead at the Sardegna Arena after great work from Antonin Barak.

But the hosts fought back to win 2-1, Leonardo Pavoletti levelling before the interval before Ceppitelli's header six minutes from time completed the comeback.

The win takes Cagliari five points clear of the bottom three and up to 14th, just a point and a place behind a Udinese side who have now lost nine on the trot in Serie A - with every defeat finishing either 2-0 or 2-1.

Walter Zenga's Crotone remain in the final relegation spot, despite a close-fought clash against Genoa at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, where the hosts ran out 1-0 winners as Daniel Bessa's first-half effort settled the contest.

Chievo, another side facing a battle to avoid the drop, held mid-table Torino to a goalless draw at home to open up at three-point lead over Crotone.

Mattia Bani was shown a late red card for the hosts, but Chievo managed to hang on to take a share of the spoils.

Volland hat-trick puts Leverkusen in box seat in race for Champions League

Niko Kovac's hopes of leaving Eintracht Frankfurt with Champions League football next season were dealt a blow on Saturday with a 4-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen.

It was revealed on the eve of the match that the 46-year-old would leave at the end of the campaign to take over as Bayern Munich's new coach.

The former Bayern midfielder will succeed Jupp Heynckes at the Bundesliga champions, after Heynckes returned to the club to replace Carlo Ancelotti on an interim basis in September.

Kovac has four more league matches remaining, but he was unable to stop Leverkusen strengthening their grip on a Champions League place as a second-half hat-trick from Kevin Volland sealed victory for the hosts.

Julian Brandt put Leverkusen ahead, but Frankfurt were quickly back on level terms through Marco Fabian's strike.

Volland restored Leverkusen's lead after 71 minutes before going on to score two more goals.

Leverkusen stay fourth in the Bundesliga, now five points ahead of their opponents as well as Hoffenheim, who moved above Frankfurt on goal difference after first-half goals from Serge Gnabry and Adam Szalai gave them a 2-0 win against struggling Hamburg.

Cologne remain the only team below Hamburg in the table and the bottom club look in grave danger of relegation after a 2-1 defeat at Hertha Berlin.

Leonardo Bittencourt put Cologne in front, but Davie Selke's quick-fire double at the start of the second half turned the game on its head.

Niclas Fullkrug's injury-time equaliser earned Hannover a 1-1 draw at Stuttgart, who had led courtesy of Erik Thommy's 53rd-minute goal.

Lyon sweep aside Amiens to keep up pressure in race for second spot

Lyon turned up the heat on Monaco in the battle for second spot in Ligue 1 with a 3-0 victory over Amiens.

Mariano Diaz's first-half strike set the hosts on their way and late goals from Memphis Depay and Bertrand Traore wrapped up the points for Bruno Genesio's side at the Groupama Stadium.

Lyon's fifth successive league win moves them to within four points of second-placed Monaco, who go to Paris St Germain on Sunday in a match which could see the leaders clinch the title.

Diaz, Depay and Traore have been a prolific attacking triumvirate for Lyon this season, netting 48 goals between them in all competitions coming into this match, and it was no surprise to see their names on the scoresheet once again.

They all struck in Lyon's 5-0 win at Metz last time out and the only surprise was it took one of them 31 minutes to open the scoring here.

Marcelo, Traore (twice) and Depay all tried their luck before Diaz broke the deadlock following a rapid counter-attack.

Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes quickly set his side on their way after an Amiens attack had broken down and less than 15 seconds later the ball was in the back of the visitors' net, with Diaz finishing things off after picking up Depay's lay-off before drilling home his 20th goal of the season.

Lyon continued to create openings but, with Regis Gurtner and the Amiens defence refusing to buckle, the score remained 1-0 heading into the final 10 minutes, leaving the hosts at risk of seeing their mid-table opponents - who were on a four-match unbeaten run - snatch a leveller.

However, Depay put that possibility to bed in the 83rd minute when he struck for the fourth successive game - and for the 17th time this season in all competitions - to make it 2-0 with a close-range volley after Traore had raced away down the right.

Traore then added a third two minutes later to wrap up the win, the Burkina Faso forward slotting home low into the corner of the net after the ball had fallen kindly to him eight yards out.