MADRID – Barcelona celebrated an impeccable home record this season, securing their 19th consecutive La Liga victory at Camp Nou with a 3-1 triumph over Real Betis. This victory was particularly poignant as it marked Robert Lewandowski’s emotional farewell to the iconic stadium.
The club confirmed on Saturday that Lewandowski, aged 37, would be departing after a remarkable four-season tenure with the Spanish champions.
In a similar vein of goodbyes, Antoine Griezmann bid farewell to Atletico Madrid supporters at Metropolitano Stadium, preparing for his upcoming move to Major League Soccer in the United States. Atletico Madrid celebrated the occasion with a 1-0 win over Girona.
Barcelona’s victory over Real Betis was fueled by two goals from Raphinha and another from João Cancelo, ensuring the team maintained their flawless home record in the Spanish league. The club had already secured their second consecutive league title two rounds prior to this match.
As the season draws to a close with just one round remaining, Lewandowski leaves behind a legacy at Barcelona, having contributed to three Spanish league titles and one Copa del Rey. His tenure saw him net an impressive 119 goals across 192 appearances.
Lewandowski helped Barcelona win three Spanish league titles in four seasons, including this campaign, and one Copa del Rey, while scoring an impressive 119 goals in 192 appearances.
It was an emotional farewell for the Poland striker, who after the match was thrown into the air by his teammates. They also lined up and applauded Lewandowski as he went toward the locker room.
“It has been an honor to play for this club,” Lewandowski said. “We’ve enjoyed some great moments in these four years. I am very proud of everything we have achieved together. Today I say goodbye, but I will always carry Barcelona in my heart. Thank you so much, fans. Once a Barça fan, always a Barça fan.”
Griezmann’s goodbye
Griezmann is Atletico’s all-time leading scorer.
The French forward apologized again to fans on Sunday for having left Atletico to play for rival Barcelona.
“I didn’t realize how much I loved you here. I was very young. I made a mistake, I reconsidered, and we did everything we could to come back and enjoy it again,” he said.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone praised the 35-year-old Griezmann.
“Griezmann is possibly the best one to have ever played here,” Simeone said. “He’s an extraordinary guy, a genius. He’s the most game-changing player that we’ve coached here.”
Mbappé starts, Sevilla loses but survives
Sevilla avoided relegation despite a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid at home.
Vinícius Júnior scored for Madrid, which had already sealed second place.
Kylian Mbappé started for Madrid three days after saying coach Álvaro Arbeloa had made him the team’s fourth-choice striker. He came off the bench in the win at Oviedo on Thursday in what was his return from an injury layoff.
It was a tight relegation fight coming into Sunday’s matches and Sevilla secured its salvation thanks to other results. Alaves also guaranteed more top-tier soccer next season with a 1-0 win at already relegated Oviedo.
Five teams will enter next weekend’s final round looking to avoid the drop: Levante, Osasuna, Elche, Girona and Mallorca.
Levante moved closer to safety with a 2-0 win over Mallorca and is 15th with 42 points, the same number of points as 16th-place Osasuna and 17th-place Elche.
Osasuna lost 2-1 to Espanyol at home, while Elche beat 10-man Getafe 1-0.
Inside the relegation zone are 17th-place Girona (40 points), second-to-last Mallorca (39) and Oviedo (29).
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