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Leverkusen’s Son Heung-min celebrates with fans after the team’s match on Saturday. ( AFP-Yonhap) |
BERLIN (AP) ― Nuremberg and Eintracht Braunschweig were relegated on the final day of the Bundesliga season Saturday, while Bayer Leverkusen clinched the last Champions League qualification place.
Leverkusen came from behind to beat Werder Bremen 2-1 and secure fourth place immediately above Wolfsburg, which beat sixth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1. “We knew we had to win,” Leverkusen striker Eren Derdiyok said.
Hamburger SV got the relegation playoff place despite losing 3-2 at Mainz, which secured Europa League football next season by finishing seventh.
Mainz general manager Christian Heidel said after the game that Thomas Tuchel wanted to resign after five years in charge. “He has a contract until 2015. We don’t want to rescind the contract,” Heidel said. Media reports were linking Tuchel with Schalke. Leverkusen provisionally lost fourth place to Wolfsburg after Theodor Gebre Selassie fired Bremen ahead in the 21st and Kevin de Bruyne put Wolfsburg 1-0 up against Gladbach in the 30th.
Leverkusen defender Omer Toprak equalized with a fine header in the 34th and Son Heung-min put his side back in fourth place by scoring in the 53rd for a 2-1 victory. In Wolfsburg, Christoph Kramer equalized for Gladbach in the 64th, before Ivan Perisic and Robin Knoche responded in the 68th and 81st respectively as the hosts won 3-1.
Italy
Javier Zanetti’s last home match at the San Siro was celebrated with a win as Inter Milan beat Lazio 4-1 to all but guarantee a Europa League berth from the Serie A on Saturday.
Zanetti will retire after 19 seasons at Inter, and the stadium was sold out as fans packed in to bid farewell to their 40-year-old captain.
Lazio threatened to spoil the party when Giuseppe Biava scored the opening goal inside two minutes to stun San Siro.
However, Rodrigo Palacio scored twice, either side of Mauro Icardi’s strike, and Hernanes netted against his former club to secure victory.
France
French league champion Paris Saint-Germain broke the record for most points in a season by defeating Lille 3-1 on Saturday.
PSG has 86 points, two more than Lyon’s record in 2006.
Brazilian defender Marquinhos headed home a rebound in the 41st minute after Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama denied Lucas Moura.
Lucas proved more clinical in the 66th, taking a pass from Javier Pastore to double the lead with an angled strike. The PSG winger fed Blaise Matuidi for the third goal in the 83rd.
Spain
With a Europa league berth already secured, Villarreal rolled to a 4-0 win over 10-man Rayo Vallecano in its last home game of the Spanish league on Saturday.
Ikechuwku Uche and Bruno Soriano scored in the first half and Jonathan Pereira struck in the 55th minute in the romp at El Madrigal Stadium.
