Guardiola stays true to word in Barcelona triumph

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As promised, Pep Guardiola stayed true to his unflinching word as Barcelona used its panache to beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League final.

The 38-year-old rookie coach promised flair and bravado for Wednesdays final, and his team delivered at Stadio Olimpico.

If youre brave, if you press ahead, thats the best chance, Guardiola said. Theres nothing riskier than not to risk.

Only the sixth man to win Europes top competition as a player (1992) and coach, he said the Spanish champions would attack from the opening whistle.

They never relented.

We attacked, we defended and we won, said Guardiola. We wanted to be able to say that we played and were not cowards and we made it.

Samuel Etoos 10th-minute goal set the Catalans on their way and, by the time Lionel Messi sealed it with a 70th-minute header, there seemed little doubt as Barcelonas mix of slick passing born of possession - it held the advantage - shut out the defending champion.

We had chances, they have chances, and at the end we have control of the game and this is good for us, Guardiola said. Because without the ball we are a horrible team, a disaster team. And we got it.

Still, Guardiola pranced along the sidelines to the very end, enjoying every moment of the clubs historic win. It joined United, Ajax, Celtic and PSV Eindhoven as the only clubs to achieve the treble - the Champions League and domestic league and cup.

Not bad for a 38-year-old coach in his debut season.

I think … I dont know … that Im happy, he said.

Barcelona won the Spanish league with a record points haul and added a record 25th Copa del Rey title. It had gone two seasons without silverware before Guardiola replaced Frank Rijkaard at the end of last season.

Its a great achievement, first year as a coach, United counterpart Alex Ferguson said. Well done.

United was chasing its fourth European Cup title, and fourth trophy this season after winning the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup and League Cup.

That made the victory even more special.

Uniteds stadium is called the Theater of Dreams, so to beat them gives more prestige, Guardiola said.

He had one last request for Barcelona fans in the Italian capital as he expected them to celebrate into the night - also show some class.

Please do not break any windows or traffic lights, he said.

Red Bulls announce skybox prices for new stadium

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Skyboxes at the new Red Bull Arena will range from $65,000 to $75,000, the team announced on Wednesday.

The 25,000-seat arena is being constructed in Harrison and is scheduled to open for the 2010 Major League Soccer season.

Each of the 30 skyboxes will seat 17 to 22 fans and requires a multiyear lease. The prices include all food and beverages, except alcohol. Leaseholders have access to all MLS regular season and playoff matches and may use their suite for private events.

Leaseholders also have the first right of refusal to purchase skybox tickets for other events at the arena.

The team said each of its 1,000 club seats will sell for $3,000 with a multiyear lease required. Club seat leases also include food and beverages, but not alcohol.

The skyboxes and club seats, which comprise 6 percent of the seats in the arena, go on sale June 5.

The team plans to announce ticket prices for the rest seats in the next two weeks. Current season-ticket holders can avoid a price increase next season by renewing their tickets before June 19.

Star-studded teams in Champions final

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From Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi to Wayne Rooney vs Thierry Henry, this Champions League final shapes up as a classic of European club soccer.

Already with the domestic league and cup titles to show for his first season as a coach, Barcelonas Pep Guardiola chases the ultimate prize in European club soccer on Wednesday when he bids to topple Manchester United and Alex Ferguson in a final fans all over the world have been waiting for.

I think we have been able to show maturity for quite a few months, but tomorrows game is the most important, Guardiola told reporters at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday. I want the players to feel well, to feel beautiful, to feel like they are playing in front of the whole world, to be daring and to feel that they are here because they deserve it and to show how good we are. Its the best match to show it.

After scoring 151 league and cup goals this season, Barcelona has the ability to take the title from defending champion United, which also captured the Premier League title for the third season in a row and 11th time in 17 years.

While Barcelona is chasing its third trophy of the season, United is after a fourth. Fergusons team has also captured the FIFA Club World Cup and domestic League Cup.

United will make more history on Wednesday if South Korean star Park Ji-sung becomes the first Asian player to play in a Champions League final, after being surprisingly left out of the squad that beat Chelsea on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw in Moscow.

I think there was a terrible disappointment last season when we didnt include him in the squad, Ferguson said Tuesday. I can assure you he will be involved in the squad tomorrow and, if he plays or comes on, he has an impact that other players like Messi and Ronaldo dont have.

Hes a different type of player. He has fantastic understanding of space and movement which is completely different from Messi and Cristiano. (They) work to have the ball all the time and make things happen, whereas Ji-sung doesnt need the ball.

United defender Rio Ferdinand says he will play after shaking off a calf muscle injury and Guardiola said he was confident striker Thierry Henry and attacking midfielder Andres Iniesta would also be fit, setting up the final even neutral fans have been waiting for.

In Messi, Samuel Etoo and Henry Barcelona has a strikeforce to match or even outplay Uniteds. Ferguson is unlikely to field Ronaldo, Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez all at the same time, and there is speculation that two of them will be on the bench when the game kicks off.

Likewise, Ferguson is unlikely to field both of his 30-something midfielders Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs at the same time against the top quality duo of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.

But Ferguson should have the edge when it comes to defense.

With Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in central defense, that lineup at the back can show why the team set a British record by going 1,311 minutes without conceding a goal in the league during midseason.

Barcelona, by contrast, is counting the cost of having Brazilian right back Daniel Alves and French left back Eric Abidal missing through suspension and Mexican center back Rafael Marquez out through injury.

The only thing missing from this final in Italys capital are any Italians.

Serie A has missed out again in a competition it used to dominate when AC Milan and Juventus were at their best.

Now Italys top teams can only watch, although there are security fears that local fans may try to ambush the spectacle by targeting the visiting 50,000 spectators from England and Spain, who have been advised to stay away from certain parts of the city on match day.

Champions League winner to net ?110 million

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A victory in Wednesdays Champions League final will net Manchester United or Barcelona at least ?110 million ($154 million), according to a new study.

Even the loser will take home ?65 million ($91 million) from a match that is worth more than ?310 million ($433 million) to the European economy. Thats ?43 million ($60 million) more than last years final at Moscow which United won on penalties against Chelsea.

The global economic downturn has actually benefited Europes top-tier competition as prize money and television rights have grown while fans have preferred to spend their money on something that helps them forget about these dour times.

Rome will also receive a boost of ?45 million ($63 million) for hosting the match at Stadio Olimpico, with a long-term boom effect on tourism.

The MasterCard study, one of the official sponsors of the competition, said the winning city would also see a benefit by ?15 million ($21 million).

Ferguson gets in a jab at Madrid

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Facing a Spanish opponent in the Champions League final, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson couldnt resist taking a dig at a favorite target of his - Real Madrid.

United will wear its all-white kit for Wednesdays final against Barcelona, just as in 1991 when they beat the Catalan club in the European Cup Winners Cup final.

Ferguson broke into laughter when a journalist reminded him that Barcelonas last match against a team dressed in white was a 6-2 trouncing of Madrid.

That wasnt defeat - that was annihilation, Ferguson quipped. Barcelona are the home team so they wear their home strip. We are very happy with that, very happy with white. And were better than Madrid.

Ferguson has been involved in a long-running feud with Madrid over its constant attempts to unsettle star player Cristiano Ronaldo, who has said he wants to play for the Spanish club.

HOT MESSI: Barcelona technical director Txiki Begiristain hopes Lionel Messi is fed up with the comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo, and takes it out on Manchester United at the Champions League final.

If Messi is annoyed he becomes very dangerous, Begiristain said. I hope hes annoyed. There are a lot of comparisons and that annoys him and motivates him a lot.

Begiristain also is calling on his team to complete the perfect season after triumphs in the Spanish league and cup competitions.

We have done very well to get to here now, and now it is time to finish off the work of a whole season, he said. This is a unique opportunity in the history of the club. We need to enjoy it and focus to achieve it.

SORE SPOT: Dimitar Berbatov wont be hurrying to take a spot kick if the Champions League final goes to penalties for the second season in a row.

The Bulgarian striker was ridiculed in the media for a softly taken penalty which was easily saved by Evertons Tim Howard when United lost a shootout in last months FA Cup semifinal.

That hurt, he said ahead of Wednesdays Man United-Barcelona final in Rome. Im not sure Id step up now.

Berbatov said he wanted to the help the team win the title for the second year in a row because he wasnt around for last seasons success against Chelsea in Moscow, where United won a shootout after a 1-1 draw.

I am part of this team but I dont feel fully part of it as I didnt win the Champions League (last season), he said. If we can do that again this year, with me in the team, it will mean so much. I was jealous watching last year.

STATE BUSINESS: Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero expects Barcelona to secure its third Champions League trophy against Manchester United on Wednesday.

Zapatero, an avid Barcelona fan, will attend the match at Romes Olimpico Stadium alongside King Juan Carlos.

And they will win playing very well, which is how they played all season to get there, Zapatero said on Tuesday. Yes, now is the moment in which I believe Barcelona has the best team in its history.

Barcelona is looking to cap a perfect year by becoming only the fifth Spanish team to win three trophies in a season after already taking the Spanish league title and domestic cup trophy.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED: Former Barcelona and Manchester United forward Jordi Cruyff believes that Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will have a surprise up his sleeve when the two teams meet in Wednesdays Champions League final.

Cruyff, who played alongside current Barca coach Pep Guardiola at Camp Nou and for four years under Ferguson at Old Trafford, said Tuesday that the 67-year-old United manager had the knack of doing something different to put his opponents off guard.

Like the old fox that he is, he will have a surprise prepared to beat Barca, Cruyff told Catalan TV station RAC1. In my time at Old Trafford he used to make incredible decisions and if he used an unexpected player he would usually get it right.

He is unpredictable, but his gambles almost always work out.

PICK YOUR POISON: British bookmakers Williams Hill cant split Manchester United and Barcelona - both teams are listed as 10-11 shots to win the famous trophy.

Both teams are 11-1 to score a winner in extra time and 9-1 to win on penalties.

Although Barcelonas stars have scored by far the most league and cup goals this season - 151 - Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo has the shortest odds to score first at 7-4 ahead of Wayne Rooney and Samuel Etoo at 2-1.

Newcastle relegated from Premier League

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One-time Newcastle great Alan Shearer failed to keep the club in the Premier League after it lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on Sunday and was relegated along with West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough.

On a tense final day of the league campaign, Sunderland and Hull managed to stay up despite losing.

Hull lost 1-0 at home to newly crowned champion Manchester United, which rested most of its stars ahead of Wednesdays Champions League final against Barcelona, and Sunderland tumbled 3-2 at home to third-place Chelsea.

Middlesbrough needed a big victory at West Ham to stand any chance of survival, but lost 2-1 and finished tied on points with West Brom, which already was assured of being relegated despite a 0-0 draw at Blackburn.

West Brom and Middlesbrough finished with 32 points, Newcastle had 34, Hull 35 and Sunderland 36.

Newcastle has not won the league since 1927, but began the season with high hopes under Kevin Keegan. He quit after disputes with the owner, and Shearer, a local-born former England captain who scored a Premier League record 260 goals, took over for the last eight games, winning only one.

I cant say we were unlucky in the season. We went down because we werent good enough over 38 games, said Shearer, who scored 206 league and cup goals for Newcastle. Big changes have to be made at the football club.

In Sundays other games, Arsenal outplayed Stoke 4-1, Liverpool beat Tottenham 3-1, Everton won 2-0 at Fulham, Manchester City edged Bolton 1-0, and Wigan beat Portsmouth 1-0.

MILAN - Francesco Tottis late free kick ruined Paolo Maldinis last home match for AC Milan, lifting AS Roma to a 3-2 victory at San Siro.

Now 40, Maldini has been playing for Milan in the top flight of Italian soccer since he was 16. He has won seven Italian league titles and five European Cups with the club.

He will make his farewell when Milan goes to Fiorentina in the last round of games next weekend. The loss left Milan in second 10 points behind Inter Milan, which has already been crowned champion for the fourth season in a row.

MADRID - Runner-up Real Madrid continued its disappointing end to the Spanish league season with a 3-1 loss to Mallorca in its final home game.

Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring for the home team with his 21st goal of the season, only for Juan Arango, Cleber Santana and Alhassane Keita to reply for Mallorca and inflict Madrids fourth straight defeat.

With one game remaining, champion Barcelona has a league record tally of 86 points. Madrid has 78, Sevilla 67 and Atletico Madrid 64.

On Saturday, Barcelona lost 1-0 to lowly Osasuna. Barca plays Manchester United in the Champions League final on Wednesday.

Sevilla ensured a third-place finish by beating Deportivo La Coruna 1-0, while Recreativo Huelva and Numancia became the first teams to be relegated after each lost 1-0 to Racing Santander and Getafe, respectively.

Other results were: Athletic Bilbao 1, Atletico Madrid 4; Villarreal 3, Valencia 1; Valladolid 1, Sporting Gijon 2; Almeria 0, Espanyol 3; and Malaga 1, Real Betis 1.

GLASGOW, Scotland - Rangers won the Scottish league title with a 3-0 victory at Dundee United, preventing Celtic from winning its fourth straight title.

Goals by Kyle Lafferty, Pedro Mendes and Kris Boyd in the first 52 minutes gave Walter Smiths team its first league title since 2005 with 86 points. It now hopes to complete the double by beating Falkirk in the Scottish Cup on May 30.

Celtic, which was held to a 0-0 draw at home by third-place Hearts, finished four points behind.

Dundee Uniteds loss means it slipped to fifth and missed out to Aberdeen for a Europa League spot next season. Aberdeen beat Hibernian 2-1 and finished ahead of Dundee United on goal differential.

ATHENS, Greece - Panathinaikos beat PAOK 4-1 in the Greek league playoffs for European competition to move closer to a place in the Champions League qualifiers.

Giorgos Karagounis, Brazilian defender Gabriel, Dimitris Salpingidis and Antonis Petropoulos scored for Panathinaikos, while Ilias Anastasakos notched PAOKs consolation goal.

The win, combined with a 0-0 draw for AEK at Larissa, brought Panathinaikos closer to winning the four-team playoffs and gaining a berth in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League. Two other teams will play in the second-tier Europa League.

After five rounds, Panathinaikos leads with 15 points, followed by AEK with 12, PAOK with six and Larissa with one. Based on their regular-season standings, PAOK began the six-game playoffs with a bonus of three points, Panathinaikos with two, AEK with one and Larissa with no points.

Panathinaikos plays AEK and Larissa travels to PAOK in the last round next Sunday.

Standard beats Anderlecht to retain Belgian title

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Standard Liege beat Anderlecht 1-0 in the decisive playoff game to retain its Belgian league title on Sunday.

Axel Witsel converted a penalty in the 39th minute to earn Standard a 2-1 victory on aggregate after last Thursdays first leg at Anderlecht had finished 1-1.

A playoff was needed after both teams finished with 77 points in the regular season. Last season, Standard won its first league title in 25 years.

On Saturday, Racing Genk won the Belgian Cup, beating FC Mechelen 2-0 in the final.

Football Results

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Results from the 37th round of Spains first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Saturdays Games

Villarreal 3, Valencia 1

Barcelona 0, Osasuna 1

Sevilla 1, Deportivo La Coruna 0

Getafe 1, Numancia 0

Recreativo Huelva 0, Racing Santander 1

Valladolid 1, Sporting Gijon 2

Malaga 1, Real Betis 1

Almeria 0, Espanyol 3

Athletic Bilbao 1, Atletico Madrid 4

Sundays Game

Real Madrid 1, Mallorca 3

Sunday, May 31

Mallorca vs. Villarreal

Osasuna vs. Real Madrid

Deportivo La Coruna vs. Barcelona

Numancia vs. Sevilla

Racing Santander vs. Getafe

Sporting Gijon vs. Recreativo Huelva

Real Betis vs. Valladolid

Espanyol vs. Malaga

Atletico Madrid vs. Almeria

Valencia vs. Athletic Bilbao

—-
Portuguese Football Results

Results from the 30th round of the Portuguese first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Saturdays Games

Leixoes 1, Maritimo 0

Guimaraes 3, Academica 2

Naval 2, Setubal 2

Rio Ave 2, Amadora 1

Pacos Ferreira 1, Trofense 0

Benfica 3, Belenenses 1

Sundays Games

Sporting 3, Nacional 1

Porto 1, Braga 1

—-
Norwegian Football Results

Results from the Norwegian first division (home teams listed first).

Sundays Games

Odd Grenland 2, Fredrikstad 0

Lillestrom 2, Sandefjord 1

Tromso 1, Lyn 0

Start 4, Bodo Glimt 0

Valerenga 1, Stromsgodset 0

Rosenborg 1, Viking 0

Mondays Game

Alesund vs. Stabaek

Thursdays Game

Brann vs. Molde

—-
Danish Football Results

Results Sunday from the Danish first division (home teams listed first).

Horsens 2, Nordsjalland 3

Aarhus 1, Brondby 0

Randers 3, Vejle 2

Midtjylland 1, Odense 1

Aalborg 1, SonderjyskE 1

Esbjerg 0, FC Copenhagen 1

—-
English Football Results

Results Sunday in English football (home teams listed first).

Premier League

Arsenal 4, Stoke 1

Aston Villa 1, Newcastle 0

Blackburn 0, West Bromwich Albion 0

Fulham 0, Everton 2

Hull 0, Manchester United 1

Liverpool 3, Tottenham 1

Manchester City 1, Bolton 0

Sunderland 2, Chelsea 3

West Ham 2, Middlesbrough 1

Wigan 1, Portsmouth 0

League One Playoff

Final

At Wembley

Millwall 2, Scunthorpe 3

—-
Italian Football Results

Results in the Serie A, the Italian first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Sunday, May 24

Atalanta 2, Palermo 2

Cagliari 2, Inter Milan 1

Catania 3, Napoli 1

Chievo Verona 0, Bologna 0

Lecce 1, Fiorentina 1

AC Milan 2, AS Roma 3

Sampdoria 2, Udinese 2

Siena 0, Juventus 3

Torino 2, Genoa 3

Sunday, May 31

Bologna vs. Catania

Fiorentina vs. AC Milan

Genoa vs. Lecce

Inter Milan vs. Atalanta

Juventus vs. Lazio

Napoli vs. Chievo Verona

Palermo vs. Sampdoria

Reggina vs. Siena

AS Roma vs. Torino

Udinese vs. Cagliari

—-
Scottish Football Results

Results Sunday in Scottish football (home teams listed first).

Premier League

Aberdeen 2, Hibernian 1

Dundee United 0, Rangers 3

Celtic 0, Hearts 0

Bordeaux, Marseille win to keep race alive

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Bordeaux and Marseille both won on Saturday to set up a decisive final round of the French league next week, with Bordeaux leading Marseille by three points at the top.

Bordeaux survived some nervy moments to beat Monaco 1-0 at home thanks to Marouane Chamakhs 13th goal of the season, while Marseille won 2-1 at Nancy on a deflected strike from Laurent Bonnart and a goal from Brazilian striker Brandao.

The win took Bordeaux to 77 points from 37 matches, while Marseille has 74 points.

Bordeaux set a new French record with its 10th straight league win.

The lads are in the process of doing something exceptional, coach Laurent Blanc said. We cant do any better than that. They deserve their place in history.

But Marseille can still win the title if it wins its final match at home against Rennes next week and Bordeaux loses at Caen, which needs to win to avoid relegation.

We wanted to take the title race to the last week and were still around, Marseille coach Eric Gerets said. Were not favorites but we are still in it. The French league will have an amazing finale thanks to Marseille.

Gerets was counting on Caen thwarting Bordeauxs party plans.

Caen will play to win and to save its skin, Gerets said. It is a quite exceptional end to the season.

Monaco missed several chances against a lackluster Bordeaux, which defended for most of the match after Chamakhs 38th-minute goal, where he rose to head in a dipping cross from Yoann Gourcuff.

I dont think we deserved to lose, Monaco coach Ricardo said.

At Nancy, Brandao headed in Mamadou Niangs cross after just five minutes, but the goal was ruled offside, even though television replays showed the forward was nearly one meter behind Nancys defender when Niangs cross came in.

At Bordeaux, the visitor pushed forward in the closing stages and goalkeeper Ulrich Rame had to make a smart save in the closing stages to deny Monaco a point.

Elsewhere, seven-time defending champion Lyon beat Caen 3-1 at home to ensure a third-place finish and a slot in the Champions League qualifying round with 70 points. Juninho got his 100th career goal for Lyon, while Sidney Govou and Karim Benzema completed the win.

In other results, it was: Auxerre 1, Saint-Etienne 0; Le Havre 0, Lille 1; Le Mans 1, Grenoble 1; Nice 0, Toulouse 2; Rennes 3, Lorient 1; Sochaux 2, Nantes 1; and Valenciennes 2, Paris Saint-Germain 1.

At Lyon, Juninho scored from the penalty spot in the 34th after he was fouled controlling a pass from Benzema, who earlier had a goal ruled out for offside. Juninho is expected to leave the club at the end of the season and was given a long standing ovation when he was substituted near the end.

In the race for a Europa Cup place, Toulouse leapfrogged PSG into fourth place on goals difference, with both teams on 63 points; Rennes and Lille are close behind with 61 each.

PSG took the lead in the 11th minute when Mateja Kezman turned in Ludovic Giulys cross, but Valenciennes bounced back on second-half goals from Johan Audel and Gregory Pujol. Valenciennes coach Antoine Kombouare is expected to join PSG.

Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac notched both goals to improve his league-leading tally to 24.

Gignac got his first in the 13th minute when he broke down the right and his cross was poorly cleared, allowing him to collect the loose ball and finish the move he started with a low strike.

The second in the 31st was brilliant as he deftly collected a high ball down the left side, cut inside his marker without breaking stride and slotted in a low shot inside the near post.

At the bottom of the table, Le Havre was already relegated with 25 points, while Nantes was all but relegated with 34, and Saint-Etienne dropped into the relegation zone with 37.

Caen also had 37 and led Saint-Etienne on goal difference. Saint-Etienne hosts Valenciennes next weekend.

Sochaux took a big step toward survival and moved up to 15th place with 39 points, while Le Mans had the same total and was one place behind in 16th.

Turkey striker Mevlut Erding headed in a low pass from the left to give Sochaux the lead in the 35th, and defender Rabiu Afolabi made it 2-0 shortly before halftime to send Nantes closer to the second division. Mamadou Bagayoko gave Nantes some hope when he scored a penalty early in the second half, but the club has a vastly inferior goal difference to Caen.

Of course its finished, veteran Nantes midfielder Frederic Da Rocha said.

Wolfsburg wins German championship

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Wolfsburg won its first Bundesliga title when it beat Werder Bremen 5-1 in the final round Saturday.

Felix Magaths team finished the season with 69 points, two ahead of last years champion, Bayern Munich, which edged Stuttgart 2-1. Magath, who has also won two titles with Bayern, is leaving to coach Schalke next season.

At the start of the season, I really didnt think we had a chance of winning the title, Magath said after getting drenched in champagne by his players. But I knew we had a good team and we played well and deserved the title.

Bayerns consolation prize will be to join Wolfsburg in the Champions League next season. Stuttgart, which finished third with 64 points, will have to qualify.

Hertha Berlin, which lost 4-0 at relegated Karlsruhe, finished fourth with 63 points and will join Hamburger SV in the Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup. Hamburg won 3-2 at Eintracht Frankfurt to finish fifth with 61 points.

Karlsruhe and Arminia Bielefeld were demoted, while Energie Cottbus will go into a relegation playoff against the third-place team from the second division, still to be determined.

Grafite, Wolfsburgs Brazilian striker, scored twice against Werder to finish with a league-high 28 goals. Edin Dzeko added one for a total of 26.

With 54 goals between them, Grafite and Dzeko set a new Bundesliga record. Gerd Mueller and Hoeness twice combined for 53 goals for Bayern in the early 1970s.

MADRID - Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola received a red card near the end of the new Spanish league champions 1-0 loss to lowly Osasuna.

Guardiola, who will lead Barcelona into Wednesdays Champions League final, was sent off after protesting the 81st-minute ejection of substitute Marc Muniesa, leading an annoyed crowd at Camp Nou to wave white handkerchiefs at referee Antonio Rubinos Perez.

Osasuna applauded a second-string Barcelona onto the field then notched the games only goal in the 26th minute when Walter Pandiani headed in midfielder Jaroslav Plasils corner kick.

Barcelonas loss was its second straight since it won the league and Copa del Rey titles, while Osasunas win kept alive its hopes of remaining in the topflight.

In other games, Sevilla ensured a third-place finish by beating Deportivo 1-0, while Recreativo Huelva and Numancia became the first teams to be relegated after each losing 1-0 to Racing Santander and Getafe respectively.

Also, it was: Athletic Bilbao 1, Atletico Madrid 4; Villarreal 3, Valencia 1; Valladolid 1, Sporting Gijon 2; Almeria 0, Espanyol 3; and Malaga 1, Real Betis 1.

LISBON, Portugal - Trofense and Belenenses were relegated from the Portuguese league after suffering defeats in final-round games.

Last-place Trofense lost 1-0 at Pacos Ferreira, while No. 15 Belenenses went down 3-1 at Benfica. The results allowed the other two relegation-threatened teams, Rio Ave and Setubal, to survive.

Trofense, promoted last season, saw its hopes of avoiding a swift return to the second division thwarted when William scored in the 75th minute for Pacos Ferreira.

Belenenses ended an 11-year stay in the top division despite a third-minute goal at Benfica by its captain Silas. The home team then replied through goals by Oscar Cardozo in the 21st, Filipe Bastos in the 63rd and substitute Pedro Mantorras in injury time.

Rio Ave escaped losing its first-division place after one season with a 2-1 win over Amadora, while Setubal drew 2-2 at Naval.

Trofense and Belenenses will be replaced in next seasons league by second-division champion Olhanense and either Santa Clara or Leiria.

In other games, sixth-place Leixoes edged Maritimo 1-0, while Guimaraes downed Academica 3-2.

PARIS - Bordeaux and Marseille both won to set up a decisive final round of the French league next week, with Bordeaux leading Marseille by three points.

Bordeaux survived some nervy moments to beat Monaco 1-0 at home thanks to Marouane Chamakhs 13th goal of the season, while Marseille won 2-1 at Nancy on a deflected strike from Laurent Bonnart and a goal from Brazilian striker Brandao.

The win took Bordeaux to 77 points from 37 matches, while Marseille has 74 points.

Bordeaux set a new French record with its 10th straight league win.

The lads are in the process of doing something exceptional, coach Laurent Blanc said. We cant do any better than that. They deserve their place in history.

But Marseille can still win the title if it wins its final match at home against Rennes next week and Bordeaux loses at Caen, which needs to win to avoid relegation.

Elsewhere, seven-time defending champion Lyon beat Caen 3-1 at home to ensure a third-place finish and a slot in the Champions League qualifying round with 70 points. Juninho got his 100th career goal for Lyon, while Sidney Govou and Karim Benzema completed the win.

In other results, it was: Auxerre 1, Saint-Etienne 0; Le Havre 0, Lille 1; Le Mans 1, Grenoble 1; Nice 0, Toulouse 2; Rennes 3, Lorient 1; Sochaux 2, Nantes 1; and Valenciennes 2, Paris Saint-Germain 1.