Asociated Press

Madrid, May 16:

Deportivo de La Coruna beat Celta de Vigo 3-0 in the 37th and penultimate round of Spanish league matches to maintain faint hopes of finishing runner-up to champion Valencia.

No 18 Celta’s defeat at the hands of its archrival from Galicia left it virtually certain to forfeit the first-division place it has held for the last 12 seasons. In other match, No 19 Valladolid lost 1-0 to Real Betis, dealing a severe blow to its hopes of staying in first division. Deportivo stays fourth with 68 points, but remains only one point behind Barcelona and two behind Real Madrid and Valencia has 77 points. Both games were preceded by tributes to Atletico de Madrid owner Jesus Gil, who died on Friday. Celta never recovered from a nightmare start in which it conceded three goals in the first 26 minutes. Brazilian Sylvinho turned a cross by Deportivo Fran Gonzalez past goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero in the 13th minute.

Uruguayan Walter Pandiani then scored his 12th goal of the season in the 24th, with Spanish Pedro Munitis taking advantage of Sergio Gonzalez’s through ball two minutes later to score the third. Celta’s disappointment got the better of its Argentine defender Eduardo Berizzo, who received his marching orders in the 83rd for a harsh tackle on Munitis. The ejection was Berizzo’s fourth of the season. Valladolid’s 11-year tenure in the first division also looks set to end after its defeat at Betis. Brazilian midfielder Marcos Assuncao seized on a poor clearance to score the only goal in the 75th with a subtle chip from outside the penalty area.

Fans pay tribute to Arsenal

London: Tens of thousands of Arsenal fans took to the streets of North London to celebrate the team’s Premier League title and undefeated league record. Arsenal, which clinched the title last month, beat Leicester 2-1 at Highbury on Saturday to finish with 26 wins and 12 losses. The Highbury stadium was a sea of red and white as the fans saluted players and manager Arsene Wenger, who were paraded in three open-topped buses. Pictures of the players were emblazoned on the buses. Sky Sports reported that 250,000 people were in

attendance. The Gunners finished 11 points ahead of Chelsea and were 15 better than Manchester United. — AP