Valencia have had their partial stadium closure reduced to three matches and their fine cut to 27,000 euros following the racist abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior by fans.

The Spanish Football Federation appeals committee said that it had decided to “partially uphold” Valencia’s appeal.

It means the partial closure of the Mestalla Stadium has come down from five matches, with an initial 45,000 euros (£39,000) punishment reduced by 18,000 euros.

Vinicius threatened to leave the pitch in the second half of Real Madrid’s LaLiga match against Valencia on Sunday after being subjected to alleged monkey chants from the crowd and Madrid, who said the abuse constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

Valencia had 10 working days to file an appeal to the appeals committee.

LaLiga players and officials called for racism to be tackled in Spain in the wake of Sunday’s match.

Before Tuesday night’s games between Real Valladolid and Barcelona, and Celta Vigo and Girona, players from both sides, as well as the match officials, stood behind banners which read “Racism, out of football”.

Vinicius was set to serve a two or three-match ban after being sent off at Valencia, but Spain’s competition committee – a body formed by one member from LaLiga, one from the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) and one from RFEF (Spanish FA) – has rescinded that red card.

LaLiga, meanwhile, said it would request greater jurisdiction to punish clubs whose fans were guilty of racist abuse after feeling “powerless” at the lack of current sanctions in the wake of the latest Vinicius incident.

According to the country’s law, LaLiga can currently only identify and report incidents, and punishment is rarely handed out.

Four people were arrested in Spain on Tuesday under suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinicius off a bridge in January.

An inflatable doll dressed in a Vinicius shirt was hung from the railings with a banner that read ‘Madrid hates Real Madrid’ ahead of Real’s Copa del Rey game with city rivals Atletico at the start of the year.

And Spanish police confirmed on Tuesday that four suspects had been apprehended.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas claims with the correct legal framework he can eradicate racism in Spanish football within six months.

The problem has been an issue for some time but hit the headlines on Sunday when Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior spoke out after being abused at Valencia, saying Spain was a racist country because of “continuous episodes across several cities”, and his club filed a hate crime complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

That prompted a tetchy response to Vinicius on social media from Tebas, for which he subsequently apologised, but after complaining the league’s hands were tied by the country’s law which means LaLiga can currently only identify and report incidents and punishment is rarely handed out, the outspoken president is adamant he can rapidly eliminate the problem.

“What we want is the power to do more things. With the power we are convinced within months this would be solved,” he told a specially-arranged press conference.

“We are going along the legal route and I think in six months’ time this will be at zero and we will be the best league in the world.

“The competencies we want are for those intolerable behaviours – racism, homophobia.”

When challenged on his six-month solution claim, Tebas added: “We have been able to have economic control to stop our clubs gong bankrupt so if we are given the competencies we can put an end to this because it is easier to stop than financial control.

“Tomorrow, a communique will go to the head of government and political parties requesting the law is urgently modified against racism, xenophobia and intolerance and requesting the (Spanish Football) Federation and LaLiga to have competencies.”

Asked why LaLiga had not made such a request before, Tebas said: “That was probably a mistake of ours too but we thought we were making progress in the courts when we made complaints directly.

“We have seen it is not enough and we need greater agility and more speed to solve these problems more quickly.”

In the interim, Tebas said Vinicius would have his full backing should he decide to walk off the pitch in the face of further racist abuse.

“If he feels affected of course I’d encourage him to leave the pitch,” he said.

“He and the whole team could abandon it. That is the decision of the referee but I’d encourage him to leave the pitch – he will be supported by me personally and LaLiga.”

LaLiga has set up dedicated reporting channels, via email and its website, in order to speed up the identification of people who engage in racist behaviour but since the creation of LaLiga’s integrity and security department in 2015, there have only been, according to documentation provided by LaLiga, more than a dozen racist incidents linked to matches reported.

However, LaLiga also lists nine separate incidents relating to Vinicius since December 2020, four of which have been resolved but with only two found to have featured racism, with the clubs involved allowed to issue sanctions themselves.

Tebas denied Spain was a racist country but admitted he was concerned about the league’s worldwide image in the light of the latest accusations, although he did not think it would deter black players from signing for LaLiga clubs.

“If I weren’t concerned I’d be crazy. Of course I am concerned and we will work to find a solution to turn this image around. Spanish football is not racist,” said Tebas, who said he would speak to Vinicius when things had “calmed down” but had contacted sponsors to offer reassurances.

“We think it doesn’t reflect reality. This is unexpected and difficult but something we have to face up to, we can’t just hide and cry in the corner.

“We do protect black sportspeople from any racism. We will continue to protect them from any insults they receive on the field, in their professional career and outside their professional career.”

Rodrygo’s 89th-minute goal saw Real Madrid return to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over mid-table Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabeu.

Vinicius Junior was absent with a knee problem but his team-mates put on a united show of support for the winger after he was racially abused at Valencia on Sunday, all emerging wearing his shirt and holding up a “racists, out of football” banner.

Karim Benzema put the hosts ahead in the 31st minute but Rayo thought they had snatched a draw when Raul de Tomas equalised six minutes from time, only for Rodrygo to come inside on his right foot and stroke a shot past Stole Dimitrievski from the edge of the area.

Victory moved them back into second place in LaLiga as city rivals Atletico squandered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with second-bottom Espanyol.

Goals from Cesar Montes, Joselu and Vinicius Souza cancelled out strikes from Saul Niguez, Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco and left Espanyol three points from safety with two matches remaining and still in danger of suffering a second top-flight relegation in four seasons.

Two goals from Nicolas Jackson secured a 2-0 win over Cadiz which guaranteed Villarreal fifth place, after Real Betis lost 1-0 to struggling Getafe who in turn boosted their survival chances, while already-relegated Elche drew 1-1 at home to Sevilla.

Inter Milan warmed up for their Champions League final with Manchester City by retaining the Coppa Italia courtesy of two goals from Lautaro Martinez.

Nicolas Gonzalez had given Fiorentina a third-minute lead but Inter’s Argentina international struck twice before half-time to secure the club’s ninth victory in the competition.

Atletico Madrid squandered a three-goal lead in a remarkable 3-3 draw at Espanyol, as Vinicius Souza's equaliser ensured Los Colchoneros missed the chance to go second in LaLiga.

After seeing rivals Real Madrid leapfrog them with a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano, Atleti appeared set to move one point clear in the battle to finish as runners-up when they raced into a 3-0 lead.

Saul Niguez struck first with a left-footed finish from a tight angle 21 minutes in, and Antoine Griezmann's 14th league goal of the season put Diego Simeone's men in control on the stroke of half-time.

Atleti further extended their lead within 14 seconds of the restart, Yannick Carrasco converting the rebound when Angel Correa's drive was palmed away by Fernando Pacheco.

But Espanyol, fighting for their lives near the bottom of LaLiga, were in no mood to roll over. Cesar Montes powered a header home from a right-wing corner before Ivo Grbic's foul on Javier Puado allowed Joselu to convert from the penalty spot.

Vinicius then dented Atleti's bid for second with a glancing header from Aleix Vidal's cross 11 minutes from time, but with the hosts three points adrift of safety, it may not be enough to preserve their top-flight status.

Willian has suggested Vinicius Junior may not feel it is worthwhile to stay at Real Madrid after receiving racist abuse, saying the Brazil winger should be "celebrated, not tolerated".

Vinicius was the victim of racist abuse from some Valencia supporters during Madrid's 1-0 defeat at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday.

The Brazil international was subsequently sent off – a red card that has since been rescinded – while LaLiga president Javier Tebas caused upset with his reaction to the incident.

Tebas responded to a tweet by Vinicius, writing: "Before you criticise and insult LaLiga, you need to inform yourself well, Vini Jr. Don't let yourself be manipulated."

LaLiga's chief has now apologised for his comments, though Willian believes his fellow Brazilian Vinicius would be within his rights to consider whether his future remains in Spain.

"This is a tough question," Fulham playmaker Willian said in an exclusive interview with Stats Perform. 

"Only he can answer what he is feeling. I see him going through this and I get a feeling that is a mixture of anger and sadness, all at the same time, for seeing this situation.

"It's up to each one of us. If he sees that it's worth it to keep being there, if he has all the support from the club, from the Spanish federation, it's worth persisting. But if you see that people don't care about the situation, it might be worth going to another place where you are celebrated, not tolerated.

"I always say this: you have to be where you are celebrated and not tolerated. That is what I believe.

"But Vini is making beautiful history at Real Madrid and has everything to continue making history there. I hope this situation is resolved and the people who do this are punished each time."

Madrid reported the incident to the Spanish prosecutor's office as a hate crime, and three arrests have subsequently been made.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has ordered a partial closure of Valencia's stadium for five matches, and Willian hopes that punishment will be a turning point in the battle against racism.

He added: "I hope so. I hope this can be ahead of money, ahead of trophies, an issue like this, a situation like this is far more important than anything else. I hope the authorities, the federations, can take real action from now on.

"We are in 2023 and we see this happening. It's depressing. It's exhausting. You enter the pitch to play football, to give joy to the fans, and you end up being insulted, and that is very sad. I hope this can end, end once and for all in football, in everyday life, wherever.

"People need to know that we are all equal, there is no difference because of race or colour."

Vinicius did not play for Madrid against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, watching on from the stands as his compatriot Rodrygo scored a late winner.

The Madrid fans showed their support for the 22-year-old with banners and a minute's applause.

Willian, who was the recipient of threats during his spell with Corinthians last year, believes the English Football Association (FA) set a good example for other federations to follow when it comes to tackling racism, but more must be done.

"There is [racism] everywhere," he said. "Here in England, it might happen, but I have never seen, I have never witnessed a situation like the one that has been happening with Vini in Spain.

"In Italy, it happens sometimes too. Here in England, it is more difficult because I think the FA is very strict about these things. I am sure that if this happens here, they will ban the fan immediately, the federation can punish the club, and they can leave them without fans, but it is a complicated situation.

"I've said it many times: while the authorities don't do what has to be done, it's no use. We players do what we can, which is to expose, post on social media, and talk about it in interviews. But we can't punish.

"We players have to simply get on the pitch and keep playing, keep going to training. Those who can punish often don't do what has to be done. We need to have a real rigorous punishment and not just keep running campaigns like 'no to racism' or something like that and that's it.

"I hope that more and more fans can be punished or that whoever does this will be punished."

Vinicius Junior watched on from the stands as his fellow Brazilian Rodrygo sealed a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga.

Madrid winger Vinicius was racially abused by Valencia supporters during Los Blancos' defeat at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday, with the winger then sent off.

With that red card rescinded, injury kept Vinicius from featuring against Rayo on Wednesday, though Karim Benzema's finish had seemingly set Madrid on their way to a comfortable victory.

Raul de Tomas' excellent strike pegged Madrid back, but Rodrygo lashed home in the 89th minute to lift Los Blancos, temporarily at least, into second place.

Rayo were the more threatening in the opening exchanges – Alvaro Garcia heading over between Unai Lopez and Santi Comesana forcing Thibaut Courtois into action.

Yet Madrid went ahead just after the half-hour mark as Rayo were caught napping at a drop-ball, which was taken quickly by Toni Kroos. Federico Valverde and Benzema combined brilliantly to put the latter through and, after coolly rounding Stole Dimitrievski, he tucked home.

Moments after an untimely slip from Rodrygo saw a golden chance go begging for Madrid, Dimitrievski brilliantly denied Benzema a second, instinctively sticking out a hand to keep a close-range shot out.

Dani Carvajal volleyed wide from Luka Modric's chip as Madrid looked to put the game to bed, a wise decision given their record of two defeats from their previous four meetings with Rayo.

Madrid's failure to add to their lead looked to have proved costly with six minutes remaining, substitute De Tomas thumping in a brilliant equaliser.

But Rodrygo had the last laugh with his powerful last-gasp strike, with the 22-year-old raising his right fist in a celebration synonymous with the "black power" salute.

Jordi Alba’s glittering Barcelona career will come to a close at the end of the season after the LaLiga giants announced they had reached an agreement to terminate his contract.

The 34-year-old, who current deal was due to expire at the end of 2023/24, has made 458 appearances for the club and won 19 major trophies since he made his official debut against Real Sociedad in 2012.

Barcelona said in a statement: “FC Barcelona would like to publicly express its gratitude to Alba for his professionalism, commitment and dedication, and his ever-positive and friendly relationship with all members of the Barca family, and wishes him every fortune in the future.

“Barca will always be a home for you, Jordi.”

Alba was born in Barcelona and moved through the club’s youth ranks before being allowed to leave in 2005.

He moved to Valencia for whom he became a first-team regular before Barcelona brought him back to the Nou Camp in 2012.

Real Valladolid took a massive stride towards LaLiga safety as they moved out of the relegation zone after a shock 3-1 home win against Barcelona at Jose Zorrilla.

The hosts had lost their last five games, but stormed into a two-goal lead after 22 minutes when Andreas Christensen's own goal was followed by Cyle Larin's penalty.

Gonzalo Plata’s second-half strike put the result beyond doubt before Robert Lewandowski grabbed a consolation late on.

The result moves Paulo Pezzolano's side above Getafe and into 17th in the LaLiga table, while Barca remain in search of their first league win since being crowned champions a fortnight ago.

Valladolid had the ball in the net after just 82 seconds when Christensen headed Darwin Machis' cross past his own goalkeeper.

Machis and Raphinha went close at either end before the hosts doubled their advantage in the 22nd minute, Larin converting from the penalty spot after Plata was brought down by Eric Garcia.

Barca were denied an instant response with Masip producing a fine pair of saves to deny Raphinha and Christensen from close range.  

Alejandro Balde fired wide shortly after the break, but Valladolid continued to impress, nearly adding a third when Plata's cross struck the outside of the post.

Ferran Torres came closest to igniting a comeback for Xavi's side, but the substitute was unable to turn home Balde's cross at full stretch.

Instead, Valladolid would seal the points in the 73rd minute when Plata's composed finish from Larin's cross was awarded after a VAR check. 

Lucas Rosa's deft chip hit the post for the home side late on, though they were denied a clean sheet when Lewandowski pulled a goal back six minutes from time.

LaLiga will request greater jurisdiction to punish clubs whose fans are guilty of racist abuse after feeling “powerless” at the lack of current sanctions in the wake of the latest Vinicius Junior incident.

The Spanish league is engulfed in a racism scandal after Real Madrid forward Vinicius was allegedly subjected to racist chants during Sunday’s game at Valencia and later claimed it was an example of “continuous episodes spread across several cities in Spain”.

LaLiga, according to the country’s law, can currently only identify and report incidents, and punishment is rarely handed out.

Now it wants legislation changing so that it has the power to impose punishment such as forcing games to be played behind closed doors or financial penalties.

It said in a statement: “LaLiga will request more sanctioning powers, with the aim of being more agile and effective in the fight against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport, where LaLiga has been leading the identification and reporting of such behaviour in football stadiums for years, but feels powerless when observing how its reporting ends.

“Despite its intense and continuous fight against violence and racism to the full extent of its powers (currently, according to Spanish legislation, limited to identifying and reporting the facts that occur), LaLiga feels tremendous frustration at the lack of sanctions and convictions by the sports disciplinary bodies, public administrations and jurisdictional bodies to which it reports.

“Faced with this serious situation, in the coming days LaLiga will formally request the amendment of Law 19/2007 of July 11, against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport and Law 39/2022 of December 30, on sport.

“The purpose of the proposal is to request that LaLiga may exercise disciplinary authority over incidents of this type which occur in matches of the professional competition, so that the disciplinary bodies of LaLiga may proceed to sanction them, among other things, with the total or partial closure of the sports venue, the prohibition of access to it in the case of members/fans and the imposition of financial penalties, without prejudice to the adoption of provisional or precautionary measures that may be appropriate, depending on the nature and seriousness of the incidents.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vinicius Jr. ⚡️?? (@vinijr)

“As we have been repeating in recent days, LaLiga has been leading the fight against violence, racism and intolerance on football pitches, both inside and outside the stadium, identifying such behaviour through its match directors, security officers and television cameras, and subsequently reporting it to the relevant bodies.”

It comes on the day four people have been arrested in Spain under suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinicius off a bridge in January.

An inflatable doll dressed in a Vinicius shirt was hung from the railings with a banner that read ‘Madrid hates Real Madrid’ ahead of Real’s Copa del Rey game with city rivals Atletico at the start of the year.

And Spanish police confirmed on Tuesday that four suspects had been apprehended.

They tweeted: “Arrested in #Madrid 4 people who allegedly hung a mannequin with the #Vinicius shirt on a bridge near the Ciudad Deportiva del @realmadrid.”

The arrests follow the latest racism scandal that has engulfed Spanish football, with Vinicius targeted by racist chants during Sunday’s LaLiga game with Valencia.

The Brazil international threatened to leave the pitch in the second half after being subjected to alleged monkey chants at the Mestalla.

Real Madrid said the abuse constituted a “hate crime” and filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

Valencia confirmed police had identified a fan who made racist gestures at Vinicius and that individual faces a lifetime stadium ban.

Vinicius tweeted on Monday night: “Every round away from home is an unpleasant surprise. And there were many this season. Death wishes, hanged doll, many criminal screams… All registered.

“But the speech always falls on ‘isolated cases’, ‘a fan’. No, these are not isolated cases. They are continuous episodes spread across several cities in Spain (and even in a television programme).

“The evidence is there in the video. Now I ask: how many of these racists had names and photos exposed on websites? I answer to make it easier: zero. None to tell a sad story or make those fake public apologies.

“What is missing to criminalise these people? And punish clubs sportingly? Why don’t sponsors charge LaLiga? Don’t televisions bother to broadcast this barbarity every weekend?

“The problem is very serious and communications no longer work. Not blaming me to justify criminal acts either. You are not football, you are inhuman.”

Real Madrid say racism directed at Vinicius Junior constitutes a ‘hate crime’ and have filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

Brazil forward Vinicius was the subject of an alleged racist attack during Real’s 1-0 LaLiga defeat at Valencia on Sunday.

The game was paused after the break as Vinicius pointed out to the referee those who were allegedly abusing him in the stands at the Mestalla – and the 22-year-old later took to social media to say racism is ‘normal’ in LaLiga.

“Real Madrid CF shows its strongest revulsion and condemns the events that took place yesterday against our player Vinicius Junior,” the club said in a strongly-worded statement on Monday.

“These facts constitute a direct attack on the coexistence model of our social and democratic state of law.

“Real Madrid considers that such attacks also constitute a hate crime, for which reason it has filed the corresponding complaint with the state attorney general’s office, specifically with the prosecutor’s office against hate crimes and discrimination, so that the facts can be investigated and clear responsibilities.

“Article 124 of the Spanish constitution establishes the functions of the public prosecutor’s office to promote the action of justice in defence of legality and the rights of citizens and the public interest.

“For this reason, and given the seriousness of the events that occurred, Real Madrid has turned to the sate attorney general’s office, without prejudice to its appearance as a private prosecution in the proceedings that are being initiated.”

In a statement on Instagram, Vinicius – who was sent off for violent conduct in added time of Real’s defeat following an altercation with striker Hugo Duro – said: “It wasn’t the first time, not the second and not the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga.

“The competition thinks it’s normal, so does the Federation and the opponents encourage it. I am so sorry.

“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi, today belongs to the racists.

“A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and I love, but which accepted to export the image to the world from a racist country.

“Sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists.

“And unfortunately with everything that happens on a weekly basis, I have no way to defend. I agree. But I’m strong and will go to the end against the racists. Even though it’s far from here.”

LaLiga president Javier Tebas responded to Vinicius’ post on Sunday by accusing the forward for “criticising and insulting” the league.

In another tweet on Monday, Tebas said: “Neither Spain nor @LaLiga are racist. It is very unfair to say this.

“How @LaLiga we denounce and fight racism with all rigidity within our competences. This season there were 9 cases of racist insults (8 of them for insults against @vinijr)

“We always identify the violators and take the complaint to the legislating bodies. It doesn’t matter that they are few, they are relentless.

“We cannot allow the image of a competition that is about the symbol of peoples union to be tarnished, where more than 200 players are of black origin in 42 clubs that receive in each round the respect and affection of the fans, being the racism an extremely specific case (9 complaints) that we are going to eliminate.”

Valencia released a statement on their club website condemning what happened and confirming they will investigate what happened.

Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand took to Instagram in support of Vinicius and questioned player protection.

“Bro you need protecting….who is protecting Vinicius Junior in Spain??” Ferdinand posted. “He receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial abuse during the game… wtf.

“How many times do we need to see this young man subjected to this s**t?? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help… and the authorities don’t do s**t to help him.

“People need to stand together and demand more from the authorities that run our game.

“No one deserves this, yet you are allowing it. There needs to be a unified approach to this otherwise it will be swept under the carpet AGAIN.”

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has said racism is ‘normal’ in LaLiga after allegedly being subjected to chants during their game at Valencia.

The game was paused after the break as Vinicius pointed out to the referee those who were allegedly abusing him in the stands at the Mestalla.

The 22-year-old was then sent off for violent conduct in added time of Real’s 1-0 defeat following an altercation with striker Hugo Duro.

In a statement on Instagram, Vinicius said: “It wasn’t the first time, not the second and not the third. Racism is normal in LaLiga.

“The competition thinks it’s normal, so does the Federation and the opponents encourage it. I am so sorry.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vinicius Jr. ⚡️?? (@vinijr)

“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi, today belongs to the racists.

“A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and I love, but which accepted to export the image to the world from a racist country.

“Sorry for the Spaniards who do not agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists.

“And unfortunately with everything that happens on a weekly basis, I have no way to defend. I agree. But I’m strong and will go to the end against the racists. Even though it’s far from here.”

Valencia released a statement on their club website condemning what happened and confirming they will investigate what happened.

“Valencia CF wishes to publicly condemn any type of insult, attack or disqualification in football,” the statement read.

“The Club, in its commitment to the values ​​of respect and sport, publicly reaffirms its position against physical and verbal violence in stadiums and regrets the events that occurred during the LaLiga matchday 35 match against Real Madrid.

“Although this is an isolated episode, insults to any player from the rival team have no place in football and do not fit in with the values ​​and identity of Valencia CF.

“The Club is investigating what happened and will take the most severe measures. In the same way, Valencia CF condemns any offense and also requests the utmost respect for our fans.

“Apart from these isolated incidents, Valencia CF would like to thank the more than 46,000 fans for their assistance and support for the team in the game this Sunday, May 21.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rio Ferdinand OBE (@rioferdy5)

Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand took to Instagram in support of Vinicius and questioned player protection.

“Bro you need protecting….who is protecting Vinicius Junior in Spain??” Ferdinand posted.

“He receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial abuse during the game… wtf.

“How many times do we need to see this young man subjected to this s**t?? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help… and the authorities don’t do s**t to help him.

“People need to stand together and demand more from the authorities that run our game.

“No one deserves this, yet you are allowing it. There needs to be a unified approach to this otherwise it will be swept under the carpet AGAIN.”

Diego Lopez got the only goal of the game in the 33rd minute for the home side.

Vinicius Junior was sent off amid a late brawl as Real Madrid fell to a 1-0 loss against Valencia in an ill-tempered LaLiga encounter.

The Brazil winger had already been at the centre of another flashpoint earlier in the game, following a bizarre incident involving two balls on the pitch at Mestalla.

Diego Lopez's lone goal helped Los Che continue their resurgent form as they seek to secure top-flight safety in the final weeks of the season.

But for Carlo Ancelotti's visitors - fresh from a chastening Champions League exit against Manchester City - it marked a miserable return to domestic duty.

Atletico Madrid climbed to second in LaLiga following a commanding 3-0 victory over Osasuna at Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday.

Yannick Carrasco, Saul Niguez and Angel Correa were on target as Diego Simeone's side leapfrogged rivals Real Madrid, who play Valencia later on Sunday, with an eighth straight home win.

The hosts broke through a minute before half-time. Saul's throughball released Antoine Griezmann, who claimed his 13th assist of the season by putting the ball on a plate for Carrasco to tuck away his fifth goal in 11 appearances.

Saul doubled the lead in the 62nd minute when he rifled into the top corner, while substitute Correa sealed Atletico's 10th straight victory over Osasuna when he slotted home Rodrigo de Paul's throughball eight minutes from time.