Bordeaux clinched the French league title with a 1-0 win over Caen on a dramatic final day of the season.
Laurent Blanc’s men were ending Lyon’s seven-year hold on the domestic championship and winning Bordeaux’s first title in 10 years. A goal from Yoan Gouffran early in the second half secured their 11th straight win and their second trophy of the season having won the French League Cup in April. The defeat saw Caen drop to the second flight and kept Bordeaux three points clear of second-placed Marseille who won 4-0 at home to Rennes to keep up the pressure to the last. Senegal international striker Mamadou Niang scored twice with Ivory Coast star Bakari Kone also on target, but it was not enough.
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Lyon closed their season with a 0-0 draw at Toulouse and their third place finish secures a place in the qualifying round for the Champions League. Once mighty Nantes also went down despite a 2-1 win over Auxerre, but St.Etienne stayed up with a 4-0 win over Valenciennes. In the Spanish Primera Liga, Atletico Madrid thrashed Almeria 3-0 to clinch a spot in the Champions League next season. Diego Forlan all but sealed the honor of finishing top scorer in the league with the opener for Atletico, his 32nd of the season, by rounding off the scoring for Atletico. Sergio Aguero, reportedly a target for Premier League Chelsea, gave them a 19th-minute lead with Raul Garcia scoring the second. The win draws Atletico level on points with third placed Sevilla, who close their season, but staying two points clear of fifth-placed Villarreal, 3-2 winners over Real Mallorca in their final match. European champions Barcelona, who had already clinched the Spanish title, finished their season with a 1-1 draw at Deportivo La Coruna. Rodolfo Bodipo put Depo ahead in the first half with Samuel Eto’o equalizing with a minute left. It leaves Barcelona with a record tally of 87 points from 38 points, well clear of arch-rivals and deposed champions Real Madrid. Besiktas won the Turkish league title with a 2-1 win over Denizlispor as nearest rivals Sivasspor lost 2-1 to last year’s champions Galatasaray. It was the 11th championship for Besiktas, but first since 2003. They also won the Turkish Cup.
