Suarez gives Barca win over Madrid, United beats Liverpool
Pakistani women mourn the death of relatives after a bomb blast in Lahore on March 27, 2016 (AFP Photo/Arif Ali)AP
Luis Suarez scored Barcelona\’s winning goal as it beat fierce rival Real Madrid 2-1 in the Spanish league on Sunday, while Steven Gerrard was sent off in Liverpool\’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United in England.
Suarez answered Cristiano Ronaldo\’s equalizer to get the important win as Barcelona extended its lead over its main title challenger at the top of the La Liga standings.
Here is a look at Europe\’s major domestic leagues on Sunday:
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SPAIN
Barcelona opened up a four-point gap over Madrid with another 10 rounds remaining to decide the league crown.
Lionel Messi curled in a perfect free kick for Jeremy Mathieu to head in Barcelona\’s opener in the 19th minute of a first half otherwise dominated by Madrid. Ronaldo, who had hit the woodwork before Barcelona\’s goal, leveled from Karim Benzema\’s superb backheel pass in the 31st.
But Suarez finally broke free from Madrid\’s defense to meet Dani Alve\’s long pass in the 56th, and the hosts never looked back after he scored his 14th and by far his biggest goal since joining Barcelona from Liverpool this summer.
"That was my most important goal I have scored for Barcelona, and it has an extra significance considering the opponent," Suarez said.
Sevilla beat Villarreal to stay within striking distance of the top four teams with a 2-0 win.
Real Sociedad rallied for a 3-1 won over bottom-side Cordoba, while Deportivo La Coruna\’s winless run reached six games after drawing 0-0 at home with Espanyol.
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ENGLAND
Juan Mata scored both goals for Manchester United, but its win over traditional rival Liverpool was overshadowed by Gerrard\’s red card less than a minute after coming off the bench as a substitute.
United led 1-0 at Anfield when Gerrard stamped on Ander Herrera\’s leg only 32 seconds after coming off the bench at the start of the second half. Even with a man-advantage, United was made to fight for its 2-1 victory. Mata added to his first-half goal with a scissor-kick and Liverpool threatened a comeback after striker Daniel Sturridge scored.
But United held on to pull five points clear of Liverpool to consolidate its grip on the fourth and final Champions League qualification place, prompting a swift apology from Gerrard.
"I have let my team mates and manager down today," Gerrard said of his stamp on Ander Herrera. "Even more importantly I let all the supporters down."
At the top, Chelsea remains six points ahead of Manchester City with a game in hand after edging Hull 3-2.
After Eden Hazard and Diego Costa scored in the opening nine minutes for Chelsea, Hull scored twice in 74 seconds to draw level but Loic Remy grabbed a second-half winner shortly after coming off the bench.
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GERMANY
Bayern Munich fell to a rare home loss after a poor display from Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer helped Borussia Moenchengladbach to a 2-0 win at the Bundesliga leader.
Raffael scored both goals as the visitors outplayed the home side to reclaim third place.
Neuer let Raffael\’s harmless-looking shot squirm through his fingers in the 30th and allowed another centrally placed shot from the Brazilian midfielder slip under his body in the 77th.
Bayern leads the Bundesliga by 10 points with eight games remaining.
Luiz Gustavo\’s second-half strike salvaged a 1-1 draw for Wolfsburg at Mainz, helping the side consolidate second place.
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ITALY
Carlos Tevez scored again to help Juventus beat Genoa 1-0 in Serie A and maintain its 14-point advantage over Roma, which earned a 1-0 victory at Cesena.
Tevez scored increased his tally to a league-leading 16 on the season.
Daniele De Rossi gave Roma its first league victory in six matches as it remained a point ahead of city rival Lazio, which beat Hellas Verona 2-0.
Sampdoria leapfrogged Napoli into fourth with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan. Napoli drew 1-1 at home to 10-man Atalanta, while Fiorentina also dropped points in the race for a Champions League spot, drawing 2-2 at Udinese after two goals in as many minutes from Mario Gomez.
Crisis-hit Parma lost 2-0 to Torino while Empoli beat Sassuolo 3-1 for a club record eighth match unbeaten.
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FRANCE
Belgian forward Michy Batshuayi enhanced his growing reputation with two more goals as third-place Marseille thumped Lens 4-0 to move one point behind Lyon and two adrift of leader Paris Saint-Germain in a hard-fought French title race.
Teenage striker Anthony Martial scored his fourth league goal in the last three games as Monaco won 3-1 at Reims.
Also, Ivory Coast winger Max-Alain Gradel scored both goals in Saint-Etienne\’s 2-0 home win against Lille.
Fifth-place Saint-Etienne is one point behind Monaco, having played one game more, and is four clear of sixth-place Bordeaux.
SOURCE: AP
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