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Inter’s Lautaro Martínez scored a second-half double to earn his side a 2-0 at Pisa that kept the visitors very much involved in the Serie A title race despite a less than convincing performance.
Cristian Chivu’s Inter are third in the standings on 27 points, level with second-placed Roma, who host Napoli later on Sunday, and one behind the leaders, Milan, who beat Lazio 1-0 on Saturday. Pisa are third bottom with 10 points.
Inter arrived in Tuscany looking to get back on track after their derby defeat by Milan last weekend was followed by a Champions League loss at Atlético Madrid, but they were made to battle all the way by promoted Pisa. The hosts created plenty of chances but a clinical Inter scored the opening goal in the 69th minute when the Argentinian Martínez smacked a first-time shot into the roof of the net and the forward tapped in from close range seven minutes from time.
There was a dramatic early game in Spain, with Real Sociedad coming back from 2-0 to level at home against Villarreal but losing to a goal five minutes into added time. Goals from Ayoze Pérez just after the half-hour and Alberto Moleiro in the 57th minute established Villarreal’s lead, but Carlos Soler soon pulled one back and Ander Barrenetxea equalised three minutes from time. Moleiro had the last word, however, deep into added time.
In the late game in Spain, Real Madrid travel to Girona needing a win to go back to the top ahead of Barcelona, who beat Alavés 3-1 on Saturday.
In Norway, Viking hammered Vålerenga 5-1 at home on the final day of the Eliteserien to hold off the challenge of Bodø/Glimt and secure the Norwegian league title for the first time in 34 years, prompting a pitch invasion by the Stavanger club’s delirious fans.
Having finished third last term, five points behind Bodø, Stavanger held their nerve in a thrilling run-in, winning their last seven games to end up with 71 points, one more than Bodø.
Knowing a win on the final day would secure the title, any nerves were quickly dispelled when Edvin Austbø scored for Viking after 10 minutes, and a goal from Martin Ove Roseth and a penalty from Zlatko Tripić sent them in 3-0 up at the break.
Valerenga’s Elias Kristoffersen Hagen dampened the mood a little when he pulled one back for the visitors five minutes after the break, but two more goals put the crowd back in party mood and the final whistle was greeted with an explosion of joy in the stadium.
Bodø, who have been battling to hold their own in this season’s Champions League group stage, did what they could to keep the pressure on by beating Fredrikstad 5-0 at home, but their adventures in Europe, which took them to the semi-finals of last season’s Europa League, had already taken their toll as Viking edged them to the title.
“It’s completely surreal, to stand in this crowd,” the defender Kristoffer Haugen, who netted Viking’s fourth goal, said. “I don’t know what to say. I’ve been dreaming about this ever since I started going to the stadium when I was two years old. This is a boy’s dream come true,” he added as fans wildly celebrated the club’s first league trophy since 1991.
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This story will be updated
