Spain: Atletico Madrid crowned championship champion

Atletico Madrid were crowned league champions for the first time since 2014, with veteran striker Luis Suarez winning 2-1 over Valladolid.
Suárez scored in the 58th minute for Atlético after Angel Correa equalized Oscar Plano’s opener for Valladolid on Saturday.
Elsewhere, closest rivals Real Madrid beat Villarreal 2-1, but that was not enough to close a two-point deficit.
Real finished at home with a goal from Yeremi Pino in the 20th minute for Villarreal.
Karim Benzema’s equalizer and Luka Modric’s last-minute goal gave Real victory, but it was too little since Atlético won the title for the eleventh time in their history.
!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/lg7YG32GK4
– Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) May 22, 2021
Atlético finished first with 86 points, while Real finished second with 84.
“The world is going through a different phase right now, so if we can give people a little bit of joy it means a lot to us,” Atletico head coach Diego Simeone told La Liga TV.
“The first thing that came to my mind was a smile. I wanted to laugh. I do not know why. Joy is warm inside. I was thinking about moving the game forward when we left and I wasn’t sure if we would continue after winning the title. This group now has a great future. The club is growing and has done a fabulous job. It is more important than the results. “
Meanwhile, aAntoine Griezmann’s acrobatic effort allowed Barcelona to confirm their third place in the league for the season, ahead of the relegated Eibar 1-0.
Coach Ronald Koeman named a very changed starting XI, with Lionel Messi, Marc-André ter Stegen, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba and Pedri all missing, and first showed up in a first half – somewhat disjointed time.
With the game seemingly destined for a draw, it brought the Finals to life.
Griezmann hit a free kick from 30 yards at home 81 minutes into the game.
Barca were horrified with four minutes remaining when Takashi Inui saw an effort drop the crossbar, but the Catalans held on for all three points.