

With a 1-0 victory against Celta Vigo in the Spanish league on Sunday, Atletico Madrid took a step closer to clinching the fourth and final Champions League place. With three matches left, Atletico built an eight-point lead over fifth-place Athletic Bilbao thanks to a goal from Rodrigo De Paul in the 84th minute. On Saturday, Athletic was held to a 2-2 draw by Osasuna at home. Atletico, which is three points behind third-place Barcelona, has won three straight games. On Monday, the seventh-place Real Sociedad will visit the Catalan club.
Celta plummeted to 17th position and five points above the relegation zone after losing three of their mere crucial previous five games. Rayo Vallecano's 0-0 draw with eighth-place Valencia anyway lifted them to 16th place, five points out of danger.