Barca still waiting for title after Valencia victory

Valencia's Ruben Baraja celebrates after scoring against Alaves during a Spanish league match at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia. Valencia's emphatic 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Alaves meant that Barcelona had to put the champagne to celebrate their second successive championship back on ice.

Valencia's emphatic 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Alaves meant that Barcelona had to put the champagne to celebrate their second successive championship back on ice.

After Barca's 1-0 win over Cadiz on Saturday, the Catalan club were hoping that their nearest rivals Valencia would slip up against the Basque visitors but the 2004 champions were never in the mood to oblige.

However, Barcelona remain eight points clear at the top of the Spanish first division and a win at Celta Vigo on Wednesday will give them an unassailable lead.

Valencia took the game to Alaves from the kick off and only a mixture of bad luck and bad finishing stopped them scoring before Ruben Baraja got their opener after 25 minutes.

The Spanish international midfielder latched on to an outstanding pass from Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar to stab the ball home from a stride inside the six yard box.

Aimar, who has made a phenomenal recovery from an alarming if ultimately harmless bout of benign meningitis two weeks ago, then found the net himself seven minutes later with Mario Requeiro providing the service.

David Villa added to the home side's tally from the penalty spot five minutes into the second half, after Jose Maria Mena had clumsily brought down Miguel Angel Angulo, before Valencia stepped off the gas.

Valencia have now won their last five games while Alaves have not won in their last six outings and are still stuck in the drop zone, two places off the bottom.

Third-placed Real Madrid travel to Osasuna, who are one place and one point below them, later on Sunday.

Real will be without the suspended Zinedine Zidane, who announced on Wednesday he will retire after the World Cup, and the three-time World Player of the Year is likely to be replaced by Pablo Garcia.

UEFA Cup finalists Sevilla stay sixth but kept alive their slim hopes of playing in the Champions League for the first time next season with a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad.

Jesus Navas got Sevilla's first after 58 minutes with a lightening dash down the left flank that was finished with a superb left foot strike.

Sevilla went further ahead 10 minutes later from a Jose Marti penalty after Real Sociedad's Aitor Lopez Rekarte had blocked a Jordi Lopez shot with his hands.

Into the bargain, Lopez Rekarte was shown a red card.

Real Sociedad were reduced to nine men after 84 minutes when Nihat Kahveci was also sent off for hacking down Antonio Puerta but got a surprising consolation goal when Jordi turned the ball into his own net four minutes from the whistle.

At the other end of the table, Malaga's seven year stint in the top flight of Spanish football came to an end when they went down 3-2 at home to fellow strugglers Racing Santander.

Francisco Casquero put Racing ahead after 17 minutes with a thunderbolt shot from the edge of the area but Malaga were determined not to go down without a fight.

Alexis Ruano headed Malaga back level after 25 minutes and then put the Costa Del Sol side in front five minutes later.

But Perez Antonito and Juan Juanjo scored either side of a missed Antonito penalty to give Santander the win.

Anybody arriving even slightly late at the 1-1 between Getafe and Villarreal would have missed all the action.

Jaime Gavilan got the fastest goal in the Spanish first division this season scoring after just 20 seconds to put Getafe ahead but Villarreal quickly responded in the third minute.

Guille Franco succeeded little more than a minute later, where he had failed against Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, and found the net from close range for the quickest equaliser of the season.

Spanish league standings ahead of Sunday's two late matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):