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European review

Barcelona closed the gap on Real Madrid, Juventus returned to top spot and PSG tasted derby joy.

Barca close gap; Juve back on top; PSG draw level; Bayern in hunt

Barcelona continue to edge ever closer to Real Madrid in Spain, with Jose Mourinho's men starting to feel the heat. Juventus are back on top in Serie A, while Paris St Germain remain in the Ligue 1 title hunt after seeing off arch-rivals Marseille. Bayern Munich could be ready to pounce in the German top flight and PSV Eindhoven are toasting Dutch Cup success.
Primera Liga
Barcelona put down an early marker on Saturday as they swept aside Real Mallorca 4-1 on the road, with Lionel Messi adding another two goals to his remarkable tally as Pep Guardiola's side picked up a ninth straight win. Real Madrid were unable to respond 24 hours later, as they were held to a goalless draw by Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu, and the gap which separates Los Blancos from Barca is now down to four points with seven games to go. Malaga saw off rock-bottom Racing Santander with plenty to spare and now find themselves sat inside the top three, with it looking increasingly likely that their heavy investment will be rewarded with UEFA Champions League football. Levante are also hoping to grace that competition next season, with this season's surprise package picking up another three points on Sunday as they claimed the notable scalp of Atletico Madrid.
Serie A
A fourth win on the bounce saw Juventus spring back to the Serie A summit on Sunday, with the Bianconeri having now successfully negotiated 31 fixtures without defeat this season. AC Milan slipped from top spot after suffering their fifth setback of the campaign, with Amauri snatching a dramatic winner for Fiorentina as they picked up a shock come-from-behind success at the San Siro. Lazio prevailed in a top-of-the-table clash with Napoli to cement their top-four standing, while Udinese made the most of that result to clamber inside the Champions League pack. At the opposite end of the table, Cesena have now gone 13 games without a win and find themselves 15 points adrift of safety with only 21 left to play for.
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund continue to lead the way in Germany and stretched their unbeaten run to 23 games on Saturday as they saw off Wolfsburg 3-1. They will need no reminding, though, that Bayern Munich are just three points off the pace, with a Mario Gomez's double against Augsburg ensuring that the Champions League semi-finalists remain on course for domestic and European success this season. Raul and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were among the goals again for Schalke on Sunday as they edged a step closer to wrapping up a top-three finish.
Ligue 1
Paris St Germain took the spoils on derby day at Parc des Princes, with former Chelsea defender Alex grabbing what proved to be the winner in a 2-1 victory over Marseille that saw the hosts reduced to 10 men and the visitors endure a 10th game without a win in all competitions. Victory on home soil saw PSG draw level with Montpellier at the top of the Ligue 1 table, with Rene Girard's side having pulled clear on Saturday after edging out struggling Sochaux. Reigning champions Lille face a battle to cling on to third place after coming unstuck against Brest, with Lyon picking up a fourth win in five to close to within three points of a Champions League spot.
Eredivisie
With there no league fixtures taking place over the weekend in Holland, the Dutch Cup final took centre stage. PSV Eindhoven got their hands on the silverware as they ended Heracles Almelo's fairytale run through the competition. Ola Toivonen, Dries Mertens and Jeremain Lens netted as PSV eased to a 3-0 victory on Sunday evening.
SPL
Celtic secured their first SPL title in four years as they hit Kilmarnock for six at Rugby Park. The Hoops have made the most of Rangers' financial troubles this season to underline their standing as the cream of the Scottish crop and are now setting their sights on a league and cup double. Rangers, who saw off St Mirren 3-1 on Saturday, have all but wrapped up a runners-up spot, with an untimely wobble from Motherwell seeing them held 1-1 by Hibernian on Sunday to go three games without a win.
Best of the rest
Olympiakos suffered just their third defeat of the season as they came unstuck against lowly Kerkyra, but they have already wrapped up the Greek title. Benfica had Luisao sent off as they lost an ill-tempered derby with Sporting Lisbon 1-0, and Porto are now four points clear at the summit after a solitary strike from Hulk saw them past Braga. The 2011/12 campaign came to a close in Turkey over the weekend, with champions Galatasaray sweeping aside Manisaspor to end the season nine points clear of bitter rivals Fenerbahce.

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