La Liga goes to the wire

MADRID - Real Madrid are refusing to admit defeat in their battle for the La Liga title with Barcelona and are hoping relegation-threatened Real Valladolid can help them out on next weekend's final matchday.

Real have stayed hot on the heels of reigning champions Barca right down to the wire and trail by a point after both won on Saturday, a late goal flurry gave Real a 5-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao with Barca earning a nervy 3-2 win at Sevilla.

The arch rivals have beaten the points record of 92, set with 22 teams in the league rather than the current 20, with Pep Guardiola's Barca side on 96 and Manuel Pellegrini's Real on 95. Third-placed Valencia trail by a massive 27 points.