Verona do Lazio a favour

Juventus stay top with 68 points, but Lazio are now right behind with 66. Juve, who suffered only their fourth defeat of the season, are at home to Parma next Sunday, before playing their last match at Perugia.

Verona went unbeaten into 13th game and will avoid relegation, though the win was marred by fans shouting racist chants at Juventus’s black midfielder Edgar Davids.

Diego Simeone led Lazio into a 38th minute lead and Simone Inzaghi made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time, collecting a perfect assist from veteran Roberto Mancini after the Venezia keeper had flapped away across.

Francesco Pedone brought Venezia back into the match in the 58th minute but Lazio’s nerves were settled in the 83rd when their Yugoslav defender Sinisa Mihajlovic sent over a corner and Venezia striker Filippo Maniero headed the ball into his own net.

With just enough injury-time for Venezia substitute Maurizio Ganz to score – he saw his team relegated to Serie B.

For Deportivo, chasing their first Spanish title, it was third time unlucky as their hopes were doused on Sunday with an explosive Derby defeat at Galician neighbours Vigo.

Leading the table by two points following second-placed Barcelona’s 3-0 win Saturday at doomed Atletico Madrid Deportivo turned in a below-par showing in losing to a Celta side which had gone more than a month without a win and which finished the match with nine men.

Deportivo, who twice blew the title in 1994 and 1995 seasons, saw South African striker Benni McCarthy give Celta a fourth-minute lead and Gustavo Lopez added the second on 74 minutes cancelling out an equaliser from Turu Flores.

The game, always bubbling under, exploded altogether on 12 minutes when Juan Francisco “Juanfran” Garcia was sent off for appearing to catch Victor Sanchez with his forearm.

Vigo held on despite having keeper Jacques Songo’O dismissed in the final minute for a handball outside his area.

Deportivo now have 64 points from games with Barca, chasing a third straight championship crown, on 62. Both sides have just three games left.

Real Zaragoza leapfrogged Real Madrid into third place despite only drawing 0-0 at home to Bilbao.

In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen won 2-0 at third-placed Hamburg on Sunday nearing their first-ever league title at the expense of reigning champions Bayern Munich.

Moved to second overnight by Bayern’s 4-1 thumping of Hansa Rostock, Leverkusen came back and vaulted a tough away fixture going three points clear with just two games left.

Christoph Daum’s men now have 70 points to Bayern’s 67 from 32 matches after Brazilian Ze Roberto and sweeper Jens Nowotny scored within ten minutes of each other midway through the first half to wrap up Bayer’s win at the Volkspark Stadion.

In France, Paris Saint Germain leapfrogged Bordeaux in their bid for a Champions League berth on Sunday when they secured second spot after ending Bastia’s unbeaten home record with a 2-1 win.

Reduced to 10 men just before half time when defender Patrick Valery was sent off for a foul on PSG midfielder Igor Yanovski the Corsicans failed to hold the Parisian giants despite a 0-0 half-time scoreline.

The Parisians now lead Bordeaux, who pulled off a gritty 2-1 win at St Etienne on Saturday, by a point ahead of fourth-placed Lyon, who lost 4-3 at Racing Lens, in the three-way race for two outstanding Champions League berths.