BARCELONA — Valencia eased to a 3-1 win at home over Eibar Sunday to strengthen its hold on Spain's last Champions League berth. Granada striker Youssef El Arabi also scored twice to secure a 2-1 win at Getafe, as the struggling club tried to mount a late-season surge to avoid relegation from the Spanish league. Ten-man Elche sealed its spot in the top flight for next season with an impressive 2-1 win over Malaga, while Espanyol salvaged a point in an ill-tempered 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano to keep both sides in the middle of the standings. Valencia's 10th win in its last 11 matches at Mestalla Stadium kept it in fourth place, three points above Sevilla as the two vie for a top-four finish. Center back Nicolas Otamendi was left unmarked to thump in Jose Gaya's cross to put Valencia on its way in the 25th minute. Seconds after teammate Rodrigo de Paul hit the crossbar, Dani Parejo's deflected strike found the net to make it 2-0 in the 56th. Parejo was next to be hit the woodwork with a free kick in the 71st, but the rebound fell for Paco Alcacer to tap in and secure the three points. Mikel Arruabarrena scored Eibar's goal six minutes from time. Eibar's ninth away game without a win left it one point above the drop zone. “This will be decided at the very end,” Valencia coach Nuno Espirito Santo said. “Nothing is guaranteed, but you can't deny that we have the possibility to go even higher.” Barcelona leads Real Madrid by two points at the top of table after both won Saturday. PSG moves 3 clear of Lyon Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to spearhead Paris Saint-Germain's attack, but it was Edinson Cavani who set the tone with his fourth goal in four games as PSG won 2-0 at Nantes to move three points clear of Lyon in the French title race Sunday. Ibrahimovic had missed the three previous games for insulting officials after a league match against Bordeaux at the end of March, giving Cavani the chance to play in his favored center forward role. Despite being pushed out wide on the right because of Ibrahimovic's return, Cavani took only three minutes to make his mark with an opportunist shot that went in off the post. PSG goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez made two smart saves in the first half, in between PSG's second goal scored by Blaise Matuidi in the 31st. The France midfielder ran onto Ibrahimovic's pass and finished with a left-footed shot past goalie Remy Riou. The only downside for PSG was that midfielders Thiago Motta and Marco Verratti both picked up yellow cards and will be suspended for the away game at Montpellier on May 16. Lyon, which beat struggling Evian 2-0 Saturday, has a slightly better goal difference than PSG. Meanwhile, teenage forward Anthony Martial continued his fine run of form with his eighth goal in nine games as Monaco beat Toulouse 4-1 to consolidate third place and a Champions League spot next season. The win keeps Monaco five points ahead of fourth-place Marseille with three matches to play. Earlier, Divock Origi scored his eighth goal of the season as Lille kept alive its hopes of qualifying for Europe with a 3-1 win over Lens. — Agencies
