Celta Vigo and Valladolid relegated after Espanyol win

Celta Vigo and Valladolid were both condemned to dropping out of the top flight of Spanish football after fellow strugglers Espanyol won 2-0 at already-relegated bottom club Murcia.

Espanyol left it late but finally got off their marks when Raul Tamudo scored after 71 minutes.

Eight minutes later Alberto Lopo scored a second for the Barcelona-based club to secured Espanyol's salvation.

Valladolid won 3-0 over Villarreal with two goals from Roberto Losada and another four minutes from time from former Spanish international Jose Luis Caminero, but their first win in 10 games was not enough to avoid relegation after 11 seasons in the Spanish first division.

Celta Vigo have been in the Spanish first division for a year longer and also reached the last 16 of this season's champions league but their erratic domestic form, culminating in a 2-1 defeat at home to Real Mallorca on Sunday, meant they finished in the penultimate place in the Spanish first division.

The Spanish second division has four games remaining and eight clubs are still in contention for the three promotion places.

Spanish league table after Sunday's matches on the final day of the season (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Valencia 38 23 8 7 71 27 77 champions
Barcelona 38 21 9 8 63 39 72
Deportivo La Coruna 38 21 8 9 60 34 71
Real Madrid 38 21 7 10 72 54 70
Athletic Bilbao 38 15 11 12 53 49 56
Sevilla 38 15 10 13 56 45 55
Atletico Madrid 38 15 10 13 51 53 55
Villarreal 38 15 9 14 47 49 54
Real Betis 38 13 13 12 46 43 52
Malaga 38 15 6 17 50 55 51
Real Mallorca 38 15 6 17 54 65 51
Real Zaragoza 38 13 9 16 46 55 48
Osasuna 38 11 15 12 38 37 48
Albacete 38 12 8 18 40 48 47
Real Sociedad 38 11 13 14 49 53 46
Espanyol 38 13 4 21 48 64 43
Racing Santander 38 11 10 17 48 63 42
Valladolid 38 10 11 17 46 56 41
Celta Vigo 38 9 12 17 48 68 39
Murcia 38 5 11 22 29 57 26

Racing Santander were deducted one point for fielding an ineligable player.