MADRID - Real Madrid retained the Spanish league title after a 2-1 win at Osasuna left them with an unassailable 10-point lead with three games to play.

MADRID - Real Madrid retained the Spanish league title after a 2-1 win at Osasuna left them with an unassailable 10-point lead with three games to play.

With Villarreal beating Getafe 2-0 in an earlier match, Real had to win the game to clinch their 31st league title.

Fabio Cannavaro was sent off early in the second half and Patxi Punal scored a penalty with eight minutes left.

But Arjen Robben headed an equaliser before Gonzalo Higuain lashed a winner past Ricardo with a minute to go.

Madrid coach Bernd Schuster, who has been told he will keep his job despite being under pressure earlier in the season, said: "I'm not interested in personal stuff and what the title means to me. There are always difficult moments and more so at a club like this. From the start, I believed the team was capable of achieving what it has done.

"Building a team can take up to four years because there are huge demands. The coach should be given the necessary time to win titles." - BBC