MADRID — Lionel Messi clinched an eighth La Liga title for Barcelona in 11 seasons Saturday as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at home to Levante.

The Argentine star struck his league-leading 34th goal of the campaign after coming off the bench for the second half to help Barca wrap up the title with three games remaining.

Barca holds a nine-point lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid, but the Catalans cannot be overtaken thanks to their superior head-to-head record.

It is Barca’s 26th league title and nudges them closer to Real Madrid’s record of 33 in Spain.

“To win the title with a distance and gap is difficult with the rivals we have. We’ve done it two years in a row,” Barca coach Ernesto Valverde told Movistar.

Valverde initially left Messi on the bench with Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg against Liverpool in mind, but he replaced Philippe Coutinho at the break at the Camp Nou.

The Argentine swept in the winner on 62 minutes following a frantic scramble inside the Levante area.

Atletico had delayed Barca’s title party earlier in the day as they scraped past struggler Real Valladolid 1-0 after surviving late VAR penalty drama.

Joaquin Fernandez’s own goal put Atletico ahead midway through the second half, but it had to endure a nervy final few minutes in which Jan Oblak had to be at his best and they survived a late VAR check over what looked like a clear Santiago Arias handball in the area.

Diego Simeone’s side is nine points ahead of local rival and reigning European champion Real Madrid.

Valladolid meanwhile stays 17th. Earlier, Athletic Bilbao and Alaves did their chances of European football next season no favors with a 1-1 draw in the Basque Country.

Mbappe sent off as PSG lose French Cup final to Rennes

Kylian Mbappe was sent off for a shocking tackle as Paris Saint-Germain was stunned by Rennes in Saturday’s French Cup final, losing 6-5 on penalties after a dramatic game finished 2-2 at the end of extra time.

PSG substitute Christopher Nkunku blazed his sudden-death spot-kick over the bar in the shootout, sparking scenes of joy among the Rennes fans at the Stade de France as they won a first trophy in almost half a century.

It was a remarkable comeback from the Brittany side, which had seen Dani Alves and the returning Neymar give Ligue 1 champion PSG a 2-0 lead midway through the first half.

Neymar says he was

wrong to hit fan

Brazilian superstar Neymar accepted Sunday that he had made a mistake striking a fans who insulted Paris Saint-Germain players as they filed up to collect their French Cup losers’ medals.

Neymar scored to put PSG 2-0 up after 21 minutes at the Stade de France Saturday, but Rennes fought back to tie the game at 2-2 and win the penalty shootout 6-5 after extra time.

As the players climbed the steps to receive their medals, shaking the hands of those nearby, Neymar, one of the last in line, struck one of the fans in the face. The blow was caught on numerous mobile phones, including that of the victim, Edouard, a 28-year-old delivery driver from Nantes.

“Did I act badly?” Neymar asked in an Instagram comment. “Yes. But no one can stay indifferent.” — Agencies