European round-up: Real seal late win after Messi hits 400-goal mark

Real Madrid snatched a 2-1 victory at Real Betis thanks to a late free-kick from Dani Ceballos that returned the European champions to the top four.

Luka Modric had given Real the lead in the 18th minute, lashing a loose ball home from the edge of the area.

Santiago Solari’s side were missing seven first-team players and lost Karim Benzema to injury at the end of the first half. They were pegged back by Betis’s Sergio Canales who levelled in the 67th minute.

But the substitute Ceballos, a former Betis player, secured a vital win with two minutes remaining, sending his free-kick outside the Betis wall and into the corner.

The victory took Real Madrid above Alavés and into fourth place on 33 points, although they are still 10 points behind Barcelona who beat Eibar 3-0.

Playing at the Nou Camp Lionel Messi became the first player to score 400 La Liga goals. Luis Suárez struck twice as Barça maintained a five-point advantage over Atlético Madrid at the top of the table.

Messi’s remarkable landmark strike extended his own La Liga record - Cristiano Ronaldo is the only other player to have scored more than 300 goals in the Spanish top flight - and came in his 435th appearance in the competition.

Paris St Germain’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, said his side’s 3-0 victory over 10-man Amiens was “deserved” as they extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to 13 points. Edinson Cavani gave PSG the lead from a spot-kick after a goalless first half while Amiens managed only one shot on target in the 90 minutes.

Khaled Adénon was sent off for a second bookable offence after he brought down the marauding Kylian Mbappé just before the French forward added his side’s second goal minutes later. The Brazilian defender Marquinhos added a third to wrap up the game after being expertly set up by Julian Draxler.

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Cesc Fàbregas made his debut for Monaco two days after leaving Chelsea in a drab 1-1 draw at Marseille. Thierry Henry’s side remain one place off the bottom.

In the Coppa Italia goals from Federico Bernardeschi and Moise Kean took Juventus into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 away win at Bologna. Joining them are Milan, who knocked out Sampdoria 2-0 after extra time thanks to a double from Patrick Cutrone, and Lazio, who beat the Serie C side Novara 4-1 with goals from Luis Alberto, Ciro Immobile (two) and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic .

The Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik scored one goal and provided an assist for another as his side beat Sassuolo 2-0.

In Portugal the leaders Porto were held 0-0 by Sporting CF.