BARCELONA — Lionel Messi set up Luis Suarez's first-minute opener before scoring his 400th goal for Barcelona to give the Spanish league leader a hard-fought 2-0 win over Valencia Saturday. The 27-year-old Argentine is the all-time leading scorer for both Barcelona and the Spanish league. His 400th goal for the Catalan club was also his 278th in La Liga. Suarez netted his 12th goal in his last 12 appearances as Barcelona went ahead just 55 seconds into the match at Camp Nou. But Valencia dominated the rest of the first half and the host needed goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to save Dani Parejo's penalty in the 10th minute. Valencia striker Paco Alcacer went close several times before Barcelona settled down after halftime, and Messi sealed the win in stoppage time right before the final whistle. The victory lifted Barcelona a provisional five points clear before second-place Real Madrid. Barcelona next turns to the Champions League for its home match against Paris Saint-Germain Tuesday, when it will aim to protect a 3-1 lead in its second-leg quarterfinal. Valencia's first loss in 11 games left it in fourth place. Levante twice came from a goal down to hold Espanyol to a 2-2 draw in the Spanish league Friday. Pastore puts PSG on top Paris Saint-Germain showed it can cope with injuries and without top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic as it won 3-1 at Nice Saturday to pressure Lyon in the close-fought French title race. Midfielder Javier Pastore scored twice, either side of captain Mathieu Bodmer's equalizer for Nice, and forward Edinson Cavani sealed the win with a penalty. PSG was one point ahead of Lyon with six games remaining. Lyon can reclaim top spot if it beats bitter rival Saint-Etienne at home Sunday, but will have played one more game than PSG. PSG was missing captain Thiago Silva and midfielder Thiago Motta through injury. Marseille's slump continued Friday as Marcelo Bielsa's side went down to a 1-0 defeat at Nantes that further damaged its hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League. Serge Gakpe scored the only goal of the game in the 20th minute. Ibra's suspension reduced Paris St Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic's four-match Ligue 1 ban for insulting match officials has been reduced by one game, the French League (LFP) announced Friday. The Swedish international launched an expletive-laden rant after PSG lost 3-2 at Girondins Bordeaux on March 15. Friday's LFP decision, in response to an appeal by France's Olympic Committee (CNOSF), means Ibrahimovic can return to Ligue 1 action at Nantes on May 2. Bayern closer to title Shinji Kagawa sealed the victory as Borussia Dortmund began coach Juergen Klopp's farewell with a 3-0 defeat of Paderborn in the Bundesliga, while Bayern Munich won 2-0 at Hoffenheim Saturday. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang crossed for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to head in Dortmund's opener just after halftime, then scored seven minutes later. Kagawa sealed it with a fine effort near the end. It was Dortmund's first game since Klopp announced Thursday his end-of-season departure. Sebastian Rode's 38th-minute strike and an own goal from Andreas Beck in injury time were enough for Bayern to move another step to claiming the title. Also, Bayer Leverkusen routed Hannover 4-0 to move to third, Mainz won 3-2 at Freiburg, and Hertha Berlin drew 0-0 with visiting Cologne. — Agencies
