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Madrid climbs above Barcelona; Chelsea wins again

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 17th league goal of the season and 22nd in all competitions to help Real Madrid take the Spanish league lead Saturday after Celta Vigo won at Barcelona’s home field for the first time in 72 years.

Other top European teams avoided upsets, with Bayern Munich and Chelsea both needing late penalty kicks for 2-1 home victories.

Juventus took advantage of Roma’s loss to open a three-point lead in the Serie A, while Paris Saint-Germain pulled within a point of leader Marseille in the French league.

Here is a look Saturday’s games in the top European leagues.

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SPAIN

Joaquin Larrivey’s 55th-minute goal gave Celta a 1-0 win against former coach Luis Enrique, its first victory at the power’s home field since 1942 at Les Corts Stadium. Lionel Messi and Neymar each hit the goal frame twice and goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez made two reflex saves to keep Messi at 250 league goals, one shy of Telmo Zarra’s record.

Ronaldo scored in his 12th straight game in all competitions, getting a second-minute goal in a 4-0 win at Granada.

James Rodriguez added goals in the 31st and 86th minutes, and Karim Benzema scored in the 54th.

Real Madrid (8-2) moved one point in front of Atletico Madrid (7-1-2), with Barcelona (7-2-1) another point back following its second straight loss. Antoine Griezmann scored his first two league goals this season in Atletico’s 4-2 win over visiting Cordoba. Mario Mandzukic and Raul Garcia also scored for the hosts.

Sevilla (7-1-1) would move into first with a win Sunday at Athletic Bilbao.

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ENGLAND

Eden Hazard converted a tiebreaking 75th-minute penalty kick to give Chelsea a 2-1 win at home over Queens Park Rangers that maintained the Blues’ four-point lead in the Premier League.

Oscar put Chelsea (8-0-2) ahead in the 32nd minute with a long-range shot, but Charlie Austin tied the score with a back-heeled flick in the 62nd. Hazard was fouled by Eduardo Vargas, setting up the penalty kick.

Second-place Southampton (7-2-1) won 1-0 at Hull on Victor Wanyama’s third-minute goal. Third-place Manchester City (5-2-2) hosts eighth-place Manchester United (3-2-4) on Sunday.

Arsenal, fourth at 4-1-5, won 3-0 at home against last-place Burnley as Alexis Sanchez scored in the 70th minute and in stoppage time, and Calum Chambers got a goal in the 72nd.

Liverpool (4-4-2) is seventh after a 1-0 loss at Newcastle, which got a 74th-minute goal from Ayoze Perez for its fourth straight win in all competitions.

Everton and American goalkeeper Tim Howard tied 0-0 with Swansea, West Ham drew 2-2 at Stoke and West Bromwich Albion won 1-0 at Leicester.

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GERMANY

Arjen Robben’s 85th-minute penalty kick gave Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund that left the visitors in the Bundesliga’s relegation zone.

Marco Reus gave Dortmund (2-7-1) a 31st-minute lead with a header from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s deep cross. Robert Lewandowski tied the score against his former team in the 72nd minute after a failed clearance by Neven Subotic.

Subotic also pulled Franck Ribery, who fell and earned the penalty kick for Bayern (7-0-3).

Rafael van der Vaart’s penalty in the 26th minute earned Hamburg (2-5-3) a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen to move out of the relegation zone.

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ITALY

Andrea Pirlo scored his first goal of the season as defending champion Juventus (8-1-1) won 2-0 at Empoli to open a three-point lead over Roma in the Italian league.

The 35-year-old Pirlo scored in the 61st with his 26th Serie A goal on a free kick, one behind Sinisa Mihajlovic’s record. Alvaro Morata added a goal in the 72nd.

Gonzalo Higuain scored in the third minute, his fifth goal in six days, to help host Napoli to a 2-0 win over second-place Roma (7-2-1).

Paolo De Ceglie scored in the fifth and 76th minutes to give Parma (2-8) a 2-0 win against Inter Milan (4-3-3) that moved the hosts out of last place.

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FRANCE

Edinson Cavani scored in the 61st minute and substitute Jean-Christophe Bahebeck in the 68th as defending champion Paris Saint-Germain (6-0-6) rallied for a 2-1 win at Lorient 2-1 and pulled within one point of French league leader Marseille.

Raphael Guerreiro put Lorient ahead in the 42nd.

Marseille (8-2-1) hosts Lens on Sunday.

Third-place Lyon (7-3-2) stayed one point behind PSG, beating Nice 3-1 as Alexandre Lacazette scored twice, tying Marseille’s Andre-Pierre Gignac at 10 goals for the league lead.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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