European Football

[Joe King]

Barcelona extend their lead at the top of the Primera Liga with a 2-0 win over Bilboa. The growing Sergio Busquets and the ever impressive Leo Messi on target. Real Madrid faced local rivals Atletico who were still smarting from their fantastic win against leaders Barcelona, the match ended in a draw. Atletico shocked the Bernabeu with a first half strike courtesy of Diego Forlan, the equaliser coming from Huntelaar. The draw ends Real's ten match winning streak. Villarreal beat lowly Espanyol, the goal from Fuentes.

Inter Milan beat Genoa thanks to goals from Ibrahimovic and the very controversial Balotelli but the win came at a cost, both Burdisso and Materazzi came off injured and look doubtful for the match vs United. With Chivu and Samuel already injured, Mourinho has a defensive headache going into the game. Cambiasso was asked to play centre back and did a stella job. Juventus won the Turin derby thanks to a goal from the evergreen Pavel Nedved. Roma drew to Udinese but the bad news for Roma is that they will be without David Pizarro.

Bayen Munich thrashed Hannover 5-1 thanks to goals from van Buyten, Klose, Altintop, Podolski and Demechilis however Hertha still remain top thanks to a hat-trick from on loan striker Andriy Voronin who has scored six in the last four.

[Neil Young]

Barcelona extend their lead at the top of the Primera Liga with a 2-0 win over Bilboa. The growing Sergio Busquets and the ever impressive Leo Messi on target. Real Madrid faced local rivals Atletico who were still smarting from their fantastic win against leaders Barcelona, the match ended in a draw. Atletico shocked the Bernabeu with a first half strike courtesy of Diego Forlan, the equaliser coming from Huntelaar. The draw ends Real's ten match winning streak. Villarreal beat lowly Espanyol, the goal from Fuentes.

Inter Milan beat Genoa thanks to goals from Ibrahimovic and the very controversial Balotelli but the win came at a cost, both Burdisso and Materazzi came off injured and look doubtful for the match vs United. With Chivu and Samuel already injured, Mourinho has a defensive headache going into the game. Cambiasso was asked to play centre back and did a stella job. Juventus won the Turin derby thanks to a goal from the evergreen Pavel Nedved. Roma drew to Udinese but the bad news for Roma is that they will be without David Pizarro.

Bayen Munich thrashed Hannover 5-1 thanks to goals from van Buyten, Klose, Altintop, Podolski and Demechilis however Hertha still remain top thanks to a hat-trick from on loan striker Andriy Voronin who has scored six in the last four.

When I heard that on the news earlier today what came into my head was Shaggy posting, "FFS, lucky Manc c*nts."

[Craig_H]

Update:

ITALY:
28 games played (out of 38)

1ST: 66 - Inter
2ND: 59 - Juventus
3RD: 54 - Milan
4TH: 48 - Genoa
---------------------
5TH: 46 - Fiorentina
6TH: 46 - Roma

The top three all won their last two games and have opened up a gap in their quest to claim the automatic Champions League places. Back to back defeats have seen Fiorentina fall to 5th place, with Genoa winning their last game to go 4th. Two draws see Roma still in 6th.


SPAIN:
27 games played (out of 38)

1ST: 66 - BARCELONA
2ND: 60 - REAL MADRID
3RD: 51 - SEVILLA
4TH: 45 - VILLARREAL
----------------------------------
5TH: 43 - ATLETICO MADRID
6TH: 43 - MALAGA
7TH: 42 - DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA
8TH: 40 - VALENCIA

Two wins have seen Barcelona increase their lead to 6 points, with Real Madrid's 1-1 derby draw at home to Atletico slowing their challenge down. Sevilla's 4 points have seen them comfortably remain 3rd with Villarreal staying 4th courtesy of 3 points from their last two games despite losing at Atletico last time out. Atletico, Malaga and Deportivo still in with a decent shout of climbing into the top four, and Valencia will still remain hopeful despite only taking one point from the last two games and dropping to 8th.


GERMANY:
24 games played (out of 34)

1ST: 49 - HERTHA BERLIN
2ND: 45 - BAYERN MUNICH
3RD: 45 - WOLFSBURG
------------------------------
4TH: 45 - HAMBURG
5TH: 43 - HOFFENHEIM
6TH: 39 - VFB STUTTGART
7TH: 37 - BAYER LEVERKUSEN
8TH: 37 - SCHALKE 04

The fairytale has started to evaporate for newly promoted Hoffenheim as four draws in a row have seen them run out of steam and drop right out of the Champions League places. Hertha Berlin have won their last two games and have a five point lead over Bayern Munich, whose two recent wins have seen them climb to second. Wolfsburg and Hamburg remain well in the title race.



FRANCE:
28 games played (out of 38)

1ST: 53 - LYON
2ND: 52 - MARSEILLE
3RD: 52 - PSG
---------------------------
4TH: 50 - BORDEAUX
5TH: 49 - TOULOUSE
6TH: 49 - LILLE
7TH: 47 - RENNES

After being comfortable leaders, Lyon have seen their lead cut right down thanks to consecutive defeats. PSG drop to third after losing at home to Marseille, in a game which could have seen the Parisians overtake Lyon with a win. Bordeaux remain in touch while Toulouse and Rennes continue to chase the leaders.



HOLLAND:
27 games played (out of 34)

1ST: 69 - AZ ALKMAAR
2ND: 58 - FC TWENTE
3RD: 55 - AJAX
--------------------------
4TH: 54 - HEERENVEEN
5TH: 46 - PSV EINDHOVEN
6TH: 43 - FC GRONINGEN

More of a procession than a title race in Holland as AZ continue to win and edge ever closer to what would be only their second ever Eredivisie title. Twente were only able to manage a stoppage time equaliser at home to PSV, leaving Alkmaar 11 points clear and poised to be crowned champions. Ajax failed to take advantage of Twente's dropped points, by dropping 2 of their own away at Ado Den Haag. Heerenveen remain in touch to possibly finish in the top two or three.

[lickedlollipop]

FT Wolfsburg 5 - 1 Bayern Munich

[Joe King]

The return of this thread which I will update on Monday, of course. Enjoy this short video from my favourite football presenter

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/video/2009/apr/09/james-richardson-champions-league-football-video

[lickedlollipop]

Lazio vs AS Roma -> 6 goals, 5 yellow, including 2 for Pannuci, 3 red cards.

[Joe King]

ROME, April 11 (Reuters) - Serie A leaders Inter Milan were held 2-2 at home by Palermo on Saturday after blowing a two-goal cushion, while Lazio beat AS Roma 4-2 in a thrilling derby with three sendings-off.
Palermo's Edinson Cavani and Davide Succi struck within two minutes of each other in the second half to level the score after a Mario Balotelli header and a soft Zlatan Ibrahimovic penalty had put the champions in charge.
Second-placed Juventus can cut Inter's lead to seven points with seven games to go if they win at Genoa later on Saturday (1830) before next weekend's top-of-the-table showdown in Turin.
In Rome, Goran Pandev, Mauro Zarate, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Aleksandar Kolarov ended a run of three defeats for Lazio, while Philippe Mexes and Daniele De Rossi were on target for sixth-placed Roma.
Roma's Christian Panucci was sent off for a second yellow card in second half while Mexes and Lazio midfielder Matuzalem also went after a tussle.

[Joe King]

BERLIN, April 11 (Reuters) - VfL Wolfsburg needed a late goal from midfielder Sascha Riether to beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 on Saturday and protect a three-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with seven games left.
Bayern Munich, desperately needing to bounce back from their midweek 4-0 defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League, crushed Eintracht Frankfurt by the same score to move into second place on 51 points.
The champions are level on points with third-placed Hamburg SV, who play VfB Stuttgart on Sunday.
Hertha Berlin were stung 2-0 by hosts Hanover 96 to drop to fourth on 49 points, while Hoffenheim were hammered 3-0 at home by VfL Bochum and remain in sixth.

[Craig_H]

Poor Hoffenheim have really collapsed. Wont even make the Uefa Cup at this rate.

How many dutch sides can qualify for the CL? PSV wont be making it this time and unless Ajax sort their **** out, the top two will be AZ Alkmaar and FC Twente. Nice turn up for the books, the likes of PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord no longer dominating dutch football.

[dww]

Dutch seasons always seem to go to teh wire (apart from the top spot) though. No matter what the situation looks like now I predict a mad final weekend where about six teams are in with a chance of a CL place at some point in the day.

I don't feel too sorry for Hoffenheim a team building like that is better off without Europa league football next season if they miss out on the CL. The money isn't that big and the number of games is a huge drain on a squad. In fact I'd say the same for most teams - I can only really see a point for big clubs starved of recent glory. It is such a devalued waste of time - most of the good teams in it have other priorities and are as likely to blood their under 12s as try and win it.

[Joe King]

Ligue 1 Results, Week 30: Le Mans 1-3 Lyon, Bordeaux 1-0 Nancy, Nantes 0-2 Lille, Valenciennes 2-0 Auxerre, Monaco 0-1 Le Havre, Grenoble 1-3 Lorient (featuring goal of the weekend, a 40-yarder from Morgan Amalfitano), Caen 0-0 Toulouse, PSG 2-1 Nice, Sochaux 3-0 Rennes, Saint-Etienne 0-3 Marseille.

EDIT: Last weeks results

[Craig_H]

Great game at Lyon tonight, went 0-1 down to Monaco. Equalised with 25 mins left, only for Monaco to re-take the lead straight from kickoff, some 40 seconds later.

Lyon made it 2-2 with 9 mins left but couldnt find a winner, leaving Bordeaux clear at the top.

[Joe King]

Mallorca 2 - 0 Almeria
Numancia 0 - 0 Espanyol
Osasuna 2 - 1 Athletic Bilbao
Racing Santander 2 - 3 Real Betis
Real Madrid 2 - 0 Valladolid
Sporting Gijon 2 - 3 Valencia
Sevilla 0 - 1 Getafe
Deportivo La Coruna 1 - 2 Atletico Madrid

[Craig_H]

Update:

ITALY:
31 games played (out of 38)

1ST: 73 - Inter
2ND: 63 - Juventus
3RD: 61 - Milan
4TH: 57 - Genoa
---------------------
5TH: 55 - Fiorentina
6TH: 49 - Roma

Only a minor miracle will stop Inter now. Juve and Milan should be ok to qualify for the CL, but Roma face an uphill task to get into the top 4 after losing the city derby against Lazio. Inter go to Juventus next weekend and it's a game Juventus MUST win to stand any remote chance.


SPAIN:
30 games played (out of 38)

1ST: 75 - BARCELONA
2ND: 69 - REAL MADRID
3RD: 57 - SEVILLA
4TH: 49 - VALENCIA
----------------------------------
5TH: 48 - VILLARREAL
6TH: 46 - ATLETICO MADRID
7TH: 46 - MALAGA
8TH: 43 - DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA

Few would bet against Barcelona taking Real Madrid's title now. A 6 point gap with only 8 games remaining and Barcelona are looking anything but shaky. Valencia have stormed to 4th place with 3 wins in a row, taking advantage of slip ups from others. Still a very tight race for the 4th CL spot, but Sevilla's place in the top four looks secure. Barcelona will be looking for another 3 points at Getafe next weeking while Real Madrid travel to Recreativo and third placed Sevilla visit the Mestalla to play Valencia.


GERMANY:
27 games played (out of 34)

1ST: 54 - WOLFSBURG
2ND: 51 - BAYERN MUNICH
3RD: 51 - HAMBURG
------------------------------
4TH: 49 - HERTHA BERLIN
5TH: 48 - VFB STUTTGARD
6TH: 44 - HOFFENHEIM
7TH: 43 - SCHALKE 04
8TH: 43 - BORUSSIA DORTMUND
9TH: 42 - BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Still no clear sign of who will win the Bundesliga as the top four continue to contest the title. 3 wins on the bounce have taken Wolfsburg top with Bayern and Hamburg only winning twice. Hertha Berlin's title bid is crumbling with three defeats in a row and they now find themselves outside the Champions League places. Hoffenheim's collapse continues and after leading the table for much of the season, they now look unilkely to even qualify for the Europa League. Wolfsburg host Leverkusen next weekend with Bayern travelling to Armenia Bielefeld and Hamburg hosting Hannover. Hertha Berlin entertain Werder Bremen whilst Stuttgart travel to Koln and Hoffenheim are at Karlsruhe.



FRANCE:
31 games played (out of 38)

1ST: 61 - MARSEILLE
2ND: 60 - LYON
3RD: 59 - BORDEAUX
---------------------------
4TH: 56 - TOULOUSE
5TH: 56 - LILLE
6TH: 56 - PSG
7TH: 51 - RENNES

Despite taking 7 points in their last 3 games, Lyon lose top spot with Marseille in rampant form. Bordeaux are also right amongst it with 3 wins in a row while Lille and Toulouse remain in the mix, as do PSG despite only taking four points from a possible nine. Next weekend's programme sees a massive clash as champions Lyon visit Bordeaux whilst leaders Marseille travel to Lorient.



HOLLAND:
30 games played (out of 34)

1ST: 76 - AZ ALKMAAR
2ND: 65 - FC TWENTE
3RD: 64 - AJAX
--------------------------
4TH: 58 - HEERENVEEN
5TH: 55 - PSV EINDHOVEN
6TH: 46 - FC GRONINGEN

Three wins in a row mean that, with their far superior goal-difference, Az Alkmaar now require just one point to claim only their second ever Eredivisie title. Ajax continue their pursuit of second place with 3 wins in a row, while Steve McClaren's FC Twente remain one point ahead of the Amsterdam club, with four games remaining. PSV Eindhoven's hopes of clawing back a Champions League spot depend on beating Ajax next weekend at the Philips Stadion, while Twente travel to De Kuip to face Feyenoord and AZ will expect to secure the title at home to Vitesse Arnhem.

[rodo]

The massive match in Turkey between fierce rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce turned nasty on Sunday night as a mass brawl involving players from both sides kicked off a minute before the final whistle.

The catalyst was a sly headbutt from Fenerbahce’s Diego Lugano against Galatasaray’s Emre from behind, the former Newcastle man sent crashing to the deck by the cowardly assault.

Cue a brawl involving players from both sides.

The ugly scenes on the field soon sparked uproar in the stands, one fan caught running on the pitch by officials, while hoards of fans hidden by plumes of smoke, began hurling missiles onto the pitch.

Eventually order was restored with four players seeing red. The game ended goalless.