As the club soccer season dwindles down, it seems as if the action just keeps getting better. The FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Chelsea ended with fireworks in extra-time. Also in Spain, Real Madrid hung on to the end to keep pace with defending champion Barcelona.
English Premiership
90,000 supporters of both Manchester United and Chelsea turned out to the New Wembley stadium in London on Saturday for the FA Cup Final. An equal 50% ball possession was obtained from both teams for a full 90 minutes, as a scoreless draw was produced. After 18 shots from Chelsea and 12 from Manchester United, a 116th minute goal from EPL top scorer Didier Drogba ended the 2007 FA Cup Final. Despite not winning the Champions League and the Premiership, Chelsea walked away with both the Carling League Cup and the FA Cup Final.
Italian Serie A
When AS Roma defeated Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia last week, it opened up a door for the 7th place team in the Serie A to gain an entry into the UEFA Cup. The teams fighting for that spot going into last weekend were Palermo and Atalanta. Playing at home in Sicily, Palermo edged Siena 2-1, putting pressure on Atalanta. Atalanta, who took on Inter Milan, salvaged a 1-1 tie and came up short in their quest for the UEFA Cup. The only thing left to do in the Serie A is determine who is going to be relegated into Serie B. The last round of the Serie A will be played out next weekend. In Serie B, Juventus defeated Arezzo 5-1 to seal promotion back to Serie A.
Standings
Spanish La Liga
Going into this past weekend, there were four rounds left in the Spanish La Liga. Real Madrid and Barcelona were deadlocked on top with 66 points each. On Sunday afternoon, Real Madrid took on Recreativo Huelv. Madrid grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Robinho headed in a cross from Beckham in the 9th minute. Soon after halftime, in the 54th, Ruud van Nistolrooy scored a penalty kick to make it 2-0. Any Real Madrid supporter would have thought the game would be sealed at that point, but it wasn’t. Huelva crawled back and received a penalty kick in the 74th minute. They converted that and followed with an equalizing goal in the 86th minute. However, in the 90th minute of the game, Real Madrid’s Roberto Carlos found himself on a counterattack and scored for the 3-2 win. The Real Madrid win put pressure on Barcelona, who played in the primetime game Sunday evening against Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid’s late win had no effect on Barca, as they crushed Atletico 6-0.
Standings
German Bundesliga
All Stuttgart needed to do this past Saturday to get the Bundesliga crown was win. Their match against Energie Cottbus didn’t start off the way they would have hoped. Cottbus grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. But soon after in the 27th, Stuttgart’s Thomas Hitzlsperger equalized. The score remained tied going into the interval at 1-1. Stuttgart got their opening in the 64th when Sami Khedira scored the go-ahead and eventual Bundesliga winning goal. The match ended 2-1 and Stuttgart grabbed their 5th Bundesliga title in the final round of the 2006-2007 season.
Standings
French Ligue 1
The only thing left to settle in the French Ligue 1 going into this past weekend was the remaining Champions League bids. Marseille beat St. Enteinn 2-1 to seal the 2nd place spot but the third spot still remains up for grabs. Lens could have secured the 3rd place and final spot but they tied 0-0 against17th place Nice. Bordeaux could have made a move as well, but they tied in their match against Le Mans 1-1. Next weekend will be an epic one in the French Ligue 1. These two squads will be fighting it out for the last Champions League spot. Lens will be taking on Troyes and Bordeaux will travel to Toulouse.
Standings
