Euro football roundup 21/4
Monday, 21 Apr 2008 16:14
Julio Cruz scored Inter's goal as they extended their Serie A lead
A comprehensive roundup of all the action from the top leagues in Spain, Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands begins with news from the lowlands.
Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven wrapped up their fourth consecutive Eredivisie title on Sunday after a nervy 1-0 victory at midtable Vitesse Arnhem. PSV had needed only a draw to secure the championship, regardless of Ajax's result against Heracles.
The holders, who had now won 21 domestic titles, looked anxious in the first half. But former Vitesse striker Danko Lazovic netted just after half-time to seal the points, before Sebastien Sansoni was sent off for the hosts with 15 minutes remaining to ease the pressure on PSV in the closing stages.
Ajax had kept their hopes alive with a 2-1 win at FC Groningen in midweek and did their part with a 5-1 success against Heracles. But PSV's three-point lead at the top of the table held up.
Fellow giants Feyenoord missed out on European qualification after finishing a disappointing sixth in the table, despite a 3-0 success at home to Roda JC on the final day.
Real Madrid are closing in on a second successive Primera Liga title after their win at the weekend coincided with Barcelona's latest slip.
The Catalan giants could only draw 0-0 at home to Espanyol - extending their poor run to one win in six games - as Real beat Racing 2-0, extending their advantage at the top to ten points with just four games remaining.
Barca's stumble enabled Villarreal to move up to second in the table, thanks to a 2-0 home win over Real Valladolid.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid must turn around their worrying slump in form if they are to hold onto fourth place for Champions League qualification next season. They have just one win in four games now, after a 3-1 home defeat by Betis Sevilla, and hold only a one-point advantage over Racing with a three-point gap to sixth-placed Sevilla.
In Italy, Inter Milan took a giant stride towards the Serie A title with a 1-0 win at Torino, as Julio Cruz grabbed the only goal of the game on the half-hour mark.
The victory stretched their lead at the top of AS Roma to a massive six points with only four games left after the second-placed side were held to a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico by relegation-threatened Livorno.
Mirko Vucinic opened the scoring in the 54th minute for the home side, but they were made to pay for their wasted chances as Alessandro Diamanti netted an unlikely equaliser for the visitors with just seven minutes remaining.
Juventus look to have wrapped up third place following their runaway 4-0 success at Atalanta, thanks mainly to Alessandro del Piero's hat-trick. And it looks like being a three-way race for the final Champions League spot between Fiorentina, AC Milan and Sampdoria, as just four points separate the teams with four games to go.
It was a quiet weekend in the German Bundesliga, with only the rearranged game between relegation candidates FC Nuremburg and VfL Wolfsburg taking place. The result was a 1-0 win for Nuremburg, which puts them just two points adrift in the drop zone.
The most recent matches at the top took place in midweek last week, with top side Bayern Munich - as well as title challengers Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 - in action.
Schalke remain third despite a 5-0 home win over Energie Cottbus, in which German international Kevin Kuranyi scored four goals.
Bremen also won to keep their slim hopes of catching Munich alive following their 2-1 victory at Hansa Rostock, but the title looks like Bayern's to lose now after the Bavarian giants came from a goal down to beat Eintracht Frankfurt.
A Benjamin Kohler goal gave the hosts the lead at the break, but Daniel van Buyten's equaliser on the hour was followed by two goals from in-form striker Luca Toni to settle the result and maintain his side's ten-point lead at the top with five games to go.
The status quo is maintained in the two-horse race for the Ligue 1 title in France, with reigning champions Lyon seemingly holding all the cards going into the last four games.
Friday's 2-1 success at ten-man Strasbourg, thanks to goals from Mathieu Bodmer and Fabio Grosso just after the hour mark, maintained their advantage despite going behind after 20 minutes when Wason Renteria netted for the hosts.
Lyon's nearest challengers Bordeaux kept the pressure on their rivals at the top - but only just - as a last-minute strike from Johan Micoud earned a vital 1-0 win at Toulouse.
Nancy leapfrogged Marseilles in the battle for third after a 1-1 home draw with Le Mans, as l'OM lost 3-1 at home to fellow European chasers Lille.