SUPER TEN FROM EUROPEAN FOOTBALL THIS WEEK (Game Week 36)
With two games remaining in the season, teams across Europe are either running on fumes, settling into their final positions, or battling fiercely until the very last day. It’s all or nothing now.
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Barcelona coming back from two goals down in the Clasico, Dortmund crashing Alonso’s farewell and Europa League finalist with a horrid end to a league campaign, The 36th gameweek serves us ten highlights as the footballing season draws to a close in Europe.
1. Santi Gimenez gives Ac Milan faint hope in the top four race
Santiago Gimenez came off the bench to deliver a decisive performance, netting twice to propel AC Milan to a vital 3–1 victory over Bologna on Friday as the win at San Siro keeps the Rossoneri’s faint hopes of a top-four Serie A finish alive and sets up an enticing Coppa Italia final clash against Bologna on Wednesday.
After a quiet first half, Bologna opened the scoring four minutes after the restart, Riccardo Orsolini finishing off a slick team move by cutting inside from the right and curling a low shot into the bottom corner.
With Milan spurning chances away, substitute Gimenez turned the tide in the 73rd minute, calmly finishing between Skorupski’s legs after meeting a deflected cross from Christian Pulisic in the box.
Six minutes later, Pulisic put Milan in front, reacting quickest to a blocked Joao Felix effort and steering the ball into the bottom corner.
Mike Maignan kept Milan in the game with a stunning save in the 90th minute, denying Nicolo Cambiaghi’s close-range effort and in the dying mininutes, Gimenez then capped off a stellar cameo with a stoppage-time strike from inside the area, sealing the win in emphatic fashion.
The result moves Milan up to eighth in Serie A with 60 points, three behind fourth-placed Juventus, drew Lazio on Saturday. Bologna drop to seventh with 62 points, denting their own Champions League ambitions.
The match also served as an exciting preview for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final, where these two sides will face off again at the Stadio Olimpico which would be a defining moment for each side as they look to win a trophy that they haven’t won in over twenty years.
2. Four goal Sorloth makes histroy against Sociedad
Alexander Sorloth stole the spotlight with a sensational four-goal performance, netting the fastest hat-trick in LaLiga history as Atletico Madrid thrashed Real Sociedad 4–0.
The Norwegian striker struck all four goals within the first 30 minutes at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, delivering a ruthless display leaving the visitors shell-shocked.
He opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a brilliant volley from Pablo Barrios cross, before doubling the lead moments later with a clean finish from the edge of the area.
He then completed his record-breaking hat-trick four minutes later, smashing the ball into the roof of the net after Sociedad failed to clear another delivery from the right.
His fourth came on the half-hour mark, calmly slotting home from Javi Galan’s lay-off following a counterattack and he nearly added a fifth early in the second half, rattling the crossbar with a powerful volley.
It was a dominant outing for Atleti, who secured the win and a clean sheet in style as they remain third in La Liga.\
3. Last gasp Vecino once again throws last spot in Top four race wide open
Matias Vecino scored a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer to earn Lazio a 1–1 draw against 10-man Juventus, denying the visitors a crucial win in their push for a top-four finish and blowing the race to the final game from fourth to potentially eight.
Juventus appeared to tighten their grip on fourth place after Randal Kolo Muani opened the scoring early in the second half at the Stadio Olimpico, heading in his seventh league goal of the season from a Weston McKennie cross, but the game shifted when Pierre Kalulu was shown a straight red card just past the hour mark for violently shoving Valentin Castellanos, leaving Juve to defend their lead with ten men.
Lazio piled on the pressure, with Mario Gila forcing a save, Alessio Romagnoli heading over, and Boulaye Dia striking the post in the 94th minute.
All these persistence paid off in the dying moments as Michele Di Gregorio could only parry Castellanos’ header into the path of Vecino, who slotted home from close range to level the score in the 96th minute and in the right spot for a last minute goal just like he did when he was at Inter Milan
Both teams sit on 64 points, with Juventus clinging to fourth on goal difference. Sixth-placed Roma, however, could overtake them with a win against Atalanta on Monday as the top four race may go down to the final game.
4. Newcastle knock Chelsea deadly blow in the Champions League race
Newcastle United edged closer to Champions League qualification with a hard-fought 2–0 victory over Chelsea at St James’ Park, in a clash that saw Nicolas Jackson sent off.
Both sides entered Sunday’s encounter level on 63 points, sitting fourth and fifth respectively, with Aston Villa lying in wait after defeating Bournemouth a day earlier and it was Eddie Howe’s side who seized the initiative early, as Sandro Tonali opened the scoring just two minutes in by bundling in Jacob Murphy’s accurate cross, his mishit shot looping over Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea’s task became even more difficult in the 35th minute when Nicolas Jackson was shown a straight red card for violent conduct after catching Sven Botman in the head with a flailing forearm, following a VAR review.
Despite being down to ten men, Chelsea responded with a spirited second-half display. Pope was called into action to deny Marc Cucurella’s low shot, then acrobatically tipped a deflected effort from Enzo Fernandez over the bar.
Reece James missed a golden opportunity to equalize late on, heading wide from a Malo Gusto delivery in the 88th minute. Newcastle however, sealed the result in the 90th minute when Bruno Guimaraes’ long-range strike took a wicked deflection off Gusto, wrong-footing Sanchez and finding the net.
The victory lifts Newcastle into third place above Manchester City who played a 0- 0 draw with Southampton, while Chelsea, now three points adrift, risk slipping out of the top five by the end of the weekend as the season ends in two weeks.
5. Europa League finalists continue their horrible league campaign
West Ham stopped their long Premier League winless streak with a 2–0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, their first league victory since February.
Tomas Soucek put the visitors ahead in the 26th minute, smartly flicking in Mohammed Kudus’ low pass for his ninth league goal of the season. Kudus continued to threaten in attack before Jarrod Bowen doubled the lead just before the hour mark, converting from close range after a delivery from Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Manchester United pushed for a response, with Rasmus Hojlund going close on multiple occasions. However, the Danish striker failed to convert chances from Amad Diallo’s cross and was twice denied by Alphonse Areola late on.
The result sees West Ham climb to 15th in the table, while United slip to 16th, a point behind the Hammers with two games remaining in a horrendous league campaign.
Their fellow Europa league finalist Tottenham also suffered a 2–0 loss with Eberechi Exe adding salt to the injuries of an equally horrible like their counterparts United as they are in 17th and await the Europa League final in hopes to salvage their season.
6. Liverpool and Arsenal stalemate as the Gunners come from two goals down
Arsenal came from two goals down to earn a 2–2 draw against Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield, despite being reduced to 10 men following Mikel Merino’s late dismissal.
The Gunners, aiming to lock down second place, started sluggishly after giving Liverpool a pre-match guard of honour. Cody Gakpo opened the scoring in the 20th minute, heading home unmarked from Andy Robertson’s cross, before Luis Diaz tapped in a second just 87 seconds later after a slick move involving Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Arsenal responded after the break, with Gabriel Martinelli getting on Leandro Trossard’s cross early in the second half. The comeback was complete in the 70th minute when Mikel Merino nodded into an empty net after Alisson pushed Martin Odegaard’s shot onto the post though Trent Alexander-Arnold, recently confirmed to be leaving Liverpool, played him onside.
Merino’s night turned sour just nine minutes later as he was sent off for two reckless tackles in quick succession. Despite late chances for both sides including a disallowed Robertson goal for a foul in the build-up, neither team could find a winner.
The result leaves Arsenal maintaining a two-point lead over Newcastle. A win against the Magpies next Sunday would automatically seal Champions League qualification for Mikel Arteta’s side.
7. Como earn sixth straight victory as Fabregas writes interesting story in Serie A
Como mounted an impressive comeback to defeat Cagliari 3–1 at the Stadio G. Sinigaglia, extending their winning run to six Serie A games and keeping the Sardinians nervously looking over their shoulders in the relegation battle.
Cagliari struck first in bizarre fashion when veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reina let Michel Adopo’s low drive slip under his body. But Como responded with style, and VAR played a key role in confirming both their first and third goals.
Maxence Caqueret levelled with a delicate lob over Elia Caprile after a smart lofted pass from Maxi Perrone, and just before halftime, Gabriel Strefezza’s mis-hit curler helped by an untimely slip found the far top corner to give the hosts the lead.
Patrick Cutrone sealed the victory with a well-timed run and finish for his 100th club appearance, again validated by VAR after initial offside concerns. Cagliari had their chances, but poor finishing was their Achilles heel.
Nico Paz nearly added a fourth for Como in stoppage time, his free-kick shaving the post, as the Lariani continue their strong end to the season that Fabregas has written a wonderful story which will live in every native of the beautiful lakeside of Como.
8. Serie A title race gets heated up as Inter win and Napoli drop vital points
Inter maintained pressure on Serie A leaders Napoli by cruising to a 2–0 win over Torino, reducing the deficit to one point as Napoli drew against Genoa 2- 2.
Simone Inzaghi’s men, fresh off a dramatic Champions League semi-final triumph, made an early breakthrough as Nicola Zalewski fired home a superb long-range strike in the 14th minute.
Torino had chances to respond before the break, with Valentino Lazaro and Adam Masina missing close-range efforts, while Che Adams was denied by a fine save from Inter keeper Josep Martinez.
The second half began with a slight delay due to a pitch inspection after heavy rain, but Inter wasted no time in doubling their advantage. Kristjan Asllani converted from the penalty spot after Vanja Milinkovic-Savic brought down Mehdi Taremi.
Milinkovic-Savic redeemed himself slightly with a save to deny Joaquin Correa, while Torino had a late goal disallowed for a foul, as Inter closed out a win to keep their title charge firmly on track.
Meanwhile Napoli’s push for the Serie A title took a hit on Sunday as they were held to a dramatic 2–2 draw by Genoa at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Antonio Conte’s side needed all three points after Inter’s earlier win over Torino, but they were twice pegged back in a tense encounter.
Romelu Lukaku gave the hosts a bright start, finishing calmly in the 15th minute after benefitting from Scott McTominay’s pass. However, Genoa struck back before the break when Junior Messias’ cross led to an own goal by Alex Meret.
Napoli pushed hard after half-time and regained the lead through Giacomo Raspadori, who smashed in at the near post following another clever ball from the brilliant McTominay but Johan Vasquez had the final say, heading home Aaron Martin’s cross in the 84th minute to snatch a point for the visitors and make for a tense final two games. The result leaves Napoli just one point ahead of Inter, with two games left in the season as drama continues in the Serie A.
9. Harry Kane sets scoring record as Bayern Munich see of Monchengladbach and Dortmund crash Leverkusen’s Alonso farewell
Michael Olise scored a goal and an assist to lead Bayern Munich to a 2–0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach in their first outing since clinching the Bundesliga title last week.
Olise fed Harry Kane for his 25th league goal of the season before sealing the win himself with a tidy finish in the last minute, securing a comfortable result for Vincent Kompany’s side.
The match was also marked by emotion as Thomas Müller made his final appearance at the Allianz Arena, receiving a standing ovation upon his late substitution.
Despite Bayern’s early dominance, they had Manuel Neuer to thank for keeping things level early on, as he reacted swiftly to prevent an own goal from Eric Dier by clawing the ball off the line.
The breakthrough came shortly after, when Olise’s shot was deftly flicked into the net by Kane, out of reach of goalkeeper Jonas Omlin.
Kane, now with 25 goals, is on course to become the first player in Bundesliga history to finish as top scorer in both of his first two seasons, with one match remaining.
Olise capped his standout performance in stoppage time, exchanging passes with Leroy Sané before slotting home to put the result beyond doubt.
Borussia Dortmund dashed Bayer Leverkusen’s hopes of a perfect home send-off for manager Xabi Alonso with a 4–2 victory at the BayArena, keeping their Champions League hopes alive.
Leverkusen dominated early on and took the lead in the 31st minute through Jeremie Frimpong, who celebrated emotionally with Alonso but Dortmund responded almost instantly as Julian Brandt equalized against his former club and just two minutes later. Julian Ryerson then gave the visitors a 2–1 lead before halftime.
Despite Leverkusen’s strong start to the second half, Dortmund were more efficient. Goals from Karim Adeyemi and Serhou Guirassy in quick succession sealed the result before Jonas Hofmann scored a late consolation for the hosts in stoppage time.
Julian Brandt was the standout performer, notching a goal and leading Dortmund’s counter-attacks with vision and composure. The result sees Dortmund continue their push for a top-four finish, while Leverkusen were left to reflect on missed chances in Alonso’s final home game in charge as he is set to take over at Real Madrid.
10. Mbappe hattrick not enough as Barcelona comeback in the El Clasico with La Liga a win away.
Mbappe’s hattrick was not enough as Barcelona took a giant step toward clinching the LaLiga title with a dramatic 4–3 win over Real Madrid in a pulsating Clasico on
Barça endured a nightmare start at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Sunday, falling 2–0 behind within 14 minutes thanks to a quickfire brace from Mbappé — setting a record for the most goals in a debut season for a Madrid player.
But the hosts mounted an inspired comeback, turning the tide with goals from Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha to lead 4–2. Although Mbappé completed his hat-trick to drag Madrid back into the contest, Barcelona held on firm and Fermín López looked to have sealed the tie with a brilliant solo strike on his birthday, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
Barcelona now sit seven points clear at the top of the table, one win away from securing the La Liga title.