Barcelona are still top in Spain, Borussia Dortmund riding high after big win and Juventus are keeping the door open.
La Liga
It’s as you were at the top of the La Liga table as both Barcelona and Real Madrid were victorious on the weekend. Leaders Barca crushed Villarreal 4-1 at Camp Nou on Saturday. The big three handled all the scoring for Barcelona: Lionel Messing scored a brace while Neymar and Luis Suarez each added one.
Real Madrid scored four goals of their own away to Granada on Saturday. With Cristiano Ronaldo being rested, James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata handled the scoring duties, each scoring a pair of goals. Los Merengues remain in second place due to Barcelona’s superior head-to-head record.
This weekend could very well decide the La Liga title as Real Madrid face their stiffest remaining test in fourth-place Sevilla on Sunday at the Bernabeu. Barcelona are on the road on the same day against a struggling Las Palmas side that have lost their last three league matches.
Real will finally make up their game at Celta Vigo next Wednesday. The match is poised to be the moment Real Madrid claim first place for good, although a draw against Sevilla or Vigo would set up a wonderfully tense final day of the La Liga season a week from Sunday.
On the Champions League side of things, Real Madrid advanced to the final in Cardiff despite losing in the Madrid derby to Atletico 2-1 on Wednesday.
Bundesliga
With Bayern Munich already cemented as Bundesliga champions, and RB Leipzig all but claiming second place, it was Borussia Dortmund’s massive win over Hoffenheim on Saturday that stood out as the biggest match last weekend. BVB leapfrogged Hoffenheim into third place, but only two points separate the clubs.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was once again on the score sheet for Dortmund, scoring the eventual game winner in the 82nd minute. He is level on Bundesliga goals (28) with Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski in the chase for the golden boot. Unfortunately, Euro Preview favorite Christian Pulisic did not see any time in their big win (sad face).
Dortmund scored another victory yesterday, though it doesn’t directly affect their Bundesliga point total. Defender Marc Bartra, who was injured during the explosions that went off near the BVB bus prior to their Champions League matchup with Monaco on April 11, returned to full training with the senior team.
Serie A
Leaders Juventus appear to have hit a lull in their league form at just the wrong time. They drew in their second consecutive Serie A match on Saturday against Torino at Juventus Stadium. Juve, however, still enjoy a seven-point lead over second-place Roma with only three league matches remaining.
Their struggles in Serie A certainly didn’t transfer over to their Champions League campaign as Juventus secured passage to the final after gliding past Monaco 4-1 on aggregate. The Old Lady finally gave up their first goal in knockout round play, but it was after the aggregate scoreline had reached 4-0. The matchup between Real Madrid’s flamethrower of an offense and Juve’s impenetrable fortress of a defense should be a dandy.
In Serie A-teams-not-named-Juventus news, Roma are holding onto second place over Napoli by a single point. The Romans laid siege to AC Milan last Sunday, winning by a score of 4-1. Serie A leading scorer Edin Dzeko added another brace to his collection. The day before, Napoli dispatched Cagliari with similar ease, riding a Dries Mertens brace to a 3-1 victory.
If Napoli plan on making a move into second place, Sunday is the day: they face ninth-place Torino while Roma host the leaders. On the other hand, should Roma pull off the upset, they would find themselves within four points of first place with two league games remaining. Their chances of winning the league would still be remote, but it would make the end of the Serie A season a lot more interesting.
Next: This week in US Soccer: Two teams competing in World Cups
Bonus Goal
For the second week in a row, Dani Alves features prominently in our Bonus Goal section. This time, he actually scores the goal. It pretty much ended any hope of a comeback for Monaco.
That sucker took forever to come down. The timing and technique from Alves here is pinpoint.
Until next week.