The weekend in review - CLUB FOOTBALL
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Welcome to FIFA.com’s review of the weekend’s action, where we look back on the major happenings across world football. Check out our new Live Scores section for results, scorers and tables from Albania to Vietnam.
The big matches
Ingolstadt 1-2 Bayern Munich
Moritz Hartmann (42' PEN); Robert Lewandowski (15' PEN, 32')
After spurning their first opportunity to clinch the German Bundesliga title a week ago, Bayern made no mistake at the second time of asking. They bagged their 26th title, and fourth in a row, which was appropriately secured by the German Bundesliga's top scorer Robert Lewandowski. His 28th was a routine penalty, but the 29th was a sublimely deft finish, cutting his effort across goal from a tight angle to equal Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's tally from 1980/81. Only the great Gerd Muller has more in a season for Bayern. Hartmann's penalty was the first Pep Guardiola's side had seen scored against them in a record 774 days in the Bundesliga, but now the departing Spaniard will be focussing on the DFB-Pokal final and aim to leave with two trophies in hand.
Barcelona 5-0 Espanyol
Lionel Messi (8'), Luis Suarez (52', 61'), Rafinha (74'), Neymar (83')
Barcelona have rediscovered their form and will head into the final matchday in Spain on top after a 5-0 thrashing at Espanyol. Messi's early goal set the tone for the rest of the match and there was only one team that would win the game as Barça won in convincing fashion against their local rivals. Significantly elsewhere, Atletico Madrid dropped out of the title race after a 2-1 loss to Levante. However, Cristiano Ronaldo's double kept Real Madrid's title hopes alive in a 3-2 win against Valencia. On the league's last day on Saturday 14 May, Barça head to Granada while Real Madrid will visit Deportivo La Coruna aiming to grab the title from their eternal rivals.
The talking points
There was incredible final-day drama in the Netherlands as PSV secured back-to-back Eredivisie titles at the last hurdle. They trailed Ajax on goal difference going into the last round of games, knowing they needed to better the Amsterdammers' result and all signs pointing to their rivals reclaiming the trophy. Philip Cocu's side completed their side of the bargain with a 3-1 win at PEC Zwolle, with Luuk de Jong scoring twice, but the shock came at De Graafschap, who were already guaranteed a relegation play-off spot with little to play for. They upset the odds with a 1-1 draw against Frank de Boer's Ajax, with Bryan Smeets cancelling out Amin Younes' opener to see the title slip through the fingers of the side from the capital.
The race at the top in Russia continues to see-saw back and forth as CSKA Moscow recaptured their spot at the summit thanks to a solitary Pontus Wernbloom strike at Terek Grozny. They had been briefly knocked off their perch Rostov - known as the 'Russian Leciester' in local media - following a 2-1 win against Lokomotiv Moscow. Sardar Azmoun and Christian Noboa got the goals. In FYR Macedonia, Vardar secured the league title after their 2-0 win over Shkupi in Skopje which also books their ticket for UEFA Champions League qualifiers. Another title was won in Slovakia as Trencin beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0 to secure first and a place in the Champions League qualifiers next season.
While Bayern got the job done themselves, in truth Borussia Dortmund ensured the race was over whatever happened at Ingolstadt after losing 1-0 to relegation-threatened Eintracht Frankfurt. Borussia Monchengladbach have all but wrapped up the top four too with a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen, coupled with a loss for Hertha Berlin, meaning a huge swing of goals is needed to dislodge them. The top two in Poland clashed in their championship run-in as Legia Warsaw thrashed Plast Gliwice 4-0 to get one step closer to clinching the league title.
Manchester United's 1-0 win at Norwich City keeps the pressure on Manchester City, who only managed a 2-2 draw at home to Arsenal in the hunt for Europe, while pushing the hosts closer towards the drop in England. An impressive 3-2 win for Sunderland over Chelsea left the Canaries in an even more precarious position, while Newcastle United stumbled to a 0-0 draw with already-relegated Aston Villa to leave the Magpies in trouble too.
In Argentina, Godoy Cruz kept their noses in front in the race for the Primera Division final spot from Group A, courtesy of a 3-1 win over Quilmes - thanks to two goals in the closing stages, but San Lorenzo remained in contact with the leaders, continuing to trail by goal difference alone after a 2-1 defeat of River Plate.
Medellin jumped ahead of their city rivals Atletico Nacional to top the Colombian Primera, with a brace from Leonardo Castro deciding the derby in a 2-1 win, though the beaten hosts have a game in hand that could propel them back to the summit. Tigres spectacularly clinched the final play-off spot in Mexico, leapfrogging Cruz Azul thanks to a 3-0 win where Andre-Pierre Gignac struck twice. Bangkok United kept their place at the top of the Thailand League thanks to a 1-0 win over city rivals Bangkok Glass, a result mirrored by Urawa Red Diamonds against Saitama rivals Omiya Ardija as they continue to lead the Japanese J.League.
In the MLS, Colorado Rapids put some daylight between them selves and Rocky Mountain rivals Real Salt Lake thanks to a 1-0 win in their derby, while there was an instant classic in Columbus. Crew hosted Montreal Impact in a 4-4 thriller, seeing Kei Kamara, Federico Higuain and Ignacio Piatti all hit doubles, with the visitors coming from 4-1 to equalise through Dominic Oduro in the final minute.
Celtic secured their fifth straight title in Scotland, wrapping up proceedings with a 3-2 win over second-placed Aberdeen, kicked off by pair of goals from Patrick Roberts. Red Bull Salzburg won the Austrian Bundesliga on Saturday. A 1-1 draw with Sturm Graz was enough to put Rapid Vienna's title push out of reach as Salzburg secured their third consecutive title. Meanwhile, the title race in Slovenia's top division has heated up even further after Maribor pulled off a dramatic comeback to beat Olympia Ljubljana 2-1 and draw level on points at the top of the table.
Lyon have taken the advantage in the battle for second France's Ligue 1 following their impressive 6-1 thrashing of Monaco, led by an Alexandre Lacazette hat-trick and brace from Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. Nice leapfrogged Saint-Etienne into fourth with a 2-0 win of their own and are now two points behind Monaco in third. Roma similarly kept up the fight for second in Italy as they kept the pressure on Napoli with a 3-0 win over Chievo. Napoli travelled to Torino knowing a win was a must if they are to finish second and goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon in a 2-1 win means a win against Frosinone next weekend will be enough to end as runner-up in Italy. Elsewhere, Luca Toni scored a panenka penalty in his final match during Hellas Verona's 2-1 victory against champions Juventus. In Turkey, Istanbul rivals Galatasaray and Besiktas met with the visitors victorious on the night after Mario Gomez scored the only goal in the match in the 77th minute. Besiktas are now six points clear of Fenerbahce, who visit Istanbul Basaksehir tomorrow, at the top.
Raja Casablanca defeated Wydad Casablanca 3-0 to move to within three points of their rivals in Morocco. In Portugal, Benfica beat Maritimo 2-0 thanks to goals from Konstantinos Mitroglou and Anderson Talisca in the second half. The result strengthens Benfica's chances of winning the title with Sporting CP two points behind heading into the final matchday.