07 May Soccer Insights – May Vol. 1
Chelsea and Juventus secure league titles, America wins CONCACAF Champions League and UEFA Champions League Semifinals kick-off. These were this week’s highlights in soccer.
UEFA Champions League
Barcelona defeated Bayern Munich in a vibrant game played at the Camp Nou. Lionel Messi demonstrated once more why he is considered one of the best players of the world by scoring twice in the game.
In the other semifinal Juventus shocked Real Madrid by defeating them 2-1 with goals by Álvaro Morata and Carlos Tévez. Cristiano Ronaldo scored for the Spanish club.
CONCACAF Champions League
Club América (Mexico) defeated Montreal Impact in the final with a tremendous exhibition by Argentinian striker Darío Benedetto. Las Águilas won their sixth continental cup and will represetent CONCACAF in next December’s FIFA Club World Cup.
Premier League
Results
| Chelsea | 1-0 | Crystal Palace |
| Hull | 1-3 | Arsenal |
| Manchester United | 0-1 | West Brom |
| Tottenham | 0-1 | Manchester City |
| Liverpool | 2-1 | QPR |
| Leicester | 3-0 | Newcastle |
| Aston Villa | 3-2 | Everton |
| Sunderland | 2-1 | Southampton |
| Swansea | 2-0 | Stoke |
| West Ham | 1-0 | Burnley |
Table
| 1 | Chelsea | 93pts |
| 2 | Manchester City | 70pts |
| 3 | Arsenal | 70pts |
| 4 | Manchester United | 65pts |
| 5 | Liverpool | 61pts |
Talking points
- Chelsea secured the Premier League title after winning 1-0 over Crystal Palace with goal by Eden Hazard. This is their 5th league title (4th since the Premier League was established), and the first since 2010.
- Manchester United lost their third straight game without scoring any goals. The club has been highly criticized and needs a victory to calm the tide.
- Sergio Agüero scored for Manchester City in their away victory at Tottenham. He’s scored a total of 22 goals and seems to be the one to win the golden boot at the end of the season.
La Liga
Results
| Córdoba | 0-8 | Barcelona |
| Sevilla | 2-3 | Real Madrid |
| Atl Madrid | 0-0 | Ath Bilbao |
| Real Sociedad | 3-0 | Levante |
| Valencia | 3-1 | Eibar |
| Málaga | 1-2 | Elche |
| Deportivo de La Coruña | 1-1 | Villarreal |
| Getafe | 1-2 | Granada |
| Espanyol | 1-1 | Rayo Vallecano |
| Almería | 2-2 | Celta de Vigo |
Table
| 1 | Barcelona | 87pts |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 85pts |
| 3 | Atlético Madrid | 76pts |
| 4 | Valencia | 72pts |
| 5 | Sevilla | 69pts |
Talking points
- Barcelona demonstrated once again their offensive power. Luis Suárez scored a hat-trick and Messi a brace. Neymar, Piqué and Rakitic scored once each to complete a 8-0 victory.
- Real Madrid won at Sevilla thanks to a hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo, current top goalscorer in La Liga. They keep following Barcelona closely in the table.
- Athletic Bilbao ended Atlético Madrid’s winning streak with a 0-0 draw. Valencia is four points away from Los Colchoneros.
Bundesliga
Results
| B. Leverkusen | 2-0 | Bayern Munich |
| Hoffenheim | 1-1 | B. Dortmund |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2-2 | Hannover 96 |
| Schalke 04 | 3-2 | Sttutgart |
| Mainz 05 | 1-2 | Hamburger SV |
| FC Augsburg | 0-0 | FC Köln |
| Hertha BSC | 1-2 | B. Mönchengladbach |
| Freiburg | 1-2 | Paderborn |
| Werder Bremen | 1-0 | Frankfurt |
Table
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 76pts |
| 2 | Wolfsburg | 62pts |
| 3 | Mönchengladbach | 60pts |
| 4 | Bayer Leverkusen | 58pts |
| 5 | Schalke 04 | 45pts |
Talking points
- Bayern Munich couldn’t put shine to their league title after losing 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen.
- Borussia Dortmund is in the ninth place, three points away from Europa League qualification spots. They could also get a place in that tournament by winning the DFB Cup, where they knocked out Bayern Munich in the semifinals and will play Wolfsburg for the title.
- Stuttgart lost yet another game and relegation is slowly becoming inevitable.
Serie A
Results
| Sampdoria | 1-2 | Juventus |
| Napoli | 3-0 | AC Milan |
| Inter Milan | 0-0 | Chievo Verona |
| Roma | 2-0 | Genoa |
| Fiorentina | 3-1 | Cesena |
| Atalanta | 1-1 | Lazio |
| Torino | 0-1 | Empoli |
| Cagliari | 4-0 | Parma |
| Hellas Verona | 0-1 | Udinese |
| Sassuolo | 0-0 | Palermo |
Table
| 1 | Juventus | 79pts |
| 2 | Roma | 64pts |
| 3 | Lazio | 63pts |
| 4 | Napoli | 59pts |
| 5 | Fiorentina | 52pts |
Talking points
- Juventus secured their fourth straight Serie A title after defeating Sampdoria. They have hopes of treble: they’ll play Lazio in the Coppa Italia final and are facing Real Madrid in the UCL semifinals.
- Roma recovered the second spot, and will try to keep it to secure a place in the Champions League group stage.
- Lazio and Napoli are also in the fight for Champions League qualification, following Roma really close. Any points loss could be fatal for them.
Ligue 1
Results
| Nantes | 0-2 | PSG |
| Lyon | 2-0 | Evian |
| Bastia | 1-0 | St Etienne |
| Monaco | 4-1 | Toulouse |
| Metz | 0-2 | Marseille |
| Lille | 3-1 | Lens |
| Guingamp | 2-0 | Reims |
| Lorient | 0-0 | Bourdeaux |
| Montpellier | 0-0 | Rennes |
| Nice | 1-1 | Caen |
Table
| 1 | PSG | 74pts |
| 2 | Lyon | 71pts |
| 3 | Monaco | 65pts |
| 4 | Marseille | 60pts |
| 5 | Saint-Etienne | 60pts |
Talking points
- PSG won their pending game midweek against Metz and secured the top spot after defeating Nantes on Sunday.
- Marseille returned to the winning ways with a 0-2 victory over Metz.
- Seven teams are part of the relegation fight. Lens has already lost the battle and will play next season in the Ligue 2.
MLS
Results
| LA Galaxy | 1-1 | Colorado Rapids |
| New York City FC | 1-3 | Seattle Sounders |
| DC United | 2-0 | Columbus Crew |
| New England Revolution | 2-1 | New York Red Bulls |
| Portland Timbers | 0-0 | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| Sporting Kansas City | 1-0 | Chicago Fire |
| Houston Dynamo | 1-4 | FC Dallas |
| Real Salt Lake | 1-1 | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Philadelphia Union | 0-1 | Toronto FC |
*Midweek games: Real Salt Lake 0-0 LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo 0-1 San Jose Earthquakes
Tables
Eastern Conference
| 1 | NE Revolution | 17pts |
| 2 | DC United | 17pts |
| 3 | NY Red Bulls | 13pts |
Western Conference
| 1 | FC Dallas | 17pts |
| 2 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 17pts |
| 3 | Seattle Sounders | 16pts |
Talking points
- FC Dallas defeated Houston Dynamo with a 1-4 score to claim the first place in the Western Conference.
- New York City lost their sixth game in the season, and have just won one of nine played.
- New England Revolution defeated New York Red Bulls and continue to lead the Eastern Conference.
Liga MX
Results
| Tigres | 2-1 | Chivas |
| América | 3-1 | Toluca |
| Puebla | 2-0 | León |
| Leones Negros | 1-2 | Veracruz |
| Pumas UNAM | 0-1 | Cruz Azul |
| Morelia | 1-2 | Querétaro |
| Tijuana | 1-2 | Atlas |
| Pachuca | 2-3 | Santos |
| Chiapas | 0-2 | Monterrey |
Table
| 1 | Veracruz | 28pts |
| 2 | Tigres | 28pts |
| 3 | Atlas | 28pts |
| 4 | Chivas | 26pts |
| 5 | América | 26pts |
| 6 | Cruz Azul | 25pts |
| 7 | Tijuana | 24pts |
| 8 | Santos | 24pts |
Talking points
- Relegation fight had a turn-around and Leones Negros now seem to be doomed to play next season in the second division. They need to win and Puebla to be defeated.
- América returned to Mexico boosted by their CONCACAF Champions League title and defeated Toluca 3-1 at the Estadio Azteca.
- Veracruz, Tigres and Atlas secured a place in the playoffs. Ten teams will be trying to get the five remaining spots.
What to look out for next week
- UEFA Champions League – The second leg of the semifinals will be played to decide the tournament finalists: Bayern Munich vs Barcelona on Tuesday and Real Madrid vs Juventus on Wednesday.
- Premier League – Champions Chelsea will play against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The Reds will have to make a Guard of Honour to welcome the newly crowned champions.
- La Liga – Real Madrid will play against Valencia, and Barcelona has to face Real Sociedad.
- Bundesliga – Bayern Munich will try to recover from their recent defeats and defeat Augsburg to boost their form ahead of the second leg against Barcelona.
- Serie A – Milan vs Roma is the most interesting match-up this weekend.
- MLS – Both New York clubs will face each other for the first time ever. This could be the star of a great rivalry.
- Liga MX – Everything will be decided this weekend: the eight teams that will play the playoffs and who will be relegated. Puebla faces Santos and Leones Negros have to play against Cruz Azul.
