Spanning the Globe: Kiss the Trophy and Lift

Chances are you probably don’t have the time to follow every football league in the world closely. Never fear. We are here to help. Here’s a quick and dirty rundown of some of the highlights and lowlights from the weekend that was.

Mexico – If you were to check the blood of Chivas fans today chances are you would find more tequila than plasma. The Mexican giants captured their 11th title by coming from behind to defeat Toluca 2-1 in the play-off final. Adolfo Bautista is the one they’ll be naming their children after, scoring the game winner in the 69th minute.

Argentina – Boca Juniors needed a mere point at home to lay claim to the Argentina league title. Boca Juniors failed to get that point and now will need to work overtime to add to their trophy case. Lanus left Boca fans like they had been kicked in the balls, winning 2-1 at La Bombonera. Second-place Estudiantes showed some serious cojones in their win against Arsenal and have set up a one-game winner-takes-all match against Boca Juniors on Thursday. Think that one will be a just a little bit dramatic?

Uruguay – Surprising Danubio came from behind to pummel Penarol 4-1 and to capture the first stage of the Uruguayan championship. Penarol merely needed a tie to lift the trophy, but they swallowed a chicken bone, choked hard and pulled a Boca Juniors. The Uruguayan season is divided into two stages, the Apertura and Clausura. The winners of each meet in the end-of-season final.

Paraguay – Libertad liberated the league championship from three-time holders Cerro Porteno with a 2-1 victory. Libertad had lost to Cerro Porteno in the finals in 2004 and 2005. There are probably Paraguayan expressions about revenge being sweet and the third time being a charm but I have no idea how to say them.

England – Manchester United won their little derby against Manchester City and increased their lead in the Premiership to eight points thanks to second place Chelsea’s draw at home against Arsenal. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho wants to assure one and all that the race for first isn’t over yet and he might just be right, although Man U has played as fine of football as any team I have seen this season.

Scotland – Celtic won again and now is a ridiculous 16 points clear of second-place Rangers and Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier League. Let’s just hand them the trophy now and call it a night.

France – Death, taxes and Lyon victories. The French superpowers won again and are breathing comfortably atop the table, a cool 14 points ahead of Lens. Celtic and Lyon should play each other in their spare time just so they can help stave off boredom.

Spain – Sevilla defeated Real Madrid on Saturday and as a result they get to play alone in second place behind Barcelona, who won as well and are now messing around in Japan with the Club World Cup. Real Madrid is still in it in third place, while Zaragoza moved into the fourth Champions League spot with their win. How refreshing to see a European league that is still competitive.

Italy – Inter Milan won their eighth straight league match. The last time they accomplished this feat was all the way back in 1939-40. Inter is now seven points clear of Roma, who got their asses handed to them in their derby against Lazio. Juventus is still in Serie B.

Germany – Werder Bremen decided to take some frustration out on Eintracht Frankfurt, winning 6-2 on the road. They remain at the front of the Bundesliga line, ahead of Schalke 04 merely by goal differential. More games against Eintracht Frankfurt won’t hurt in that department.

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Category: World Football