Spanning the Globe: The Weekend Round-up

By: Bob | April 9th, 2007

It was awfully kind of the players and clubs around the world to cram so much football into a 48-hour period. Every weekend is a holiday when the Beautiful Game is played. This weekend saw some races tighten at the top, the beginning of a new season and more action than any one human could possibly follow. We do our best to keep up with it all and to assist you in the endeavor by providing a random recap of some of the fun.

England – Forgive Manchester United fans if they spent Easter Sunday loosening their collars and fighting off a sweat. The English Premier League race is heating up. Chelsea are the ones applying the heat thanks to 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Saturday. Chelsea have won eight straight league games without conceding a goal. They are now three points back after Manchester United lost to Portsmouth 2-1 on Saturday. Lower down the table, West Ham helped their relegation cause by becoming the first team to beat Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.

Top 4: Manchester United 78pts, Chelsea 75, Liverpool 60, Arsenal 55

France – Even with a 0-0 draw against Valenciennes on Sunday, Olympique Lyon are 17 points clear at the top of the table. The race for second place and an automatic spot in the Champions League is wide open. Racing Lens were beaten 1-0 at Stade Rennes and only have one point from their past four games. As a result, their hold of second place is in peril. Toulouse cruised past Sedan 2-0 to draw even with Lens and Sochaux are breathing down their necks following a 1-1 draw against Nice. Marseille, Bordeaux, St Etienne and about one hundred other teams are also within striking distance of second. More from the weekend at the France Offside

Top 4: Lyon 66pts. Lens 49, Toulouse 49 Sochaux 47

Netherlands – PSV Eindhoven continue to stink worse than an Easter egg hidden under a couch and not found for five months. The struggling league leaders fell to NEC Nijmegen 2-1. AZ Alkmaar are taking advantage of the PSV collapse and are now two points behind after pasting NAC Breda 4-1. Ajax are also two behind but could have pulled even if it were not for a 2-2 draw against lowly RKC Waalwijk.

Top 4: PSV 68pts, AZ Alkmaar 66, Ajax 66, Twente Enschede 62

United States – The 12th MLS season kicked off in weather better suited for polar bears than soccer players. The Colorado Rapids christened their new stadium with a 2-1 victory over DC United. Meanwhile, Chivas USA welcomed the expansion Toronto FC into the league by defeating them 2-0 in Los Angeles. Chicago were also a winner this weekend, defeating New England 1-0. More from the various teams on the MLS Offside.

Scotland – How long does champagne last on ice? I wouldn’t have a clue. I drink the stuff as soon as I get my hands on a bottle. We might learn the answer to this question after watching Celtic wait yet another week to officially win the title in Scotland. With five matches remaining, Celtic need three points to officially lift the trophy. They defeated Motherwell 1-0 this weekend but the champagne remained in the freezer thanks to second place Rangers’ 1-0 victory over St Mirren. More on the Scotland Offside.

Top 4: Celtic 78pts, Rangers 65, Aberdeen 57, Hearts 54

Spain – Even though many of their players are closer to death than birth, Real Madrid are still very much alive in the La Liga race. Real Madrid defeated Osasuna 2-0 behind goals from Raul and Robinho to close the gap a bit behind leaders Barcelona, who lost 1-0 to Real Zaragoza. Sevilla continued to blow their chances by only mustering a scoreless draw against Racing Santander. Valencia rested many of their players ahead of the Champions League and lost to Athletic Bilbao 1-0.

Top 4: Barcelona 56pts, Sevilla 55, Real Madrid 54, Real Zaragoza/Valencia 50

Germany – The top four teams in the Bundesliga all won so things remain a wonderfully muddled mixed up mess as we race towards the end of the season.

Top 4: Schalke 56pts, Werder Bremen 54, VfB Stuttgart 52, Bayern Munich 50

More from the weekend that was on the Italy Offside, Russia Offside, Portugal Offside, Mexico Offside and Brazil Offside.