Spanning the Globe: Weekend Wrap

By: Bob | March 19th, 2007

It was another fast and furious weekend of football around the world with some league races tightening, some leaders all but crowned champions and some individual heroics by both young and old alike. Following it all is next to impossible but boy is it fun to try. Here is the recap from a few randomly selected leagues.

Germany – Seeking their first championship in 49 years, leaders Schalke 04 ended their four-game winless streak by beating third place VfB Stuttgart 1-0 at home. Second place Werder Bremen kept pace with a 2-0 win over Mainz. Meanwhile, Bayen Munich remain one of the harder teams in Europe to figure out. They lost 1-0 to Eintracht Frankfurt thanks to this wonderful goal by Christoph Preuß. Eight games remain in the Bundesliga season.

Top 4: Schalke 04 53pts, Werder Bremen 50, VfB Stuttgart 46, Bayern 44

Netherlands – Ajax made it clear that it is still too early to hand the trophy to PSV Eindhoven. The second place club spanked the league leaders 5-1 to narrow the gap to five points with five games remaining. Ok, PSV are still going to win the championship but you have to believe that they are feeling a little bit of pressure after getting their hats handed to them this weekend.

Top 4: PSV Eindhoven 67pts, Ajax 62, Alkmaar 60, Twente Enschede 58

France – If winning a league a couple of times in a row is impressive what Lyon have done in France to be nothing short of unbelievable. After beating up on Nancy 3-0 this weekend, Lyon are now 16 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and well on their way to their six straight title. Racing Lens appear destined for the Champions League too, remaining in solid position in second even after a 1-0 defeat at Auxerre. On the other end of things, PSG are in danger of dropping out of the top league for the first time since 1974. They lost their fourth straight and are just one point from the bottom. More thoughts on the France Offside.

Top 4: Lyon 65pts, Lens 49, Bordeaux 44, Lille 43

Scotland – For the first time in 13 years Celtic have lost three matches in a row. This weekend they fell 1-0 against Falkirk, prolonging the build up to their inevitable championship. Do you suppose champagne goes bad if you keep it on ice too long? Meanwhile, the much coveted Scottish CIS Insurance Cup goes to Hibernian after they took Kilmarnock to the woodshed 5-1. Is there an insurance policy for cup final humiliation?

Top 4: Celtic 74pts, Rangers 61, Aberdeen 54, Hearts 48

Portugal – Things are starting to get very, very interesting in Portugal. Sporting went on the road and came out with a hard earned 1-0 win against leaders Porto. It was the Chilean Rodrigo Telli who turned out to be the hero with this impressive free kick goal from 25 metres. Benfica can put the heat on Porto with a win against Amadora on Monday.

Top 4: Porto 52 pts, Benfica 48, Sporting 46, Belenenses 34

Brazil – For the third time this season the 100-year-old Romario belied his age and scored a hat-trick. The three goals came in a 20-minute stretch as Vasco da Gama beat the snot out of Boavista 6-2. Using himself as an accountant, Romario now has 998 goals for his career.

Argentina – Perhaps the most on form player in the world at the moment continued his torrid ways. Boca Juniors Martin Palermo scored an eight-minute hat-trick and finished with four in the game as his club smoked Gimnasia-La Plata 5-1. If you haven’t seen Palermo play this young season you should check him out. He is a joy to watch.

Top 4: San Lorenzo 16pts, River Plate 15, Boca Juniors 13, Arsenal de Sarandí 12

Mexico – In the 196th rendition of El Superclasico it was Club America that got the better of Chivas. Defender German Villa headed in the game’s lone goal and America’s keeper Guillermo Ochoa was nothing short of fantastic in the 1-0 victory. The weekend’s strangest game saw 8-man Morelia knock off Monterrey thanks to a goal by Hector Altamirano with three minutes left in the match.

Italy Serie A recap

Russian Football League recap

English League Championship recap