Italian Serie A
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inter Milan | 63 |
| 2 | AS Roma | 59 |
| 3 | AC Milan | 59 |
| 4 | Palermo | 48 |
| 5 | Sampdoria | 47 |
Italian champions and current Serie A leaders Inter Milan grabbed a vital 3-0 win over Livorno to firmly reiterate their title credentials after a recent domestic form slump. AC Milan’s late 1-0 loss at Parma also conspired to offer the Nerrazzurri a four-point buffer at the top, with AS Roma up to second.
In the race for Champions League football, nobody could make any significant inroads, with Palermo’s 2-2 draw at Genoa offering their chasers hope. But Sampdoria lost 2-1 at Bari, while Juventus lost 3-1 at Napoli. The Naples club, who came from behind, are now into sixth spot after a few lean weeks.
In the relegation battle, 18th-placed Atalanta made it two wins on the trot with a 3-1 victory over Cagliari. Atalanta are now four points from safety. Elsewhere, struggling Roman giants Lazio also made it consecutive victories by defeating battling Siena 2-0.
Spanish La Liga
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 71 |
| 2 | FC Barcelona | 71 |
| 3 | Valencia | 53 |
| 4 | Real Mallorca | 47 |
| 5 | FC Sevilla | 45 |
A magical first-half onslaught from Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain ensured Real Madrid remain at the summit of La Liga after a 4-2 triumph at Getafe. Barcelona, meanwhile, needed two late goals to see off Osasuna 2-0, in a display which wasn’t flash but good enough.
David Villa scored the only goal as Valencia beat Malaga to keep up their push for third spot, while Mallorca could only draw with Santander. Fifth-placed Sevilla, who sacked Manolo Jimenez earlier in the week, slumped to a dismal 1-1 home draw with bottom-club Xerez.
Down the wrong end, none of the bottom clubs could get victories, with 19th-placed Tenerife conceding late to blow a golden chance at three points drawing 2-2 with Villarreal. Meanwhile, 14th-placed Osasuna’s loss to Barca means they’ve claimed just 2 points in their last 7 outings.
English Premier League
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 69 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 68 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 67 |
| 4 | Tottenham | 55 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 53 |
There was a handful of midweek matches in the English Premier League, with only Chelsea playing out of the title challengers. But the Blues claimed an important victory, 5-0 at bottom-club Portsmouth, with Didier Drogba beginning to lead the way.
Champions League hopefuls Manchester City crashed to a 2-0 home defeat by Everton, with boss Roberto Mancini boiling over the on the touchline. Seventh-placed Aston Villa failed to take advantage when they could’ve gone fifth, after an uninspiring 1-1 home draw with Sunderland.
In the battle to avoid the drop, West Ham lost their fifth consecutive match to further endanger their survival aspirations. The Hammers went down 3-1 at home to fellow battlers Wolverhampton, to put Gianfranco Zola’s job at risk. West Ham are 17th, just three points out of the bottom three.
German DFB Pokal
German giants Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich will meet in the cup final after securing their passage through with semi-final victories midweek.
Last season’s winners Werder comfortably defeated FC Augsburg 2-0, while Bayern had to go through extra-time to get past Schalke 04 1-0 with Arjen Robben grabbing a 112th minute winner.
Dutch KNVB Beker
Dutch giants Feyenoord and Ajax Amsterdam will face off in Holland’s cup decider after semi-finals wins midweek.
Fallen giants Feyenoord had to navigate Eredivisie leaders FC Twente, but did so 2-1 with Roy Makaay’s late winner, while Ajax cruised past lower division Go Ahead Eagles 6-0.
Coupe de France
The French domestic cup isn’t as far advanced as those in German and the Netherlands, with the quarter-finals taking place midweek.
Through to the semi-finals are PSG, Monaco and Lens along with tiny Quevilly who incredibly knocked out Ligue 1 club Boulogne.