Round the world in 600 words: French and German leagues going to the wire

Champions League / Ben Lyttleton / 04 May 2009 / Leave a Comment

Messi and Thierry Henry all but wrapped up the title for Barcelona in Spain as did Ibrahimovic in Italy but the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 will probably be decided on the last day, reports Ben Lyttleton.

When Gonzalo Higuain headed Real Madrid into an early lead over Barcelona in their decisive match at the Bernabeu, it looked like the title race was back on in Spain. Instead, anyone watching was treated to a master-class which would have been noted by Chelsea: half an hour later, Barcelona were 3-1 up and La Liga was in the bag. They went on to score three more, with Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi both netting twice, in a stunning 6-2 win.
Barcelona's next test is against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge: the Catalans are [1.69] to reach the Champions League final, and ([2.98]) to win the competition.

Elsewhere in Spain, Sevilla ended their four-match losing streak to beat Villarreal 2-0 and move four points clear of Valencia, surprise 3-0 losers at resurgent Espanyol, in the race for third place.

In Italy, Inter could be crowned champions next week if results go their way after Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one and set up the other for Sulley Muntari in a 2-0 win over Lazio. The match was overshadowed by Inter fans booing their own players, though, and coach Jose Mourinho asked them for more support. "The fans want better performances, and so do we, but we are doing our best."

They are not the only unhappy ones in Serie A: Juventus may have overturned a Fans' ban for their match against Lecce, but their fans used it to protest against coach Claudio Ranieri, whose winless run now stands at five gamed after Jose Castillo's late equaliser sealed a 2-2 draw for the relegation-threatened visitors. In-form AC Milan, who host Juve next week, beat Catania 2-0 to remain in second place, while Fiorentina, 1-0 winners
over Torino, are now ([5.2]) to catch Juventus for third place.

The Bundesliga is as tight as ever after Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich ended dramatic weeks with crucial home wins: Wolves boss Felix Magath announced he was off to Shalke next season, but his team seemed unaffected as Edin Dzeko's hat-trick saw off Hoffenheim 4-0. Bayern won their first game under new boss Jupp Heynckes, beating Moenchengladbach 2-1. Wolfsburg, ([2.24]), are still three points ahead of Bayern, now ([2.64]). Stuttgart, ([19.5]), who play Wolfsburg next week, are five points back after only drawing 2-2 at Bielefeld; as are Hamburg, ([18.5]), who drew 1-1 with Hertha.

If Magath's announcement was shrugged off at his club, the same cannot be said at Marseille, who dropped two points in a 2-2 draw at home to Toulouse just days after coach Eric Gerets confirmed he would be quitting at the end of the season. That leaves them still-top in France, and ([2.04]) for the title, but only on goal difference from Bordeaux, heavily-tipped here at ([6.8]) a few weeks ago but now in to ([1.66]) after beating Sochaux 3-0.

Lyon are not only out of the race but now in danger of missing out on the Champions League after losing 2-0 at Valenciennes, while PSG are a point behind after losing to Rennes.

Marco van Basten's Ajax reign looks to be coming to an end after his side lost 4-0 at Sparta Rotterdam, while AZ have taken their foot off the gas since winning the league: they lost 3-0 at Steve McClaren's Twente.

In Brazil, Corinthians drew 1-1 with Santos to be crowned Paulista champions, and the presence of national team coach Dunga in the crowd sparked speculation that Ronaldo might be in line for a recall to the Brazil side. Their success was almost short-lived, though, when the podium on which they retrieved their trophy caught fire.