One match remains…and just like in the Premiership, the champion of Italy will be crowned on the final day and not sooner! Needing just one win of their last three matches, Inter Milan have managed to lose and draw their last two games and will travel to relegation-threatened Parma in search 
of that elusive victory that will crown them the Italian champions for the third year in a row. On their heels are Roma who have grabbed the maximum 6 points from their last two games and trail Inter Milan by just a point before their final match too against relegation-battlers Catania. Inter will be kicking themselves to not have clinched the title this weekend as they twice took the lead against Siena only to see scores being leveled each time and had Materazzi’s penalty saved 13 minutes from time, the final result thus being 2-2. It will be do-or-die time for Inter Milan and Roma next weekend as they battle for the Championship crown. But the losers will have another opportunity to gain revenge as the Coppa Italia final will be contested between these two rivals again. The neutrals might prefer both the clubs taking home a trophy each in the same fashion as last season when Inter Milan edged Roma for the League title but Roma defeated Inter in the finals to lift the Italian Cup.
There is also a lot more to play for on the final day in the Serie A as Inter’s neighbours AC Milan are struggling to find a Champions League berth after their defeat against Napoli. Milan are now trailing Fiorentina by two points for the fourth position in the League table. Wonder how Milan will be able to attract big names that are being linked to them in recent weeks if they fail to qualify for Champions League next season! And that is why Flamini’s reasons for quitting Arsenal, ‘due to the pain of missing out on the Premiership title’, come as a surprise with Milan nowhere close to winning anything themselves this season. Maybe footballers should be more honest in saying that they received better contracts from the other team. On the relegation front, Livorno became the first team to be going down to Serie B. Catania, Parma and Empoli will battle it out on the last day to avoid joining Livorno.
Another major European League battle will be decided on the last day of the season. Lyon and Bordeuax both won their respective matches to keep the Ligue One battle on. Lyon, in search of a historic 7th successive League title, won against Nancy 1-0, the solitary goal was an own goal from Nancy’s defender Andre Luiz. Lyon have been jittery as they inch closer towards the finish line with 9 points from a maximum of 18 while Bordueax have notched up 15 points in the same number of games. Lyon will travel to Auxerre on the last day who have ensured their safety. Bordueax face a trip to RC Lens who are fighting to avoid the relegation drop and will need to get better results than Toulouse and PSG to ensure safety. PSG, just a point above safety, face an unthinkable nightmare of falling into the second division after a spell of more than two and a half decades in top-flight football. A lot at stake on the last day in France….
In Scotland, Rangers and Celtic are both keeping up the pressure on each other. Celtic currently have a 4-point lead over Rangers but while Celtic have only one game remaining, Rangers have still three more to play in the league. In Bundesliga, Bayern Munich have already been crowned champions but their latest victory against MSV Duisburg relegated the latter to second-tier of German football. Hansa Rostock will be joining Duisburg after their 1-2 defeat to Leverkusen. Either of Nurnberg or Arminia Bielefeld will be relegated on the last day.
And finally…the axe fell down on Frank Rijkaard, the current Barcelona manger, after his side’s 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid during mid-week. A second season in a row without a trophy seems to be uncalled for in a gigantic club like Barcelona and his previous exploits of two successive league titles and Champions League glory have quickly been forgotten. Josep Guardiola who spent 11 years as a Barcelona player and has even captained the Catalan giants will take over reigns from Rijkaard next season onwards.
of that elusive victory that will crown them the Italian champions for the third year in a row. On their heels are Roma who have grabbed the maximum 6 points from their last two games and trail Inter Milan by just a point before their final match too against relegation-battlers Catania. Inter will be kicking themselves to not have clinched the title this weekend as they twice took the lead against Siena only to see scores being leveled each time and had Materazzi’s penalty saved 13 minutes from time, the final result thus being 2-2. It will be do-or-die time for Inter Milan and Roma next weekend as they battle for the Championship crown. But the losers will have another opportunity to gain revenge as the Coppa Italia final will be contested between these two rivals again. The neutrals might prefer both the clubs taking home a trophy each in the same fashion as last season when Inter Milan edged Roma for the League title but Roma defeated Inter in the finals to lift the Italian Cup.There is also a lot more to play for on the final day in the Serie A as Inter’s neighbours AC Milan are struggling to find a Champions League berth after their defeat against Napoli. Milan are now trailing Fiorentina by two points for the fourth position in the League table. Wonder how Milan will be able to attract big names that are being linked to them in recent weeks if they fail to qualify for Champions League next season! And that is why Flamini’s reasons for quitting Arsenal, ‘due to the pain of missing out on the Premiership title’, come as a surprise with Milan nowhere close to winning anything themselves this season. Maybe footballers should be more honest in saying that they received better contracts from the other team. On the relegation front, Livorno became the first team to be going down to Serie B. Catania, Parma and Empoli will battle it out on the last day to avoid joining Livorno.
Another major European League battle will be decided on the last day of the season. Lyon and Bordeuax both won their respective matches to keep the Ligue One battle on. Lyon, in search of a historic 7th successive League title, won against Nancy 1-0, the solitary goal was an own goal from Nancy’s defender Andre Luiz. Lyon have been jittery as they inch closer towards the finish line with 9 points from a maximum of 18 while Bordueax have notched up 15 points in the same number of games. Lyon will travel to Auxerre on the last day who have ensured their safety. Bordueax face a trip to RC Lens who are fighting to avoid the relegation drop and will need to get better results than Toulouse and PSG to ensure safety. PSG, just a point above safety, face an unthinkable nightmare of falling into the second division after a spell of more than two and a half decades in top-flight football. A lot at stake on the last day in France….
In Scotland, Rangers and Celtic are both keeping up the pressure on each other. Celtic currently have a 4-point lead over Rangers but while Celtic have only one game remaining, Rangers have still three more to play in the league. In Bundesliga, Bayern Munich have already been crowned champions but their latest victory against MSV Duisburg relegated the latter to second-tier of German football. Hansa Rostock will be joining Duisburg after their 1-2 defeat to Leverkusen. Either of Nurnberg or Arminia Bielefeld will be relegated on the last day.
And finally…the axe fell down on Frank Rijkaard, the current Barcelona manger, after his side’s 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid during mid-week. A second season in a row without a trophy seems to be uncalled for in a gigantic club like Barcelona and his previous exploits of two successive league titles and Champions League glory have quickly been forgotten. Josep Guardiola who spent 11 years as a Barcelona player and has even captained the Catalan giants will take over reigns from Rijkaard next season onwards.
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