Bayern Munich had to work to win the Bundesliga at last but as two great heroes depart, questions remain over the managerFor two minutes and 40 seconds, it was on. The last-day drama in the Bundesliga title race that all neutrals – OK, all non-Bayern Munich fans – and Borussia Dortmund supporters had hoped for had legs for a brief spell at the beginning of the second half, after Sébastian Haller prodded in an equaliser for Eintracht Frankfurt at the Allianz Arena. It was the season in microcosm. It didn’t last.Before the window was up, Kevin Trapp could do no more than parry Thomas Müller’s hit from the edge of the area and David Alaba raced in to snaffle the...
Juve, Milan and others said goodbye to key players and staff but struggling clubs are still battling not to say so long to Serie A“No more tears, I’ve shed enough already,” insisted Massimiliano Allegri on Saturday. Nobody in the audience was fooled. Juventus had announced one day previously that his time as manager was coming to a close. Allegri could scarcely get through the first sentence of a press conference called to honour his achievements before he had to break off into a hum as he fought to compose himself.There was no such attempt to hold back the emotion one day later, as he stood and hugged Andrea Barzagli for what felt like an eternity in front of the dugouts...
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Joaquin Correa settled a scrappy Coppa Italia final after a crucial first-half refereeing decisionBy the time Joaquin Correa’s shot hit the net, Lazio’s bench was already spilling on to the pitch. Team-mates charged 70 yards from the touchline to celebrate with him in the far corner. Simone Inzaghi went in the opposite direction, turning to the supporters nearest and raising his arms in triumph.It was a scintillating goal to settle a scrappy Coppa Italia final. Correa had menaced Atalanta throughout with his pace and direct running, but it took him until the 90th minute to convert that threat into something tangible.Joaquin Correa, a one-man counter-attack, has just secured the Coppa Italia for Lazio Pandemonium in Rome. pic.twitter.com/ysKOQ0wSUT...
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Serie A top scorers have been likened by Fabio Capello to the thrilling Dutch side in the way they commit to one-on-one battles all over the pitchA lesser team would have broken. On 15 April, Atalanta played out one of the most imbalanced draws in Serie A history: a goalless stalemate at home to Empoli in which they produced 47 shots to their opponents’ three. Eighteen went on target. The last Serie A club to rack up so many attempts on goal in a single game were Roma, against Catania in 2006, in a game they won 7-0.At full time, Atalanta’s players crumpled to the floor. The draw had cost them a share of fourth place, dropping...
From U9s in parks to Pep Guardiola’s champions, no one person has had such a vast impact on a major sport’s footprint as Barcelona’s superstarThere was some consolation this week for anyone feeling a little maxed-out by the relentless individual brilliance of Lionel Messi. We have at least found something he isn’t good at on a football pitch. It turns out Messi isn’t very good at punching Fabinho in the head.Frankly, he’s terrible at it. The TV replays showed Messi doing something along these lines at the Camp Nou just before that mind-bending free-kick goal. Fabinho looked stunned at the time, but perhaps he was just shocked by the nature of the blow, a slappy, wristy thing executed with laughably...