rediff.com
News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

Rediff.com  » Sports » European soccer: Arsenal, Milan book Champions League berth
This article was first published 11 years ago

European soccer: Arsenal, Milan book Champions League berth

Last updated on: May 20, 2013 10:56 IST

Image: Arsenal's Lourent Koscielny (right) scores against Newcastle United during their English Premier League soccer match at St James' Park in Newcastle on Sunday
Photographs: Russell Cheyne/Reuters

Arsenal beat North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to England's fourth Champions League spot, their 1-0 victory over Newcastle on the final day of the Premier League season enough to ensure their place in Europe's showpiece competition.

In Serie A, AC Milan scored twice in the last six minutes to snatch a place in the Champions League qualifying round while Porto clinched their 27th Portuguese Premier League title.

ENGLAND

Arsenal claimed the final Champions League spot at the expense of their arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the Premier League season on Sunday with a 1-0 win at Newcastle United.

Defender Laurent Koscielny put visitors Arsenal ahead in the 52nd minute to secure fourth place with 73 points, one point ahead of fifth-placed Spurs who mustered a late goal from Gareth Bale to beat Sunderland 1-0 at White Hart Lane.

Chelsea sealed third place on 75 points with a 2-1 win at home to Everton, while champions Manchester United said farewell to retiring manager Alex Ferguson with a 5-5 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

Barca a step closer to matching Real Madrid's La Liga record of 100 points

Image: Barcelona's players pose with the La Liga trophy during celebrations at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on Sunday
Photographs: Albert Gea/Reuters

SPAIN

Champions Barcelona moved closer to matching Real Madrid's record haul of 100 points from last season when they beat Real Valladolid 2-1 at home on Sunday.

Pedro netted the opener and Valladolid's Marc Valiente scored an own goal before the break. A late penalty from Victor Perez cut the deficit, as Barca climbed on to 94 points with two games to play.

League runners up Real Madrid lost 2-1 to third-placed Atletico Madrid after extra-time in the King's Cup final on Friday.

Real Sociedad's hopes of claiming Spain's fourth and final Champions League spot remain alive after coming from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 on Saturday.

With two matches remaining they are tied on 62 points with Valencia, who beat Getafe 1-0, but are ahead in the standings thanks to a superior head-to-head record.

AC Milan take third spot in Serie A, Inter finish 9th

Image: Mario Balotelli of AC Milan
Photographs: Claudio Villa/Getty Images

ITALY

AC Milan scored twice in the last six minutes to beat relegated Siena 2-1 and finish third in Serie A, clinching a place in the Champions League qualifying round.

Claudio Terzi put Siena ahead in the 25th minute before a Mario Balotelli penalty and Philippe Mexes goal rescued Milan. They finished with 72 points, two ahead of Fiorentina whose 5-1 win at Pescara was in vain.

Champions Juventus completed their campaign with a 3-2 defeat at Sampdoria while Walter Mazzarri announced his resignation as coach of second-placed Napoli, immediately after the 2-1 defeat at AS Roma.

Inter Milan finished their miserable season in ninth after being thrashed 5-2 at home by Udinese, who were fifth and joined Fiorentina in the Europa League.

Kiessling of Leverkusen is highest scorer in Bundesliga

Image: Stefan Kiessling
Photographs: David Ramos/Getty Images

GERMANY

Champions Bayern Munich needed some Franck Ribery magic to end the Bundesliga season with a dramatic 4-3 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach as they prepare to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final next week.

The Frenchman scored twice and set up another goal for Arjen Robben as Bayern came from two goals down to win and set more league records with their 91 points in total and just 18 conceded goals in 34 league matches.

Second-placed Dortmund, also in their Champions League final dress rehearsal, suffered a late meltdown, conceding two late goals as Hoffenheim staged a last-gasp relegation escape with a 2-1 victory, earning them a relegation playoff with second division side Kaiserslautern.

Bayer Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling finished top of the scorers' list after notching his 25th goal of the season in the 90th minute for a 1-0 win at Hamburg SV, with his team set for Champions League action next season with a third place finish.

Schalke 04 beat Freiburg 2-1 to grab fourth place and a Champions League qualifying spot, with their opponents settling for the Europa League along with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf slumped to a 3-0 defeat to Hanover 96 to tumble back down along with already-relegated Greuther Fuerth.

Porto pip Benfica by a point to clinch 27th league title

Image: Porto's goalkeeper Helton Arruda (left) and captain Lucho Gonzalez celebrate their Portuguese Premier League title win with teammates on Sunday
Photographs: Jose Manuel/Reuters

PORTUGAL

Porto won their 27th Portuguese title with a 2-0 win at Pacos de Ferreira on Sunday, prolonging their dominance of the competition for another season.

Argentine playmaker Lucho Gonzalez fired in from the spot after 23 minutes and Colombia's Jackson Martinez extended the lead in the second half to hand Porto a third consecutive title.

Second-placed Benfica beat Moreirense at home but ended the season one point behind the champions Porto for their third consecutive runners-up spot.

Porto have now won 14 out of the last 20 championships.

Ibra set a personal league scoring record on Beckham's farewell

Image: David Beckham of PSG reacts as he is substituted during the Ligue 1 match
Photographs: Michael Regan/Getty Images

FRANCE

David Beckham bid an emotional farewell to the Parc des Princes as champions Paris St Germain beat Stade Brest 3-1 with Zlatan Ibrahimovic taking his season tally to 29 goals with a double on Saturday.

Beckham, who will retire at the end of the season, broke down in tears when he was substituted in the 81st minute after Ibrahimovic had set a personal league scoring record.

Olympique Lyon moved closer to a Champions League spot after Clement Grenier earned them a 1-1 draw at Nice on Sunday.

Lyon are third on 64 points with one game left and lead St Etienne, who beat second-placed Olympique Marseille 2-0 on Saturday, by two points.

Nancy were relegated to Ligue 2 after a 2-1 home defeat against Bastia.
Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.