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**Dunny** · April 28, 2012, 08:53 AM

Why Aquilani's Anfield return would not be the worst outcome for Liverpool

By Dominic King
PUBLISHED: 12:09 GMT, 27 April 2012 | UPDATED: 12:13 GMT, 27 April 2012

He has made 28 appearances for Liverpool and scored two goals. He was idolised before even kicking a ball for the club but has not played a competitive game in a Red shirt for almost two years.
By rights, Alberto Aquilani should not be featuring towards the top end of those topics being keenly debated by Liverpudlians at present but, after the latest curious week in his career, the Italian midfielder is once again centre of attention.
It all stems from the unusual way he is being treated by AC Milan, where he has been on loan since last August. The perception was that once Aquilani made 25 appearances for Il Rossoneri, they would have an obligation to make his move to the San Siro permanent.

Will he stay or will he go? Alberto Aquilani's future at AC Milan is uncertain

As it stands, though, there is ambiguity over the terms of the loan arrangement, with the suggestion that games he has played as substitute only count as ‘half’ appearances. With a handful of matches remaining of the Italian campaign, it appears unlikely Milan will let Aquilani trigger the clause.

When asked about Milan’s actions earlier this week, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish left no doubt he was disappointed with the way Aquilani was being treated. But, in the same breath, he appeared genuinely enamoured over the prospect of welcoming the 27-year-old into his fold again.
More from Dominic King...

'We have done everything right from our side,’ said Dalglish. ‘However (Milan) want to play it, that is up to them. He is our player. If they don’t want him, (they should) tell the boy. If they don’t want him, it will be disappointing for Alberto but we will have him (back), no problem.’
Liverpool may have no other option – 12 months ago, remember, Aquilani was in a similar position with Juventus but they baulked at paying his £12.5million release clause. Now Milan are reticent about finding the funds for a transfer fee that is less than half that value.
If nobody in Italy wants him, would it be really such a bad thing for Liverpool if he returned to Anfield? After all, there is a theory swirling around that he is a better player than some of the midfielders currently at the club and would have made a difference this year.
His attributes are obvious. He is tall and strong, uses the ball well and keeps possession ticking over; he can get forward and has a knack of scoring goals. True, he gives the impression of being brittle and not liking the rat-a-tat-tat speed of English football but it would be wrong to say he lacks ability.

Difficult time: AC Milan are unlikely to trigger Aquilani's clause to make the move permanent

There were glimpses, albeit sporadically, of his talents during the one full season he spent at Anfield and his highlight was a superbly taken goal against Atletico Madrid in a Europa League semi-final but he never gave the impression that he had fully recovered from a serious ankle problem.
The other major problem Aquilani faced was the fact he was brought in to replace Xabi Alonso, who joined Real Madrid. Few could have replicated what that elegant Spaniard did for Liverpool but it was expected he would just slot seamlessly in.
A banner was unfurled on The Kop in his honour depicting him as a Roman gladiator, with the words A hero will rise daubed on it. Every Liverpudlian wanted him to be a success but the turbulence of that campaign dictated otherwise.

Red again? Will Aquilani pull on a Liverpool shirt again

Yet still there remains a lingering suggestion that maybe – just maybe – Aquilani will be able to make a significant contribution and with Liverpool having a European campaign to juggle next season, they are going to need plenty of capable reinforcements.
Perhaps, then, that is why Dalglish is not in a hurry to usher Aquilani out of the door. Inevitably there will be speculation linking him with Italian clubs but the way Liverpool’s manager has been speaking, another switch is no foregone conclusion.
'You can’t predict the future but if that is what is going to happen – him coming back here – then it’s no problem,' said Dalglish. 'He came back last year. He’s a really good trainer and a really good lad.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz1tL5fYNpo

**Dunny** · May 3, 2012, 09:30 PM

Frank De Boer hails Ajax players after they clinch Eredivisie title

• Club seal 31st championship following run of 13 straight wins
• 'This is beautiful, we stayed loyal to our vision,' says manager

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Reuters
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 May 2012 10.44 BST
Article history

Ajax players celebrate winning the Eredivisie title on Wednesday. Photograph: Toussaint Kluiters/AFP/Getty Images

The Ajax manager, Frank de Boer, hailed his team after they clinched the club's 31st Eredivisie title with a 2-0 win over VVV Venlo on Wednesday.
Siem de Jong scored after eight minutes to put Ajax ahead and the striker added another 13 minutes into the second half to start the celebrations.
"For the fans, last season was special because they waited so long for the third star on the shirt," said De Boer, who took over as manager of the Amsterdam club from Martin Jol in December 2010. "For me and my staff this one feels more beautiful seeing what happened this season – all the injuries we had and then the turbulence through all the problems in our board, but we stayed loyal to our vision.
Having been sixth in the league trailing PSV Eindhoven by eight points after 20 games, Ajax put together a run of 13 straight wins and lifted the championship with a match to spare. They have 73 points, six more than arch-rivals Feyenoord.
Ronald Koeman, the Feyenoord manager, praised De Boer for his success with Ajax, a club he has also played for. "I know Frank well, and he did a great job and won a deserved title," Koeman said. "Nobody gave a dime for the chances of Ajax when we beat them at the end of January, but Frank stayed calm despite all the board turbulences. He never used it as an excuse and kept everything far away from his players and that deserves a big compliment."
Feyenoord remain second, in a Champions League qualification place, following a 4-1 win over Heracles Almelo, one ahead of PSV Eindhoven, who were 5-0 winners over ADO Den Haag.

**Dunny** · May 3, 2012, 09:32 PM

José Mourinho hails La Liga triumph as 'most difficult' of his career

• Portuguese leads Real Madrid to first championship since 2008
• Mourinho has now won seven titles in four different countries

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Agencies
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 May 2012 09.42 BST
Article history

José Mourinho is carried by his Real Madrid players after they won the La Liga title by beating Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés on Wednesday. Photograph: Luis Tejido/EPA

José Mourinho believes winning La Liga with Real Madrid was the toughest of the seven league titles he has secured in his managerial career, which has covered stints in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain.
Real wrapped up the title with a 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday that maintained their seven-point lead over Barcelona with two games left and ended their bitter rivals' three-year stranglehold on the Spanish league championship.
Mourinho became the first coach to win a domestic league in four different major countries following his two titles in Portugal with Porto, two in England with Chelsea, two in Italy with Internazionale and now one in Spain with Real. "It was the most difficult," the 49-year-old said. "Up until the final moment nobody gifted us anything. Bilbao put out their best team, the stadium was full and the team wanted to win and fight, which is the way it should be."
Getting the better of Barcelona, where he was an assistant under Bobby Robson in the late 1990s, will be a particular source of satisfaction for Mourinho who has made a habit of needling his former employers during his two years in the Spanish capital. He could not help taking a dig at the Catalans, suggesting one of the penalty's they had been awarded in their 4-1 home win over Málaga earlier on Wednesday was "soft".
"Barça won a lot of games and tried to push the league as far as possible," he added. "I think that they themselves, champions and a club with a great tradition, know that we deserve this league title."
Cristiano Ronaldo was understandably delighted to win his first La Liga title with Real following. The forward missed an early penalty at San Mamés but he was later on the mark to add to goals from Gonzalo Higuaín and Mesut Ozil.
"It's great," Ronaldo told the newspaper AS. "It's my first league here in Spain and I'm very happy. It's mission accomplished and to win the league is great. [The players] are all very happy because it gives you a lot of joy to win the league after ten months of battling. Winning the league is very difficult."
Iker Casillas, the Real captain, added: "The season has been very long and tough. We've taken a little step forward with respect to last season. The big pity has been the Champions League. Hopefully we can do it next season.
"The coach is also a very important part in this. We dedicate this to all Madrid fans who wanted a league title. We hope to take another little step forward next year. It was difficult to beat a team like Barcelona we've done it."

**Dunny** · May 3, 2012, 09:34 PM

Lionel Messi breaks Müller's scoring record as Barcelona beat Málaga

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La Liga

Barcelona 4

Puyol 13,
Messi (pen) 35,
Messi (pen) 59,
Messi 64

Málaga 1

Rondón 26

Reuters
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 2 May 2012 21.24 BST
Article history

Lionel Messi leaves with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick for Barcelona against Málaga. Photograph: Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images

Barcelona's Lionel Messi reached another milestone in his remarkable career when he broke Gerd Müller's 39-year-old record of 67 goals in a season for a European top-flight club, though it could not prevent Real Madrid winning the league title after they beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0.
Barcelona's World Player of the Year netted twice from the penalty spot and once from open play to help his side to a 4-1 win at home to Málaga, his 44th, 45th and 46th La Liga goals of the campaign taking his total in all competitions to 68.
Müller set the record playing for Bayern Munich in the 1972-73 season and Messi has three more matches – two in La Liga and the Copa del Rey final – in which to add to his tally.
Messi's third of the night at a festive Camp Nou showcased his dazzling skills as he raced clear on to Andrés Iniesta's pass, dinked the ball over the onrushing Carlos Kameni and tapped the ball into the unguarded net.
Clutching the match ball and with a typically shy expression on his face, he was congratulated by his team-mates as he strolled off the pitch at the end.
Still only 24, Messi is already Barça's leading scorer in official games with 248 goals, beating César Rodríguez's 60-year-old record of 232 in March when he also became the first player to score five in a Champions League match.
He netted his first goal for the Catalan club on 1 May 2005 aged 17 years, 10 months and seven days in a La Liga game against Albacete at the Camp Nou after coming through the youth system with Cesc Fábregas and Gerard Piqué.
This season, as well as his La Liga tally, he has scored 14 goals in the Champions League, two in the Copa del Rey, three in the Spanish Super Cup, one in the European Super Cup and two at the Club World Cup.
He has 10 more than the Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 44 in La Liga, 10 in the Champions League, three in the Copa del Rey and one in the Spanish Super Cup.

**Dunny** · May 3, 2012, 09:37 PM

Wondolowski and Lenhart score two apiece as Earthquakes beat DC United

San Jose's Chris Wondolowski takes over from Thierry Henry as MLS leading goalscorer; Seattle Sounders beat LA Galaxy for first time in league since 2009

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Associated Press
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 May 2012 17.48 BST
Article history

Seattle Sounders' Eddie Johnson is congratulated by Jhon Kennedy Hurtado after scoring against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first half of an MLS soccer match, Wednesday, May 2, 2012, in Seattle. Photograph: Elaine Thompson/AP

San Jose Earthquakes 5-3 DC United
San Jose's Chris Wondolowski netted twice to take over the MLS goalscoring lead as the Earthquakes beat D.C. United 5-3 on Wednesday.
Steven Lenhart also scored twice to help the Earthquakes open a three-point lead atop the Western Conference standings.
Wondolowski moved past New York's Thierry Henry and into the league lead with 10 goals. Wondolowski has scored 44 times since the start of the 2010 season.
Justin Morrow had his first goal of the year for the Earthquakes, who overcame an early score from United's Dwayne De Rosario and second-half goals by Daniel Woolard and Hamdi Salihi.
Seattle Sounders 2-0 LA Galaxy
In Seattle, the hosts finally managed to not only score against but beat Los Angeles.
Eddie Johnson headed in the opening goal just before halftime and Fredy Montero scored his first goal of the season on a 35-yard strike early in the second half.
Johnson's goal ended a series of missed chances for Seattle, snapped a long scoreless skid for the Sounders at home against the Galaxy and led to the Sounders' first win over Los Angeles in MLS play since 2009.
New England Revolution 2-1 Colorado Rapids
In Foxborough, Massachussets, Saer Sene and Fernando Cardenas each scored first half goals to lead New England over Colorado.
Jaime Castrillon scored for the Rapids in the 21st minute, and Sene leveled it in the 27th minute. Cardenas gave the Revolution the lead in the 39th.
The win snapped the Revolution's three-game losing streak.

Montreal Impact 0-0 Vancouver Whitecaps

**Dunny** · May 5, 2012, 04:55 PM

FC Cologne have finished second-to-last in the Bundesliga and will be relegated to the second division. Hertha Berlin beat Hoffenheim to leapfrog the Billy Goats; they still have to fight for their lives later.

Cologne and Hertha Berlin had dominated the headlines ahead of the final matchday, with the question of who would fill the second automatic relegation spot. Both had home advantage in their games, but Cologne could not use it - losing 4-1 to Bayern Munich.

The Cologne fans' best hope soon proved to be a Hoffenheim win or draw in Berlin, either of which would have sent Hertha down a division instead.
Berlin were somewhat fortunate against Hoffenheim, with their opener a curling Aenis Ben-Hatira free-kick that floated through the box untouched and landed in the Hoffenheim net. The visitors' star winger, Ryan Babel, was later sent off - rather innocuously - for a second bookable offense. Ben-Hatira added a second and wholly intentional goal on 78 minutes.

Hertha Berlin are safe for now, but their battle has just begun

Hoffenheim's Marvin Compper pulled one back late on, and ex-Hertha coach Markus Babbel wasn't keen on doing his old club any favors. He sent goalie Thomas Kraft up for a pair of stoppage-time set pieces, seeking an equalizer.

But this gambit ultimately backfired. Brazilian Raffael broke away from the cleared corner, ran almost the length of the pitch and slotted the ball into an open net, making the final score 3-1.

Hertha will now face a two-legged relegation playoff encounter with the third-placed side in the German second division, whose identity will be revealed Sunday. Should Hertha lose, the Bundesliga would become European soccer's only top division without representation from the capital city.

Not with a bang but a whimper
Cologne were never going to have an easy time of things at home against Bayern Munich.

Cologne's defense spent key moments of the match in their trademark sedentary positions

Thomas Müller opened the scoring in the first half, connecting with a Franck Ribery cross. Shortly after the break, another cross from the French winger was diverted into the Cologne net by central defenders Geromel and Kevin McKenna.

Cologne then proceeded to demonstrate their characteristic house-of-cards impersonation, immediately conceding a third to Arjen Robben and putting the result beyond doubt. The sold-out Rhein-Arena stadium started emptying with over half an hour to play. Milivoje Novakovic's consolation goal and then Thomas Müller's impudent backheel had no bearing on the outcome.

Fans on the Rhine had hardly enjoyed a stellar week, with confirmation finally coming of captain Lukas Podolski's long-rumored transfer to Arsenal. The German international could only provide fans with a meaningless assist in his last appearance - at least for now - in his home club's colors.

Hannover head back to Europe
Hannover and Wolfsburg were also playing for more than pride on the final Bundesliga matchday, competing for seventh position and the last Europa League qualification spot.

Hannover booked their return ticket to Europe with a 2-1 win over Kaiserslautern, whose relegation had been a certainty for some time. Didier Ya Konan scored one and forced the other own goal, a rare strong showing for Hannover's star of last season.

Dortmund's league season has been the best in Bundesliga history

Wolfsburg led 2-0 in the latter stages in Stuttgart, until coach Bruno Labbadia's side dramatically turned the tables - bagging three goals in the space of six minutes. Wolfsburg and Stuttgart were two of the strongest Bundesliga sides in the back half of the season.

Dortmund celebrate in style
Dortmund treated their fans to a 4-0 home win to round out the best season in Bundesliga history. It was an all-Polish first-half rout for the two-time champs; winger Jakub Blaszczykowkski and club top-scorer Robert Lewandowski both bagged braces even before the half-time oranges were handed around. Visitors Freiburg barely featured in the game.

Dortmund are on a 28-game unbeaten run - after a poor start to the season - already an all-time Bundesliga record and one they might well build on.
The sellout crowd stormed the pitch to celebrate at Signal Iduna Park after the full-time whistle.

Dortmund draws the Bundesliga's biggest crowds, and they got to celebrate in style

Third-placed Schalke had rather little to play for, but top-scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was surely glad to see Mario Gomez fail to add to his Bayern Munich tally in Cologne. The Dutch forward grabbed one of the goals - though the pick of the day went to German teenager Julian Draxler - as Schalke won a 3-2 thriller in Bremen. Huntelaar, with 29 Bundesliga goals this season, thus took the accolade as the league's top scorer.

Germany's final Champions League qualifier, the season's surprise package Borussia Mönchengladbach, also won their season finale - but the 3-0 win might have been a tad bitter. The side's superstar, Marco Reus, treated fans to two goals and an assist in his last game for Gladbach. Reus will move on to his childhood home of Dortmund next season to ply his trade for the Bundesliga champs.

In the final two fixtures on Saturday afternoon, Bayer Leverkusen overpowered hosts Nuremberg 4-1, while Augsburg won 1-0 in Hamburg.

Author: Mark Hallam
Editor: Nancy Isenson

**Dunny** · May 5, 2012, 06:35 PM

(CNN) -- Real Madrid may have ended Barcelona's Spanish title reign in midweek, but Lionel Messi is poised to dethrone Cristiano Ronaldo as La Liga's goal king after adding four more to his tally on Saturday.
The three-time world player of the year paid the ultimate tribute to Josep Guardiola in the coach's final home game, which ended in a 4-0 victory over city rivals Espanyol.
The Argentina forward went into the match having already broken Gerd Muller's longstanding record of 67 goals in a European season, and he took his tally to an incredible 72 ahead of next weekend's closing league game at Real Betis.
Fifty of those have come in La Liga, putting him five clear of Ronaldo -- who also scored in Saturday's 2-1 win at Granada that kept Real seven points clear of Barca.

It was an emotional night at the Camp Nou, where Guardiola said farewell to the fans he has enthralled with his team's magical style of football since taking over in 2008.
"I'll see you all soon, you will never lose me. I will miss you all very much. I'm the one on the losing end," he told the crowd.
Then, referring to his assistant Tito Vilanova, who will take over the top job next season, he added: "I leave you in the best possible hands. You don't know how appreciated I feel when I go home. Thank you all."
Messi opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a superb free-kick, then his second-half treble was aided by two penalties either side of a trademark low left-foot drive.
Ronaldo, who topped the La Liga scoring charts last season with a then record 40 goals, was also on target from the spot as Madrid came from behind to snatch victory.
Granada, battling to avoid relegation, led through Franco Jara in the fifth minute, but the world's most expensive player leveled in the 81st minute after being brought down in the box.
Then, in time added on, David Cortes diverted Karim Benzema's cross into his own net to give Real the chance to finish the season on 100 points with victory next Sunday.
Valencia guaranteed third place -- 29 points behind Barca -- with a 1-0 win over Villarreal, who face a final-day fight to avoid dropping into the bottom three.
Malaga's bid for fourth place suffered a blow with a 2-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid, who are now two points adrift in fifth.
Levante and Mallorca are another point back after the latter side won their clash 1-0.
Second-bottom Sporting Gijon could still survive after a 2-1 win over Betis left the club three points adrift of Zaragoza and Vallecano

**Dunny** · May 6, 2012, 05:33 PM

Serie A round-up

Juventus win title as Inter beat AC in Milan derby

Last Updated: May 6, 2012 9:59pm

Mirko Vucinic: Struck for Juventus to help seal the Serie A title

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Juventus won the Serie A title on Sunday night after beating Cagliari in their penultimate game of the season, as nearest rivals AC Milan lost 4-2 to Inter in a thrilling derby.
Juventus started the night just a point ahead of AC Milan at the top of the table but, with news filtering through of the other result, they were able to celebrate at full-time following a 2-0 victory over Cagliari.
In the day's other games, Udinese moved into pole position for Serie A's third berth in the UEFA Champions League next season with a convincing win, while Napoli slumped to a defeat which allowed Lazio to keep alive their hopes of finishing in a qualification spot for Europe's elite competition.
Parma remain in the hunt for a spot in next season's Europa League while Palermo and Chievo were involved in an eight-goal thriller.
Click below for individual match stats:

Siena 0 Parma 2
Atalanta 0 Lazio 2
Bologna 2 Napoli 0
Novara 3 Cesena 0
Palermo 4 Chievo 4
Udinese 2 Genoa 0
Cagliari 0 Juventus 2
Inter Milan 4 AC Milan 2

Juventus, who remain unbeaten in the league all season, secured their first title since returning to the top flight of Italian football following the match-fixing scandal, with a comfortable win over Cagliari.
Mirko Vucinic opened the scoring with a neat finish in the sixth minute and the points were sealed when substitute Marco Borriello netted in the 71st minute, three minutes after coming on.
Inter Milan ended AC Milan's Scudetto hopes and revived their own chances of playing in the Champions League next season with a 4-2 win.
A hat-trick from Diego Milito, two from the penalty spot, earned the Nerazzurri all three points with two goals from Serie A top goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, also including a penalty, not enough to keep Massimiliano Allegri's side within touch of the new Serie A champions Juventus.
Maicon added a stunning fourth for Inter, who now have it all to play for against Lazio on the final day of the season next week with just three points separating them from Udinese in third place
Udinese moved into pole position for Serie A's third berth in the Champions League next season thanks to a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Genoa, who ended the game with nine men and needing a point from their final game of the season.
Juraj Kucka was sent off first in the 29th minute when he gave away a free-kick, from which Antonio Di Natale put Udinese in front.
Rodrigo Palacio followed him for an early bath in the 38th minute and the home team controlled the rest of the game, adding a second through Antonio Floro Flores in the 66th minute.
They now go into their final game of the season against Catania next weekend knowing that a win would seal their place in the Champions League while a draw - and even a defeat could still see them through.
Genoa could still go down to Serie B if they lose behind closed doors against Palermo and Lecce defeat Chievo.
Gaining ground

Napoli allowed the chasing pack to gain ground in the race for a Champions League place when they slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Bologna.
Alessandro Diamanti opened the scoring in a first half otherwise dominated by the visitors, and Matteo Rubin made the game safe in the second half.
The match ended with red cards for Bologna's Archimede Morleo and Blerim Dzemaili for third-placed Napoli, who are now level on points with Udinese and also have Lazio and Inter Milan breathing down their necks.
Lazio kept their Champions League hopes alive with victory at Atalanta.
Libor Kozak fired home a first-half opener and Lorik Cana made the points safe in the 90th minute after the hosts had had Guglielmo Stendardo sent off for dissent.
The win left fourth-placed Lazio two points behind Udinese in third with one game left.
Parma remain in the hunt for a place in Europe next season after beating Siena 2-0 to move level on points with Roma in eighth place in Serie A.
Roberto Donadoni's side now need to hope that either Inter Milan or Lazio lose their last two fixtures to give them any chance of playing in Europe next season.
They would then have to beat Bologna next weekend and hope Roma fail to match their result to book a place in the Europa League.
A goal from Sebastian Giovinco midway through the second half turned a lifeless game in Parma's favour before Sergio Floccari sealed the win in stoppage time.
Entertaining

Palermo and Chievo played out an entertaining end-of-season 4-4 draw that saw Matias Silvestre rescue a last-gasp point for the home side.
With both free of relegation worries and with just a game remaining, there was never likely to be much at stake at the Stadio Renzo Barbera and so it proved as the two sides laid on a free-flowing exhibition.
Palermo took the lead through Fabrizio Miccoli's 10th-minute penalty, before the same player doubled their advantage nine minutes later.
Sergio Pellissier pulled one back (27) and Fernando Uribe levelled by striking within 60 seconds, before Sequeira Luciano and Pellissier made it four.
But Palermo would not be denied and mounted a spirited fightback of their own, with Miccoli - with his hat-trick goal - and then Silvestre finding the target.
Marco Rigoni scored a hat-trick as Novara marked their last home game in Serie A for a season at least with a convincing 3-0 win over fellow relegated side Cesena.
Rigoni scored two penalties, one in each half, before completing his treble in the 86th minute.
The striker could have had even more goals, but shot against a post when the game was goalless.

**Dunny** · May 7, 2012, 10:11 AM

Unbeaten Juventus scale the barriers to be crowned champions again

There was pandemonium in Trieste and amid the chaos Juve's manager Antonio Conte savoured a title he had masterminded

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The Juventus head coach Antonio Conte, right, celebrates after his unbeaten Juventus seal the Scudetto. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

They began to scale the barriers around the pitch long before the final whistle blew. Six long years these fans had waited to see Juventus return to the pinnacle of Italian football, yet as time ticked down at Trieste's Stadio Nereo Rocco the thought of having to delay festivities for even one more second was becoming too much. After all the false dawns, the setbacks, the controversies and the collapses since Calciopoli they just wanted it to be over. They wanted to celebrate a Scudetto once more.

Confirmation that this title was theirs had arrived roughly three minutes before full time, as word filtered through that Maicon had given Internazionale a 4-2 lead in the Milan derby. Few will have fully comprehended the drama unfolding at San Siro, where the Brazilian's jaw-dropping strike from outside the box provided a fitting conclusion to Serie A's barmiest and most entertaining fixture of the season. None will have cared. All that mattered was that victories for both Inter and Juve – 2-0 up against Cagliari – now seemed assured. Those results would make the Bianconeri champions.

The final whistle unleashed pandemonium in Trieste. Although this was technically an away game for Juventus, they were playing at a venue which is far closer to Turin than to Cagliari's true home in Sardinia – the Isolani having temporarily relocated after their owner Massimo Cellino lost patience with the shabby state of the communally owned Stadio Sant'Elia. In a crowd of roughly 16,000 on Sunday night, Juventus's fans outnumbered those of their nominal hosts by a ratio of 15 to one.

Those supporters pouring on to the pitch quickly outnumbered Juventus's players by many times that figure. Giorgio Chiellini was mobbed, the player's face a mixture of delirium and faint concern as they launched him, shirtless, time and again into the night sky. In among the madness, a group of fans made off with a camera belonging to Italy's Sky Sport. Others simply stood on the field and held their banners aloft. One bore a picture of the captain, Alessandro Del Piero, along with the simple message: "Thank you for existing".

Juventus's players eventually retreated to their dressing room. It was some time before stewards were able to clear out the tunnel of fans and create enough space on the pitch for them to re-emerge and toast their triumph properly – with bottles of champagne bearing the number 30. This will be officially recorded as Juventus's 28th title, but the club continues to reject the Calciopoli verdicts which stripped them of their 2005 and 2006 Scudetti.

That much was affirmed – lest the bottles had not been clear enough – by the club's sporting director, Beppe Marotta, at full time, when he said that the club did indeed intend to add a third golden star to the badge on their shirts. The manager, Antonio Conte, had sought to sidestep the issue when he was pressed by reporters at full time, saying: "What number Scudetto is this? Number one, because it's the first I've won as a manager."

If debates over Juventus's third star are certain to rage on for months and years then Conte would prefer it if they could at least be put on hold for a few days, so this success can be celebrated in its own right. Not only have his team claimed their first piece of major silverware since Calciopoli, but they also stand one game away from an unbeaten season. Only two teams have previously achieved such a feat in Serie A – Perugia, who still didn't win the league, in 1978-79 and Milan in 1991-92. Neither was in a 38-game season.

Juventus's performance in their first campaign under Conte has gone far beyond what anyone could have imagined for a team who had finished seventh in each of their last two seasons. With one game still to play, they have already collected 23 points more than they managed in total last season. They have also reached the final of the Coppa Italia, where they will face Napoli in two weeks' time.

There is plenty of credit to go around. The signing of Andrea Pirlo on a free transfer following his release by Milan will go down as one of the most brilliant pieces of business ever conducted by the club – and one of the Rossoneri's most boneheaded. If the true picture is a little more nuanced, the player not having produced consistent performances of this calibre for some time before his departure from Milan, then his importance to Juventus is undeniable. His 13 assists lead the division.

Pirlo was not the only astute signing made by Juventus last summer, though, his fellow midfielder Arturo Vidal arriving from Bayer Leverkusen for €10.5m and going on to become the team's key ball-winner, winning more tackles per game (5.4) than anyone else in the division. Mirko Vucinic, signed for €15m from Roma, drove fans to distraction with his selfishness in possession and tendency to disappear from games, yet also scored a string of crucial goals. His was the strike which set Juventus on the way to victory after just six minutes on Sunday.

More than any player, many feel that the key upgrade made last summer might just have been the opening of Juventus Stadium. Pirlo, upon playing in the venue for the first time, expressed the belief that it would be even more intimidating for opposing teams than a packed San Siro – on account of the close "English-style" stands which placed supporters right on top of the pitch. Juventus have collected six more points at home this season than Milan.

But the true star of the show has undoubtedly been Conte himself. The manager arrived with only a modest CV – he had taken each of Bari and Siena up from Serie B, with an unsuccessful spell at Atalanta inbetween – but the full backing of supporters who believed that as a former captain he would appreciate the significance of the role. He arrived declaring this team "must get used to using the word Scudetto again", then promptly refused to acknowledge reporters' suggestions that his team even had a shot at the title until the final two months of the season.

Conte was similarly swift in dropping his commitment to the 4-2-4 which had served him so well thus far in his managerial career. He had expressed reservations to the board about the signing of Pirlo specifically because the player did not fit the holding midfielder mould required for such a formation, but rather than force square pegs into round holes, he subsequently adjusted his approach. By developing different variations on 4-3-3 and then later 3-5-2 he was able to not only get the best out of his squad but give himself different options to combat varied opponents.

While the whole squad embraced his ideals of possession football and a relentless high pressing game – with the exception of one or two high-profile players who subsequently found themselves marginalised – his greatest achievements were in the defensive phase. Stephan Lichtsteiner was the only significant addition made to a backline that conceded 47 goals last year, yet this season under Conte Juventus have allowed only 19 – 13 fewer than anyone else in the division. The clean sheet against Cagliari was their 21st of the season – a club record.

That was a tribute to the renewed form of Gigi Buffon but also the manager, whose faith in Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli at centre-back was such that he was prepared to even ask Chiellini to play out on the left. Each responded with one of the best seasons of their careers, Bonucci proving himself adept not only as a defender but also a distributor of the ball who could help launch his team onto another offensive.

Throughout the campaign, the one knock on this Juventus team was the claim that they did not possess a match-winner such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic who could beat teams on his own even when the rest were performing poorly. Time and again the Swede has dug Milan out of a hole, scoring more league goals (28) than he has ever before in a single season. And yet this is the first season in which Ibrahimovic has failed to finish top of his domestic league since 2003.

In the final analysis, Juventus did not need a fuoriclasse like Ibra in their starting XI. They already had one picking the team.

Talking points

• So, that derby. Six goals; three penalties – one the result of an absolutely scandalous decision; Júlio César squaring up to Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the award of said penalty and telling him that he was going to miss, before sticking his tongue out and making all manner of bizarre facial expressions; Ibrahimovic then sticking a perfectly struck penalty past César; a 40-yard volley from Wesley Sneijder that had to be pushed out from under the bar; that goal from Maicon … oh, and yet more stunning choreography at San Siro: from Milan's supporters poking fun – "Seeing you in May is to see another mirage" – to Inter's incredible depiction of the Madonnina that covered an entire stand. The quality may have been mixed – some of the defending, on both sides, was atrocious – but the entertainment was exceptional. All this with a title on the line. What more could you want from a derby?

• This was, incidentally, Massimiliano Allegri's fifth derby in charge of Milan – and in every one he has faced a different Inter manager. The chances of Andrea Stramaccioni hanging around long enough for the next one appear to be increasing rapidly, with the owner Massimo Moratti telling reporters: "I think he can continue [in the job]". It feels deserved – the team having collected 17 points in eight matches since he arrived, when they had just 41 from 29 before he arrived. The players, also, appear to be on board. "We hope we can continue with him," said Diego Milito – whose hat-trick took his personal tally to eight goals in as many Milan derbies. "We are working well."

• If an expectation has too often existed in Serie A that teams with nothing left to play for not only could but should roll over in their remaining games, then there have certainly been plenty prepared to buck the trend this season. After Parma dealt Inter's Champions League hopes a blow in the previous round of fixtures, this weekend it was Bologna who knocked Napoli off course with a 2-0 win. Udinese – aided by two red cards dealt to their opponents Genoa – were able to stay on course, moving three points clear of both Napoli and Inter and staying two ahead of Lazio, who won at Atalanta. All four teams can still claim fourth with the right combination of results, but Udinese are the clear favourites –needing just a draw in their final game away to Catania to secure third. It would be hard to overstate the achievement of manager Francesco Guidolin should they succeed.

• The one dampener for Udinese was the suggestion from their captain and leading scorer Antonio Di Natale that this may be his last season. "I'm going to play in the European Championships and then stop," was his brief, unqualified comment to reporters at full-time – and while further clarification is required, it is not unthinkable that he could be considering stepping away from the game at 34. A long-term knee condition has long obliged him to undergo almost constant physio between games, and he expressed concern following the on-pitch death of Livorno's Piermario Morosini – a close friend of his – about how many games footballers were now being made to play.

• Not a bad weekend for goals, this one. Beyond Maicon's strike, highlights included Lorik Cana's violent top-corner finish for Lazio, and Sebastian Giovinco's looping 25-yard volley against Siena.

• At the bottom of the table, Lecce's hopes of survival took another blow with a 1-0 defeat at home to Fiorentina, though Genoa's loss the next day means they are still technically able to escape relegation should they win, and the Grifone lose, next week. Encouraging, given the recent climate in Serie A, were the warm send-offs that fans of both Lecce and the already relegated fans gave to their teams, with applause and chants of support at full-time.

• And finally … Only in a week like this could a match like Palermo 4-4 Chievo wind up as an afterthought.

Results: Atalanta 0-2 Lazio, Bologna 2-0 Napoli, Cagliari 0 - 2 Juventus, Inter 4-2 Milan, Lecce 0-1 Fiorentina, Novara 3-0 Cesena, Palermo 4-4 Chievo, Roma 2-2 Catania, Siena 0-2 Parma,
Udinese 2-0 Genoa

• View highlights of Serie A
• The latest league table

**Bruce** · May 7, 2012, 07:44 PM

In the German Bundesliga 2, Greuther Furth (70 points) won the championship, prevailing over Eintracht Frankfurt (68) Both teams will be promoted to the big time for next year.

Fortuna Dusseldorf took third place and a promotion playoff on a goal difference by four goals over St. Pauli, each with 62 points. Paderborn, which had a chance at third place, lost to St. Pauli 0-5.

Nothing changed at the bottom. Karlsruhe will be in a relegation playoff against a 3. Liga team, Alemannia Aachen will be relegated, and Hansa Rostock, reported to be in deep financial trouble, finished dead last.

**Dunny** · May 13, 2012, 02:50 PM

Dortmund rout Bayern to claim double

May 12, 2012

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By ESPN staff

Borussia Dortmund demolished Bayern Munich to complete their first league and cup double with victory in the DFB-Pokal final.

GettyImagesRobert Lewandowski claimed a 36-minute hat-trick against Bayern Munich

• Heynckes slams 'catastrophic' defence
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Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick for Jurgen Klopp's side, who underlined their superiority in German football this season with a convincing win over a Bayern team with a Champions League final against Chelsea to come next weekend.
Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery were on target for Bayern, whose performance suggested the players' minds may have been on other things.
Shinji Kagawa scored the opener on what could be his last game for the Westphalians - the Japan midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was in attendance at the final - while former Bayern player Mats Hummels also scored.
Bayern were looking to end a four-game losing streak to Dortmund, but they suffered a setback after just three minutes.
Kagawa shot Dortmund in front with their first attack, Jakub Blaszczykowski's low, inviting cross giving his team-mate a simple tap-in.
Bayern levelled in the 25th minute when goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller brought Mario Gomez down inside the area, and Robben, who missed a penalty in the league match between the sides a month ago, stepped up to score low into the bottom corner.
Weidenfeller was replaced 10 minutes later when he had to come off, having taken a blow to the ribs earlier in the game. But Dortmund took the lead with a penalty of their own in the 41st minute. Jerome Boateng felled Blaszczykowski inside the area and Hummels beat Manuel Neuer from the spot.
Lewandowski scored his first goal of the evening in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half as he beat Neuer from 15 yards to complete a clever counter-attack.
Lewandowski added a fourth in the 58th minute. Kagawa was again involved in the build-up, sending a pass through to Kevin Grosskreutz, who threaded the ball through the legs of Bastian Schweinsteiger into the path of the Polish striker, who made no mistake with the finish.
Bayern refused to throw in the towel, though, and Ribery pulled a goal back for the in the 75th minute with a fine individual effort, but Lewandowski had the final word, completing his hat-trick in the 81st minute after a mistake from Neuer gifted Lukasz Piszczek the ball.

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