This weekend brought league action from Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece, while England’s FA Cup gave us plenty of thrills and spills.
Italian Serie A
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AC Milan | 40 |
| 2 | Napoli | 36 |
| 3 | Lazio | 34 |
| 4 | AS Roma | 32 |
| 5 | Palermo | 31 |
AC Milan were involved in a 4-4 thriller with Udinese, as the leaders came from 3-1 down with 20 minutes to go to level matters, only to require a 93rd-minute Zlatan Ibrahimovic to clinch a draw after German Denis has reinstated Udinese’s lead late on.
Milan stay top, but Napoli close on them after Edinson Cavani’s wonderful hat-trick fired them to a 3-0 victory over Juventus. Third-placed Lazio were one of three top six sides to lose, as Internazionale’s come-from-behind 2-1 win over Catania moved them closer to the leading pack, with Esteban Cambiasso> the hero.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Lecce | 18 |
| 19 | Brescia | 15 |
| 20 | Bari | 14 |
Carlos Grossmuller’s second-half goal clinched a deserved three points for struggling Lecce as they defeated Lazio 2-1 to boost their survival hopes. Above them in 17th, Cesena made it seven points from three matches, with a credible 0-0 home draw with Genoa. Battling Brescia blew a two-goal lead and conceded three goals in the final 20 minutes to slump to a 3-2 loss at Fiorentina in a major blow to them.
Spanish La Liga
There was no letting up for Barcelona as they crushed Deportivo Coruna 4-0 on Saturday with goals coming from David Villa, Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Pedro. Real Madrid maintained the pressure, though, with a hard-fought 4-2 win over third-placed Villarreal, with Cristiano Ronaldo hitting a hat-trick. Real had to come from behind twice, but Ronaldo was the star of the show.
Villarreal’s loss opens the door for Valencia, and they won 1-0 at Levante. Fifth-placed Espanyol continued their fine form with a 4-0 win at bottom club Real Zaragoza. Meanwhile, 10th-placed Sevilla continue to claw their way back as they made it two in a row, with a 3-2 win at out-of-sorts Real Sociedad.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Sporting Gijon | 13 |
| 19 | Almeria | 13 |
| 20 | Real Zaragoza | 13 |
There was more woes for strugglers Almeria and Zaragoza, while Gijon’s Diego Castro scored a stoppage-time goal to rescue a 1-1 draw at Racing Santander. Almeria’s 4-1 defeat at Mallorca means they have lost three on the trot, along with free-falling 17th-placed Levante.
English FA Cup
Kenny Dalglish’s first assignment in charge of Liverpool ended in disappointment as they were knocked out of the FA Cup at the hands of rivals Manchester United 1-0, but the match wasn’t without controversy with the decisive penalty appearing dubious along with a red card handed out to Reds’ skipper Steven Gerrard.
Meanwhile, Chelsea found some form with a 7-0 hammering of Championship side Ipswich Town. Elsewhere, Premier League clubs Newcastle, Sunderland, West Bromwich and Blackpool all bowed out.
4th round draw highlights Fulham v Tottenham Everton v Chelsea Southampton v Manchester United Notts County v Manchester City or Leicester City Aston Villa v Blackburn Bolton v Wigan Leeds United or Arsenal v Huddersfield Town
Random League: Portuguese Liga Sagres
Porto continued their charge towards the Portuguese title with a comfortable 4-1 win over Maritimo, with Freddy Guarin and Hulk among the goals. Second-placed Benfica maintained some semblance of pressure, making it five wins straight with a 3-0 win at plucky Uniao Leiria.
Sporting Lisbon> also stay in the mix after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Sporting Braga, who are struggling to match up to last season’s exploits. Braga are currently seventh on 20 points.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Rio Ave | 14 |
| 15 | Portimonense | 9 |
| 16 | Naval | 8 |
Naval scored two goals inside the final 20 minutes, whilst being down to ten men, to record a 2-1 win at fifth-placed Vitoria Guimaraes. The result enhances their survival hopes. Rio Ave and Portimonense both lost.
Random League: Greek Super League
It was business as per usual for leaders Olympiacos as they cruised to a 2-0 victory at Kerkyra. Panathinaikos stayed in touch with a 1-0 home win against Aris.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Panserraikos | 16 |
| 15 | Panionios | 16 |
| 16 | Larissa | 11 |
Larissa look doomed for the drop after slumping to their seventh-straight league defeat, 1-0 at Kavala. Incredibly, though, all of the bottom six in Greece lost this weekend, so it’s as you were.
