European round-up: Barcelona and Inter Milan triumph
The celebrations went on long into the night in the streets of Barcelona and Milan as two giants of European football won their respective league titles on Sunday.
Following another hugely impressive year under the leadership of Pep Guardiola, Barça held off the challenge of big-spending rivals, Real Madrid, to clinch their second consecutive league title.
They won it in style, too. A 4-0 win over Valladolid, in front of a packed Nou Camp stadium, proved more than enough for the ruthless European champions to seal the Spanish league title for a 20th time.
Inspired by the imperious Lionel Messi throughout the campaign, it was fitting that the majestic Argentinian forward was on hand to grab two more goals in the club’s final match of the season. That brace took Messi’s tally to 47 goals in all competitions for the season – a stunning achievement which equalled the great Ronaldo’s record from the 1996/97 campaign.
The two-horse title race against Real didn’t quite go to the wire after their 1-1 draw against Malaga; but with just three points in it, next season promises to be just as gripping – particularly if the Madrid-based side manage to appoint a certain José Mourinho as their next manager.
The current Inter Milan boss once again stole the headlines at the weekend as the Nerazzurri won their fifth consecutive Serie A title.
Even the Portuguese showman was seen shedding a rare tear during the team’s lap of honour at the end of the match; a potential indicator that Mourinho – whose love-hate relationship with Italian football has taken another twist in the last month – is bound for the Bernabeu.
Inter eventually secured the Scudetto with a tight 1-0 away victory over Siena. The club’s prolific Argentinian striker, Diego Milito, scored the game’s only goal to see them over the finishing line – just two points ahead of AS Roma.
They become the first team since Juventus in the early 1930s to win five Italian titles in a row; while also remaining in the hunt for an historic treble. All that stands in their way now, between them and the elusive Champions League trophy, are four-time European Cup winners Bayern Munich – who are also in contention for a treble of their own.
Bayern wrapped up the Bundesliga title a week earlier than Inter, and will make their way to Madrid within the next few days in preparation for Saturday evening’s Champions League Final crunch-match against Mourinho and co.
Keen to write even more history with this talented Inter Milan side, the former Chelsea boss will be the focus of the world’s attention on Saturday. Victory on the hallowed Bernabeu turf and the Real Madrid hierarchy will have to be held off from offering him a contract there and then in the midst of the celebrations. Current boss Manuel Pellegrini’s days at Real are numbered after failing to win a single trophy in his first season at the helm, and it’s Mourinho who’s touted as the man to transform the club’s ailing fortunes.
The Champions League is now the only competition left to be resolved in top-flight European football, following another incident-packed nine months.
Here’s a brief round-up of Europe’s other champions from the 2009/10 season:
France’s Ligue 1: Marseille. France’s former World Cup-winning captain, Didier Deschamps, guided OM to the Ligue 1 title for the first time in 18 years. The club finished six points ahead of Lyon – helped largely by the 17 league goals from talismanic striker Mamadou Niang.
England’s Premier League: Chelsea. Another two-horse race in one of Europe’s major leagues was won by Chelsea. Manchester United pushed them all the way to the final day of the season, but Carlo Ancelotti’s free-scoring side sealed the title with an 8-0 demolition of Wigan Athletic.
Netherland’s Eredivisie: FC Twente. Ajax may have scored 106 goals and conceded just 20; but it was FC Twente, managed by former England coach Steve McClaren, who won their first Dutch championship this season. McClaren may have moved on to pastures new, but Twente’s fans will never forget this historic campaign.
Portugal’s Liga Sagres: Benfica. Benfica wrapped up a record 32nd league title after another superb season. Their impressive home form was the key behind their success – they were not beaten once at the Estádio da Luz. With the likes of Oscar Cardozo, Javier Saviola, Pablo Aimar and Angel di Maria in their ranks, anything but first place would have been deemed a failure.
Scotland’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League: Rangers. The SPL outfit won the championship for a 53rd time after finishing six points ahead of old-rivals Celtic. Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller notched up 41 goals between them to give Walter Smith’s side the edge.
Turkey’s Süper Lig: Bursaspor. The Green Crocodiles became the first side to win the Turkish championship outside of Istanbul this year. Before this triumph, they’d never even broken into the top three. A miraculous achievement and one which means Bursaspor will compete in next season’s Champions League.
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