Weekend Football: Domestic season comes to an end in Europe’s top leagues, domestic Cup titles go to Leipzig, Porto, and Manchester, while Hellas Verona and Spezia book a relegation tie-breaker match. These are part of what the football weekend brought us.
RB Leipzig and FC Porto retained their domestic cup titles, defeating Eintracht Frankfurt and SC Braga, respectively. Manchester City is still in the hunt for a treble after defeating Manchester United to win the FA Cup. Galatasaray celebrated their league title with an intercontinental derby victory over Fenerbahce. Nantes escaped relegation, while Auxerre, Angers, Ajaccio, and Troyes are all in danger of being relegated. Le Havre is the Ligue 2 winner, but it remains to be seen whether Metz or Bordeaux will join them in Ligue 1. Valladolid, Espanyol, and Elche have all been relegated from La Liga, while Hellas Verona and Spezia, who both have 31 points, will face off in a relegation playoff to determine which team will be relegated to Serie B.
THE FRENCH LIGUE 1: NANTES SAVED THEMSELVES FROM RELEGATION ON THE LAST DAY.
JUNE 3. 2023
MATCH RESULTS
Ajaccio [ 1-0 ] Marseille Auxerre [ 1-3 ] Lens Brest [ 1-2 ] Rennes Lorient [ 2-1 ] Strasbourg Monaco [ 1-2 ] Toulouse Nantes [ 1-0 ] Angers Nice [ 3-1 ] Lyon Paris Saint-Germain [ 2-3 ] Clermont Reims [ 1-3 ] Montpellier Troyes [ 1-1 ] Lille
PSG LIFTS THE LEAGUE TITLE:
Paris Saint-Germain blew a 2-goal lead and lost at home, but it did not affect their season as they had already clinched the title. The top three teams were already decided before the last round of matches, and Lens was the only one of the top three to win their game. Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille both lost, with Marseille losing 1-0 to relegated Ajaccio. Lens victory helped in relegating Auxerre.
RENNES GET EUROPA LEAGUE FOOTBALL.
Rennes moved up to 4th place and claimed the Europa League qualification spot with a win at Brest, while Lille dropped to 5th after drawing 1-1 with relegated Troyes. Lille goes into the Conference League playoff round.
NANTES SAVED THEMSELVES FROM RELEGATION ON THE LAST DAY.
Thanks to Auxerre’s 3-1 defeat to Lens, Nantes seized the opportunity and secured a crucial 1-0 victory against Angers, earning the necessary points to avoid relegation. Consequently, Auxerre, along with Angers, Ajaccio, and Troyes, were relegated.
LEAGUE STANDINGS – FRENCH LIGUE 1
1 | Paris Saint-Germain ( 38 ) – 85 points
2 | Lens ( 38 ) – 84 points
3 | Marseille ( 38 ) – 73 points
4 | Rennes ( 38 ) – 68 points
5 | Lille ( 38 ) – 67 points
6 | Monaco ( 38 ) – 65 points
7 | Lyon ( 38 ) – 62 points
8 | Clermont ( 38 ) – 59 points
9 | Nice ( 38 ) – 58 points
10 | Lorient ( 38 ) – 55 points
11 | Reims ( 38 ) – 51 points
12 | Montpellier ( 38 ) – 50 points
13 | Toulouse ( 38 ) – 48 points
14 | Brest ( 38 ) – 44 points
15 | Strasbourg ( 38 ) – 40 points
16 | Nantes ( 38 ) – 36 points
17 | Auxerre (R) ( 38 ) – 35 points
18 | Troyes (R) ( 38 ) – 24 points
19 | Ajaccio (R) ( 38 ) – 26 points
20 | Angers (R) ( 38 ) – 18 points
FRENCH LIGUE 2: Le Havre prompted as winners but we have to wait to see if they would be joined by Metz or Bordeaux.
Le Havre secured the Ligue 2 title with a 1-0 victory over Dijon at home. Meanwhile, Metz clinched the other promotion spot by defeating Bastia 3-2.
Originally scheduled to conclude on June 2, 2023, the 2022/23 French Ligue 2 season faces uncertainty due to the abandonment of the match between Bordeaux and Rodez. This situation leaves the confirmation of Metz’s promotion and the determination of whether Rodez or Annecy will face relegation still pending.
The Bordeaux versus Rodez match came to an abrupt end when a fan invaded the field and pushed Rodez players while they were celebrating their 1-0 lead. The goal scorer, Lucas Buades, dramatically fell to the ground, resulting in the match being abandoned before the completion of the first half-hour.
If Rodez is awarded the victory, they will secure their safety, leading to Annecy’s relegation. Consequently, Bordeaux will miss out on promotion, while Metz will confirm their promotion to Ligue 1 alongside Le Havre.
In the event of a rescheduled match, Bordeaux must secure a win with a five-goal margin to earn promotion, while Rodez needs a victory to avoid relegation.
SPANISH LA LIGA: Valladolid is relegated with Espanyol and Elche.
June 4.
MATCH RESULTS – SPANISH LA LIGA
Real Sociedad [ 2-1 ] Sevilla Real Madrid [ 1-1 ] Athletic Club Osasuna [ 2-1 ] Girona Mallorca [ 3-0 ] Rayo Vallecano Villarreal [ 2-2 ] Atlético Madrid Celta Vigo [ 2-1 ] Barcelona Espanyol [ 3-3 ] Almería Real Betis [ 1-1 ] Valencia Valladolid [ 0-0 ] Getafe Elche [ 1-1 ] Cádiz
The top four teams were confirmed in the penultimate round. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Real Sociedad secure their places and will qualify for the Champions League through the league. Sevilla joins them as the Europa League winners.
The focus shifted to the Conference League playoff spot, with four teams competing (Osasuna, Athletic Club, Girona, and Rayo Vallecano), and the relegation avoidance race with six teams under threat (Cádiz, Getafe, Valencia, Almería, Celta Vigo, and Valladolid).
Goals from Ante Budimir allowed Osasuna to keep hold of the Conference League playoff qualification spot with a 2-1 win against Girona, and a goalless draw at home against Getafe meant Valladolid could not get the points to climb out of the relegation zone. Valladolid is relegated with Espanyol and Elche.
LEAGUE STANDINGS – SPANISH LA LIGA
1 | Barcelona (C) ( 38 ) – 88 points
2 | Real Madrid ( 38 ) – 78 points
3 | Atlético Madrid ( 38 ) – 77 points
4 | Real Sociedad ( 38 ) – 71 points
5 | Villarreal ( 38 ) – 64 points
6 | Real Betis ( 38 ) – 60 points
7 | Osasuna ( 38 ) – 53 points
8 | Athletic Club ( 38 ) – 51 points
9 | Mallorca ( 38 ) – 50 points
10 | Girona ( 38 ) – 49 points
11 | Rayo Vallecano ( 38 ) – 49 points
12 | Sevilla ( 38 ) – 49 points
13 | Celta Vigo ( 38 ) – 43 points
14 | Cádiz ( 38 ) – 42 points
15 | Getafe ( 38 ) – 42 points
16 | Valencia ( 38 ) – 42 points
17 | Almería ( 38 ) – 41 points
18 | Valladolid (R) ( 38 ) – 40 points
19 | Espanyol (R) ( 38 ) – 37 points
20 | Elche (R) ( 38 ) – 25 points
ITALIAN SERIE A: Hellas Verona and Spezia have a tie-breaker match to play.
MATCH RESULTS – ITALIAN SERIE A
Sassuolo [ 1-3 ] Fiorentina Torino [ 0-1 ] Inter Milan Cremonese [ 2-0 ] Salernitana Empoli [ 0-2 ] Lazio Napoli [ 2-0 ] Sampdoria Atalanta [ 5-2 ] Monza Lecce [ 2-3 ] Bologna AC Milan [ 3-1 ] Hellas Verona Roma [ 2-1 ] Spezia Udinese [ 0-1 ] Juventus
The top four teams in Serie A had already qualified for the Champions League next season: AC Milan, Inter Milan, Napoli, and Lazio.
The competition for the two Europa League spots was between Atalanta, Roma, and Juventus, but all three teams won on the final day of the season to secure their places. Atalanta and Roma will play in the Europa League, while Juventus will have to play in the Conference League playoff round.
Hellas Verona and Spezia, both with 31 points, will play a relegation tie-breaker match to decide which team is relegated to Serie B.
Spezia were close to avoiding the tie-breaker, but a late goal from the penalty spot gave Roma a 2-1 win and kept Spezia in the relegation zone. Roma needed the win to secure Europa League football, as a loss would have seen Juventus qualify for the Europa League with a 1-0 win over Udinese. Just like Spezia, Hellas Verona also had a chance to avoid the relegation tie-breaker, but Rafael Leao’s goal in the 85th minute ended their hopes. Leao then scored again in the second minute of added time to seal Milan’s 3-1 win.
If Juventus’ 10-point deduction is overturned, AC Milan will drop to the Europa League, Roma will drop to the Conference League, and Juventus will return to the Champions League.
LEAGUE STANDINGS – ITALIAN SERIE A
1 | Napoli (C) ( 38 ) – 90 points
2 | Lazio ( 38 ) – 74 points
3 | Inter Milan ( 38 ) – 72 points
4 | AC Milan ( 38 ) – 70 points
5 | Atalanta ( 38 ) – 64 points
6 | Roma ( 38 ) – 63 points
7 | Juventus[b] ( 38 ) – 62 points
8 | Fiorentina ( 38 ) – 56 points
9 | Bologna ( 38 ) – 54 points
10 | Torino ( 38 ) – 53 points
11 | Monza ( 38 ) – 52 points
12 | Udinese ( 38 ) – 46 points
13 | Sassuolo ( 38 ) – 45 points
14 | Empoli ( 38 ) – 43 points
15 | Salernitana ( 38 ) – 42 points
16 | Lecce ( 38 ) – 36 points
17 | Spezia ( 38 ) – 31 points
18 | Hellas Verona ( 38 ) – 31 points
19 | Cremonese ( 38 ) – 27 points
20 | Sampdoria ( 38 ) – 19 points
FA CUP: 2023 FA Cup final: Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United.
Manchester City won the 2023 FA Cup final against Manchester United, 2-1. Ilkay Gundogan scored both goals for City, with Bruno Fernandes scoring for United. The win moves City one step closer to a treble.
June 3. FA Cup final – Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United.
Manchester United could do their part to preserve their status as the only English club to win a ‘Treble’. They will have to sit and watch their city rival move towards achieving what they did in the 1998/99 season.
A Manchester Derby victory and an FA Cup title win for Manchester City to move a win away from a ‘Treble’ season. Manchester City win their 7th FA Cup title, and the first since 2019, while Manchester United remains on 12.
Ilkay Gundogan provided the goal in a 2-1 win for Manchester City against Manchester United in the 2023 FA Cup final. Gundogan’s second goal restored Manchester City’s lead after Bruno Fernandes converted from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute to cancel Gundogan’s opening goal in the first minute of the match.
DFB-POKAL FINAL: RB LEIPZIG WILL KEEP THE TITLE FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
June 3. DFB Pokal Final – RB Leipzig 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt.
RB Leipzig won the DFB-Pokal title for the second year in a row, defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0. The game was scoreless for over 70 minutes, but Christopher Nkunku’s deflected shot in the 71st minute opened the scoring. Nkunku then assisted Dominik Szoboszlai for the insurance goal in the 85th minute.
TACA DE PORTUGAL : Porto defended their Taca de Portugal title for another year.
June 4. Taca de Portugal final - Braga 0-2 Porto
Porto won the Taca de Portugal title on June 4, beating Braga 2-0. André Horta scored an own goal in the 35th minute, and Otávio scored the second goal in the 81st minute. Both teams had a player sent off for reckless tackles: Wendell for Porto in the 62nd minute, and Sikou Niakate for Braga in the 79th minute.
