Napoli maintain lead, Leeds win Championship and Columbus rule the East
Kick off your Monday with all the action from this past weekend
There is always plenty of drama this time of the year. This past weekend was no exception.
In both Italy and Spain, the title race remains a very close contest. Both Napoli and Barcelona remain in the driver’s seat at the moment in Serie A and La Liga, respectively.
Nearby, in England, where Liverpool has been crowned Premier League champions, much of the excitement shifted to the second-tier Championship and which teams will fight for promotion. In Germany, Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga helping Harry Kane win his first-ever team trophy.
In MLS, the Columbus Crew are dominating the Eastern Conference and a 4-2 win against Charlotte FC was the latest example of this team’s offensive prowess.
Here’s a look at this weekend’s top stories:
Serie A: Napoli beats Lecce to move closer to title
League leaders Napoli maintained its three-point lead over Inter Milan in the chase for the Serie A title.
Giacomo Raspadori scored the game’s only goal on Saturday in a 1-0 win at Lecce. The Partenopei now need only seven points from the remaining three rounds to win its second league title in three years.
“It’s an important step, I can’t lie,” said Napoli manager Antonio Conte. “We’re on track and we want to stay there until the end. “Nobody will remember if we finish second.”
Later in the day, Inter Milan responded by defeating Verona 1-0 at home — although their focus now seems entirely on the Champions League.
Kristjan Asllani scored a penalty kick into the bottom right corner after nine minutes after Verona defender Nicolás Valentini handled the ball.
English Championship: Leeds promoted as second-division champion
Leeds was promoted to the Premier League as second-division champion on Saturday after Manor Solomon’s stoppage-time winner.
Solomon’s goal sealed a 2-1 comeback win against relegated Plymouth and saw Leeds top the Championship, edging out second-placed Burnley on goal difference.
Both teams had clinched promotion last week but fought to go up as champion. They ended the season level on 100 points each after Burnley beat Millwall 3-1 and was promoted as runner-up.
Meanwhile, Coventry and Bristol City took the last two playoff places. Coventry beat Middlesbrough 2-0 to end the season in fifth place and Bristol City was sixth after a 2-2 draw against Preston.
Third-place Sheffield United and Sunderland in fourth complete the playoffs lineup.
MLS: Columbus down Charlotte in top-of-the-East battle
Dylan Chambost scored the game’s first goal and helped lead Eastern Conference leaders Columbus Crew to a 4-2 win against Charlotte FC 4-2 on Saturday.
Chambost scored with a left-footed shot from the center of the box at 25 minutes to put Columbus ahead 1-0. Chambost put it in from short distance after Charlotte keeper Kristijan Kahlina failed to secure a save on a shot by Diego Rossi. Kahlina also failed to clear the zone and kicked it back to the Crew to set up the score.
Rossi made it 2-0 on a penalty kick after 39 minutes following a foul by Liel Abada. Wilfried Zaha put Charlotte on the board with a penalty kick in the second minute of extra time in the first half shaving the deficit to a goal.
Aziel Jackson made it a two-goal advantage again with a shot from the center of the box with a right boot in the 51st. Abada atoned for his earlier foul scoring at the 64th from the right side of the box to get Charlotte within 3-2.
In the 81st minute, Jacen Russell-Rowe’s header put the Crew back up by two to end the scoring spree.
In other news: Kylian Mbappe scored in each half as Real Madrid held on to defeat Celta Vigo 3-2 on Sunday to keep pace with Barcelona in the Spanish league title race. The victory moved Madrid back within four points of leader Barcelona ahead of the teams’ last Clasico of the season this coming Sunday in Barcelona. … Manchester United fell 4-3 at Brentford on Sunday, slumped to a club record-extending 16th Premier League defeat this season. At the same time, Champions League-chasing Newcastle needed an 89th-minute penalty kick to salvage a 1-1 draw at Brighton. … Al-Ahli won its first AFC Champions League Elite title after beating Kawasaki Frontale of Japan 2-0 in the final on Saturday. First-half goals from Galeno and Franck Kessie put the Jeddah-based side in control against the five-time Japanese champion.