Soccer Monday: Advantage Dortmund in title race, Man City nabs Premier League again and Napoli wins big
All the big stories from across the soccer world from this past weekend
It was another weekend loaded with action as Manchester City captured a third straight Premier League title — following another Arsenal defeat — while Manchester United, currently fourth, is on the brink of making a Champions League return next season.
Over in Germany, Borussia Dortmund now have the edge in the Bundesliga title race against rivals Bayern Munich following a series of unexpected results.
Here are this weekend’s three big storylines:
3. Dortmund gain an edge
Sebastien Haller tallied twice as Borussia Dortmund beat 10-man Augsburg 3-0 on Sunday to go top of the Bundesliga table and take a two-point over Bayern Munich with one round of matches left to play.
Bayern, meanwhile, lost at home Saturday to RB Leipzig 3-1. As a result, a Dortmund win against Mainz this coming Saturday will give them their first title since the 2011-12 season.
But Bayern will travel to Cologne hoping for a Dortmund defeat. If that would be the case, the Bavarian giants would extend their run of consecutive Bundesliga titles to an astounding 10.
2. Man City’s treble dreams remain alive
Manchester City’ officially clinched its third straight Premier League title on Saturday after Arsenal, who are in second place, lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest. Man City’s bid for silverware continues — they are finalists in the Champions League and the F.A. Cup — as Pep Guardiola’s side looks to win an historic treble.
The club secured the Premier League title without ever taking the field thanks to Arsenal’s slip-up that left City with an unassailable four-point lead with two games left in the season. Man City players watched the game at the club’s training ground and celebrated, finally getting their hands on the trophy after Sunday’s 1-0 win against Chelsea.
Guardiola’s squad has its sights on becoming just the second English team — after Manchester United in 1999 — to capture the treble.
1. Napoli wins big, tops Inter Milan
Newly-crowned Serie A champions Napoli had looked shaky since officially clinching the title earlier this month. A 2-0 defeat to Monza last week was the latest sign that the Partenopei had run out of gas.
Instead, Napoli proved the critics wrong on Sunday, defeating 10-man Inter Milan 3-1 at home. While the victory against the Champions League finalists was a resounding success, manager Luciano Spalletti all but confirmed after the match that he would not be back for another season.
At the same time, Lazio climbed to third, leapfrogging Inter Milan with two games left in the season, following a 1-0 win at home against Udinese via a Ciro Immobile penalty kick in the 61st minute. Juventus, meanwhile, look to lock up second place (with a potential future points deduction looming) with a win Monday when they travel to Empoli.