Soccer Monday: Dortmund faceplants, PSG wins Ligue 1 and Tigres captures Liga MX title
It was a weekend where champions were crowned on both sides of the Atlantic
Happy Memorial Day!
It was a weekend where champions were crowned in Germany, France and Mexico.
Europe’s top five leagues are slowly coming to their conclusions following a very long 10 months that also included a break this past fall for the World Cup.
Here’s what happened this past weekend:
3. Bayern wins yet another title, then cleans house
Jamal Musiala scored a dramatic late winner in Cologne on Saturday as Bayern Munich claimed its 11th straight Bundesliga title on goal differential after Borussia Dortmund drew at home to Mainz in what turned out to be a wild conclusion to the season.
Dortmund had a two-point lead heading into the final matchday, but it all came apart in the final minutes of both matches. Musiala rifled the ball into the net, restoring Bayern’s lead in the 89th minute to end Dortmund’s title dreams.
This was Dortmund’s title to lose and the title victory doesn’t mask the fact that Bayern has had a troubled season. As a result, the club’s board announced after capturing the title that it had fired CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
2. PSG captures French league title
Lionel Messi scored as Paris Saint-Germain won a record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 title on Saturday with one game to spare following a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg.
The draw gave PSG on 85 points, four ahead of Lens, who secured second place and a place in next season’s Champions League. For Lens, it was their first UCL qualification in 21 years following a 3-0 victory against Ajaccio.
For Messi, the title makes him tied for the most-decorated player in soccer history with 43 trophies, alongside Brazilian defender Dani Alves. The Ligue 1 title could mark the last championship for Messi in France. The Argentine could very well leave the Paris-based club sometime over the summer.
1. Tigres lifts Liga MX Clausura championship
Following a drab 0-0 first leg, Chivas Guadalajara and Tigres UANL played a thrilling second leg of the Liga MX final on Sunday.
Tigres earned a 3-2 road win following extra time at Estadio Akron. A header by midfielder Guido Pizarro in the 110th minute sealed the win for the northern Mexican club.
Tigres, who had finished seventh during the regular season, concluded what could only be called a Cinderella run. They managed to eliminate No. 1 seed Monterrey and Apertura finalists Toluca on the way to the final.