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NHL Playoffs – Montreal Canadiens Reach Conference Finals, Los Angeles Kings Force Game Seven
The picture of the “Final Four” is getting clearer in the NHL playoffs as the Montreal Canadiens finally got past the Boston Bruins in a game 7 on the road to win 3-1 and take the second spot in the Eastern Conference Finals (where the New York Rangers are waiting), while the Los Angeles Kings beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 to give themselves another shot by forcing a seventh game in the series.
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Match Highlights – Sevilla vs Benfica
Some things never change – Benfica lose Europa League finals, Sevilla win them. This time it was penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw through the 120 minutes (in which Benfica were the better and more dangerous team) that gave the Spanish side the title, winning the competition for the third time.
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Juventus FC – Same Empire, Different Serie A
Something feels right about Juventus being so dominant in Italy and the Serie A. As if order has been restored, only without the funny business behind the scenes. Champions for a third consecutive season, something no team has done since AC Milan in the early 1990’s, but it’s a very different league these days, and without self-improvement and seeing upgrades all around them, these titles won’t help Italian clubs stand out on a European level as well.
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Liverpool FC – Great Season But Not Enough
It’s wrong to look back at a season and start marking the results that cost you the title. It’s a loop of pain and regret you can’t walk out of. By any standard, this was an excellent season for Liverpool – from Brendan Rodgers bringing back the faith, to Luis Suarez scoring at will and Steven Gerrard making his legend grow in both positive and negative. Sometimes there’s more to take than just the bottom line which is making it back to the Champions League, but missing out on winning a championship.
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Chelsea FC – Jose Mourinho and a Season of Failure
Beating the top two sides four times is nice, but that wasn’t why Jose Mourinho was rehired by Chelsea. A successful and equally arrogant manager was brought back to win titles, or at least do better than last season. The end result? No improvement in the league in terms of position, and reaching the Champions League semifinal, where awful football paved the way for a painful exit on their home ground.
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Match Highlights – Atletico Madrid vs Malaga, Celta vs Real Madrid, Elche vs Barcelona
The La Liga championship will be decided on the final day of the season, after Barcelona failed to score in their 0-0 draw with Elche while Atletico Madrid managed to salvage a 1-1 draw at home against Malaga, holding the edge going into the mega clash next week. Real Madrid? They’ve given up on the season, losing 2-0 at Celta and losing any chance of winning the title.
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Premier League – Champions, Relegation & Table
Champions League, while Norwich, Fulham and Cardiff will be the teams relegated, moving back down to the Championships.
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Match Highlights – Liverpool vs Newcastle
A coronation match turned into something of a sad day and then into an appreciation match for a truly wonderful season. Liverpool don’t win a championship, again, having to settle for second place in the Premier League despite a 2-1 win over Newcastle win that didn’t make a difference.
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Match Highlights – Manchester City vs West Ham
For the second time in three years, Manchester City are the Premier League champions. Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany scored in the 2-0 win over West Ham as the club that trailed behind the leading pack all season long because of games in hands finished the job without a shred of a problem on the final day.
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La Liga – Barcelona Hopeful, Atletico Madrid Fearful, Real Madrid Desperate
The La Liga still has two matchdays left before its completion, but recent results have made the finish very interesting. Atletico Madrid still control their own destiny and don’t even have to win both remaining matches. Barcelona can claim the championship despite all that’s happen this season if they win twice, while Real Madrid are in a bad situation, needing a lot of help from too many other teams.