Liverpool continued their incredible run in the Champions League by beating Sevilla 2-1. Real Madrid spoiled Man United’s party as they beat them 4-0, but Ronaldo was still named MVP and had a goal to boot.
Liverpool continued their quadruple push with a 3-0 win over Sevilla on Saturday evening. Real Madrid shocked Sevilla as they ran out 4-1 winners at the Estadio Ramon Sánchez Pizjuá. Cristiano Ronaldo was named Man of the Match for his two goals and one assist in the match, while Gareth Bale got three assists to help Los Blancos to victory.
What an amazing weekend! With the FA Cup final set (Liverpool vs. Chelsea on May 14, ESPN+), Europe’s top leagues did not disappoint, with numerous large teams requiring dramatic heroics to win. There’s drama in Serie A, a streak of huge successes in the Bundesliga, and a late Real Madrid comeback that left supporters dumbfounded against Sevilla.
James Olley, Bill Connelly, James Tyler, and Alex Kirkland bring you the latest news from Europe.
Go to: Hot topics | Top goals | Difficult teams | MVP of the weekend
There are four items to consider.
Liverpool’s quadruple is still a possibility.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp does not want people to speak about it, but the Reds’ FA Cup semifinal victory against Manchester City on Saturday moved them closer to a historic quadruple. They’ve already won the Carabao Cup, are one point behind City in the Premier League, and face Villarreal in a two-legged Champions League quarterfinal a week from Wednesday.
Klopp has previously raised worries about the exhausting consequences of a grueling fixture schedule, even claiming that reaching the FA Cup final made the quadruple much difficult since it added another game to their schedule. However, their 3-2 win against City was achieved by a ruthless first-half performance that shows they’re ready for the last stretch. Players have stepped up during Mohamed Salah’s little slump, particularly January addition Luis Diaz, while Thiago’s return to health has given the midfield a new perspective.
Liverpool are blazing on all cylinders, according to Olley. – How social media responded to Steffen’s FA Cup blunder – Highlights: Liverpool hold on to reach FA Cup final (U.S.)
If Liverpool needed any more incentive to become the first English side to win all four major trophies in a single season, their fierce rivals Manchester United’s treble achievement in 1999 remains ahead of them as the most successful single campaign in the Premier League history. Olley says:
RB Leipzig are back where they want to be in the Bundesliga.
RB Leipzig took up third position in the Bundesliga with a lightning-quick Tyler Adams-to-Christopher Nkunku-to-Dominik Szoboszlai-to-the-upper-corner progression. They’ve won 29 points from 12 games since the start of 2022, losing just once in all competitions and reaching the Europa League semifinals, defeating Real Sociedad and Atalanta in the knockout stages. Leipzig’s rise has moved them back to where they’ve been in prior seasons, after finishing 11th as late as December.
Considering both teams’ offensive abilities, this was a slow-burning game. In the opening 60 minutes, the teams combined for just eight shot attempts, with RBL accounting for only two of them. However, Szoboszlai’s vicious strike handed the patient Red Bulls a well-deserved lead, and a bizarrely off-target Leverkusen was unable to equalize.
Leipzig defeats Leverkusen thanks to Szoboszlai’s strike (U.S.)
Since losing ace Florian Wirtz to a long-term ACL injury in March, Die Werkself have held their own. They are just one point clear of Freiburg for fourth place and the last German Champions League slot. — Sean Connelly
2 Related
Real Madrid come back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.
Real Madrid’s recent record has been so erratic that it’s been difficult to keep up. Is this the same squad who succumbed 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg, or the same club that thrashed the French side 3-1 in the second leg? Are they the team that was beaten 4-0 by Barcelona, the club who defeated Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, or the team that almost blew a 4-0 lead at the Bernabeu? Of course, the answer is all of the above, and Sevilla’s 3-2 comeback triumph on Sunday displayed both sides of this fascinating, perplexing Jekyll-and-Hyde club.
– Real Madrid’s stunning comeback against Sevilla (U.S.)
Eder Militao’s two obnoxious defensive mistakes handed the home side a 2-0 lead, only for a second-half comeback to include goals from replacements Rodrygo and Nacho — either side of a Vinicius goal that was strangely called out for handball — and a Karim Benzema winner in extra time. With a 15-point advantage at the top, it was a victory that all but guaranteed Madrid’s LaLiga triumph, and a performance that perfectly encapsulated their season. Kirkland’s comment
The Milanese teams are pushing the Serie A race to the limit.
Only Italy can compete with the Premier League this season for a decent championship battle, and theirs appears poised to go down to the last game as Milan’s two teams refuse to give up. (And, honestly, with less than a month to go, Napoli is just five points behind the leaders.) AC Milan and Inter both won on Friday, the former strolling past Genoa 2-0 and the latter beating lowly Spezia 3-1 to retain top and second, albeit defending champions Inter have a game in hand and are just two points behind. (As if that weren’t enough, the two meet in the second leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal in midweek, after drawing 0-0 the first time around.)
– LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, and more on ESPN+ – Watch ESPN FC every day on ESPN+ (U.S. only) – If you don’t have ESPN, you’re out of luck. Get immediate access
If either team wins, there will be a lot published about them: Milan has 18 league championships but hasn’t won one since 2010-11, while Inter overcame last summer’s departures (Romelu Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi, and even manager Antonio Conte) to finish in the top three all season, even leading the way with just three league losses (including against Milan). In short, keep an eye on this one because there will be lots of fireworks. Tyler’s comment
Three objectives that you must see
For Union Berlin, Promel slams one.
Union supporters are running out of time to appreciate Grischa Promel’s buzzing, energetic presence, since he will join Hoffenheim on a free transfer this summer, as revealed in February. But goals like the one he scored in a 2-0 home victory against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday will endear him to the supporters for the rest of his career, particularly if they stay on track for a top-six finish and European football next season.
Promel’s second goal, following Taiwo Awoniyi’s instinctive opening, was a complete display of his abilities. He was on the spot for the loose ball at the outside of the box and curled it past Jens Grahl after chasing down an overhit Julian Ryerson cross and keeping the action alive. It doesn’t get much better than this in terms of speed, passion, perseverance, and power. Tyler’s comment
For Borussia Dortmund, another another youthful star scores.
Tom Rothe, the newest wonderkid from Borussia Dortmund, not only made his Bundesliga debut against Wolfsburg on Saturday at the age of 17 years and 169 days, but he also scored on his debut with a 24th-minute corner kick.
At Signal Iduna Park, @BlackYelllow scored six goals in the sunlight.
#BVBWOB 6-1 pic.twitter.com/556P7jKRZR #BVBWOB
April 16, 2022 — Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga EN)
In front of 79,200 ecstatic spectators at Signal Iduna Park, Rothe’s goal set the tone for a wild day. BVB also obtained goals from non-traditional sources (Axel Witsel, Manuel Akanji, and Emre Can) until Erling Haaland took control and scored twice in a commanding 6-1 victory against their increasingly unimpressive opponents.
– Watch the full highlights of Dortmund’s six-goal thrashing of Wolfsburg (U.S.)
Despite a slew of injuries and several momentum-killing losses that have put a stop to their championship hopes ahead of their April 23 showdown with Bayern Munich, BVB will most likely finish second in the Bundesliga. Despite the upcoming departure of Haaland, it looks like Rothe will provide them with another hotshot kid to count on in the future seasons. — Sean Connelly
Liverpool thwarts Man City’s Steffen with a stunning play.
Zack Steffen of the United States had a rough day at Wembley: he had little chance of stopping Ibrahima Konate’s opening, and then he carelessly allowed Sadio Mane to tackle him as he paused in dispersing a straightforward back-pass, putting the game out of reach. He couldn’t do much about the Senegal international’s second goal, which gave Liverpool a 3-0 half-time advantage they wouldn’t surrender.
It’s really stunning in every way. What a target! pic.twitter.com/xPlL2tKC2y
April 17, 2022 — Liverpool FC (@LFC)
Overall, it was a fantastic team move, with Trent Alexander-sweeping Arnold’s cross-field ball to Luis Diaz allowing the Reds to evade City’s press before Thiago Alcantara chipped a beautiful pass to Mane, who scored a stunning first-time volley inside Steffen’s near post. It was the pinnacle of a first half in which Liverpool completely dominated City. Olley says:
There are two teams that should be concerned.
The historic slide of Rayo Vallecano continues.
Rayo Vallecano started LaLiga 2022 in fourth place, ahead of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Despite this, they’ve only won four of their last 39 games, putting them on a 13-game losing skid that is the joint-worst in their top-flight history. It’s also relegation form, with a 1-0 loss to Alaves on Saturday pushing them to 14th place in the league. Despite victories this weekend, it seems that the bottom two (Alaves and Levante) will still be relegated, leaving Cadiz, Mallorca, Granada, Getafe, and Rayo struggling to escape joining them. There are six points separating five teams.
Rayo’s advantage indicates that they should be alright, but in this sport, anything can happen. They were unfortunate losers against Alaves, but manager Andoni Iraola was left bemoaning another missed opportunity. “The First Division is where you’ll find yourself. Goals must be scored “He said, and he is correct. Rayo had a dismal weekend all-around: the women’s team, which was previously one of Spain’s finest, was also relegated following a season of shocking mismanagement. Kirkland’s comment
Hoffenheim is on the verge of being relegated from European competition.
After a lackluster 0-0 home tie with Greuther Furth on Sunday, Hoffenheim’s Champions League ambitions moved from “diminished” to “almost dead.” Sebastian Hoeness’ team took 16 attempts but produced nothing of note until late in the game, when Furth goalkeeper Andreas Linde made a series of fine stops to retain the point.
After the game, midfielder Christoph Baumgartner remarked, “We’re in a period where we’re finding a few things tough.” He might also be underselling it: Since a 1-0 victory against Koln on March 6 pushed them into fourth place, they’ve only managed two points and two goals in their past five games.
Going scoreless against a Furth club that has allowed a league-high 72 goals so far is a low point, and it effectively ends any prospects of making the Champions League. In truth, Hoffenheim’s chances of qualifying for any European tournament are already slim: the club is presently in eighth position, two points behind Union Berlin in the race for sixth place and a place in the Europa Conference League. — Sean Connelly
MVP of the weekend
Ronaldo saves United’s blushes and keeps them (just) in contention for a top-four finish.
Anyone with a sense can agree that watching Man United these days is tough, particularly after all of last summer’s marquee signings promised a huge stride ahead, only for the club to take a massive step back. The Ralf Rangnick era has yet to ignite, but at least they have Cristiano Ronaldo to fall back on when things go difficult, right?
– Dawson: Man United’s rebirth must involve Glazers’ departure, as shown by fans’ protest
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