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THE WEEK IN EUROPE
Bad Week For Barca, Plus The Latest From Italy, France, Germany And Around The Continent
By Joe Ellington
SPAIN
It's been a bad week for Barcelona. Beaten 3-1 at Chelsea in midweek, Barca's title hopes suffered a huge blow at the weekend after a dreadful 3-0 defeat at home to Real Mallorca. Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o, on-loan from Real Madrid, did the damage at the Nou Camp, scoring twice and setting up Luis Carreras for a third as Mallorca won for the first time in 15 league visits to the Nou Camp.
"It's going to be very difficult," admitted Barca coach Louis van Gaal. "We are five points behind Deportivo now and, with only six games left, the truth is we have to win nearly all of them. However, I am not writing us off just yet. But dominating a game is not enough – we have to score goals as well. Kluivert and Rivaldo weren't even in the game, that's why I brought them off. The players now have to recuperate mentally – it's at this stage of the season that titles are won."
The Catalan fans have one piece of good news to cheer them up: playmaker Josep Guardiola should be back for the second leg of the European Cup quarter-final against Chelsea. A recent Catalan TV survey showed that 79% of the Nou Camp fans thought Guardiola was essential to Barca' chances.
With their nearest challengers losing, Deportivo capitalised with a 4-1 hammering of doomed Atletico Madrid. Dutch striker Roy Makaay scored a hat-trick for the leaders, who are now favourites to land their first-ever championship.
Real Zaragoza stayed third with a 1-1 draw at Real Valladolid, while Real Madrid scraped a 1-0 win against Celta Vigo to stay in the hunt for a Champions League place. Vicente del Bosque's side had Nicolas Anelka on the bench, but it was top scorer Raul who netted to secure the points.
Sevilla's 3-0 loss to Malaga in the Andalucian derby leaves them in last place on 27 points with second-bottom Atletico still two adrift of Real Oviedo, who lost 6-2 to Valencia as Lazio's midweek opponents became the first side in Spain to score six league goals this season.
* Real Mallorca defender Miguel Angel Nadal could miss the rest of the season, after suffering a collapsed lung during the weekend victory against his former club Barcelona.
* Roberto Carlos will miss the Spanish Cup semi-final first leg against Espanyol on Wednesday to rest a troublesome knee injury.
ITALY
With two minutes left to play, the gap at the top of Serie A was going to be cut to just a point. By full-time, Juventus had restored their three-point lead over Lazio thanks to the sort of luck that separates title winners from the also-rans.
After back-to-back defeats, Juve found themselves drawing 0-0 at ten-man Bologna while Lazio were beating Perugia 1-0 in Rome thanks to a goal from former Crystal Palace manager Attilio Lombardo.
Filippo Inzaghi and Alessandro del Piero – who has not scored from open play since 1998 – had both missed good chances as the Turin outfit looked set to stumble to a draw, despite Bologna having Giulio Falcone sent off in the 70th minute. But two goals in the last two minutes, a header from former Sheffield Wednesday striker Darko Kovacevic and an own goal by Massimo Paganin, gave Juve a 2-0 win which keeps them three points clear with just five games left to play.
"We did our duty," was all a crest-fallen Sven-Goran Eriksson could manage on his side's victory. "We still believe we can take the title – from now on, the five remaining matches will all be like finals."
Champions Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Fiorentina, but that was enough to hang onto third place on goal difference ahead of Parma, who drew 2-2 at Torino. Inter are a point further back in fifth after a 3-0 hammering at Udinese. Roma stay sixth after a 0-0 draw at ten man Lecce.
At the foot of the table, Verona's first victory at Cagliari in 24 years leaves the Sardinians rooted to the bottom along with Piacenza. Both clubs are five points adrift of Venezia, and Cagliari coach Renzo Ulivieri has announced that he will be quitting at the end of the season: "I spoke with the president and we both think the same, that it would be best if I end my relationship with the club at the end of the season."
* Lazio skipper Alessandro Nesta will not play against Inter on Wednesday in the first leg of the Italian Cup Final after limping off with a pulled muscle on his return from injury against Perugia at the weekend. Meanwhile, Lazio striker Alen Boksic could be fined and banned – after complaining that his shirt is too tight! The Croatian lost his rag struggling to pull on his shirt before the weekend game against Perugia, and was promptly dropped in favour of Fabrizio Ravanelli. "Boksic didn’t take the pitch because he wasn’t composed," said an unamused Sven-Goran Eriksson.
* Police had to remove swastikas and anti-Turkish slogans painted on the walls of Piacenza's stadium before the weekend game against Bari.
FRANCE
The champagne is still on ice for champions-elect Monaco, but the weekend’s brutal events in Marseille could have far more serious consequences for both clubs. The fact that Marseille’s 4-2 victory means Monaco will have to wait another week before they can clinch the title is almost irrelevant, given what went on before and during the match at the Stade Velodrome.
Italian striker Marco Simone was allegedly punched by former Monaco defender Patrick Blondeau before kick-off, and is now doubtful for the French Cup semi-final against holders Nantes on Wednesday.
And that was just the start of it!
In the 37th minute, Marseille's Spanish midfielder Ivan de la Pena was sent off for elbowing Pontus Farnerud and several players were booked in the melee which followed. On the stroke of halftime, Monaco's Belgian defender Philipe Leonard was dismissed for a second bookable offence. But the most serious incident happened in the tunnel at halftime.
Monaco midfielder Marcello Gallardo, accused of provocative behaviour by rival teams on a number of occasions this season, was red carded for allegedly fighting with Marseille assistant coach Christophe Galtier. The Argentine, sporting a bruised right cheek and a swollen upper lip, has started court proceedings against Galtier and is now said to be considering leaving France. French press reports claimed Gallardo was punched by Galtier and then kicked by other people while he was on the ground.
Monaco president Louis Camporra, meanwhile, claims that his players were victims of a pre-meditated ambush after TV cameras had been banned from the tunnel by Marseille. But OM coach Bernard Casoni was quoted as saying that Gallardo looked for trouble and had reaped what he had sown.
Lyon’s 1-0 win at Le Havre, thanks to Sonny Anderson’s goal, postpones Monaco’s title celebrations for another week. OL are ten points adrift with just four games to play. Christophe Dugarry’s goal against Sedan lifts outgoing champions Bordeaux into fourth place, a point behind Paris St Germain in the battle for Champions League places.
* Veteran Irish striker Tony Cascarino scored twice for Nancy, but was then sent off for dissent as his side lost 3-2 at home to Strasbourg in a tense derby.
* Bastia had skipper Laurent Casanova sent off in a 4-2 win over Rennes. The two goals for the visitors were the first Bastia had conceded at their Furiani Stadium in 11 league games.
GERMANY
Bayer Leverkusen underlined their title credentials at the weekend, coming from a goal down to beat Borussia Dortmund and stay two points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. Giuseppe Reina gave Dortmund an early lead, and when Jens Lehmann stopped a Michael Ballack penalty in the 13th minute, it looked as if it was not going to be Leverkusen’s day. But Christop Daum’s side showed their mettle, and equalised through Paulo Rink just before halftime. Dortmund then had veteran skipper Stefan Reuter sent off eight minutes into the second half, and the numerical advantage eventually told for the Leverkusener. Rink scored his second six minutes from time, and substitute Thomas Brdaric wrapped up a 3-1 win just before the final whistle. Daum said: "Dortmund played exactly the way we expected they would. We responded well and did what we had to."
Leverkusen stay two points clear of Bayern Munich, who rediscovered their scoring touch in a 4-0 demolition of SSV Ulm – Mehmet Scholl, Paulo Sergio, Carsten Jancker and Slawomir Wojciechowski all on the scoresheet. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said: "We had to be patient and we were. Our goals came exactly when we needed them."
Werder Bremen beat struggling Arminia Bielefeld 3-1 to stay fourth, a point behind Hamburg in the battle for the Champions League. Elsewhere, a hat-trick from Nigerian striker Jonathan Akpoborie inspired Wolfsburg to a 5-2 win at Stuttgart. Wolfsburg are up two places to seventh, and stay in the hunt for a UEFA Cup spot.
EUROPE AT A GLANCE
BELGIUM Ghent 4 Eendracht Aalst 0, Mechelen 4 Harelbeke 0, Beveren 1 Lommel 0, Westerlo 5 Anderlecht 0, Charleroi 1 Sint-Truiden 1, Germinal Beerschot 3 Genk 0, Standard Liege 1 Lokeren 2, Excelsior Mouscron 1 Club Bruges 2, Lierse 2 Verbroedering Geel 2. Standings - Anderlecht 30 20 8 2 78 32 68, Club Bruges 30 18 4 8 62 29 58, Ghent 30 17 3 10 68 48 54
BULGARIA Botev Plovdiv 1 CSKA Sofia 2, Levski Sofia 1 Lovech 1, Lokomotiv Sofia 2 Belasitsa Petrich 0, Pirin Blagoevgrad 2 Minyor Pernik 0, Dobrudzha Dobrich 2 Slavia Sofia 0, Spartak Varna 4 Olimpik-Beroe Teteven 0, Shumen 1 Neftochimik Bourgas 1, Chernomorets Bourgas 1 Velbazhd Kyustendil 1. Standings - Levski Sofia 22 17 4 1 52 11 55, CSKA Sofia 22 16 2 4 44 18 50, Velbazhd Kyustendil 22 13 3 6 34 19 42.
CZECH REPUBLIC Viktoria Zizkov 3 Slavia Prague 1, Ceske Budejovice 1 Bohemians Prague 2, Teplice 1 Hradec Kralove 1, Jablonec 0 Liberec 0, Sparta Prague 2 Ostrava 0, Drnovice 1 Olomouc 0, Opava 0 Blsany 0, Dukla 1 Brno 2. Standings - Slavia Prague 24 19 4 1 44 14 61, Sparta Prague 24 19 3 2 62 19 60, Drnovice 24 13 4 7 32 21 43.
DENMARK AaB Aalborg 1 Lyngby 1, FC Copenhagen 3 Esbjerg 1, Silkeborg 1 OB Odense 0, Viborg 2 Brondby 2, AB Copenhagen 3 Herfoelge 0. Standings - Herfoelge 23 13 4 6 38 33 43, Silkeborg 23 10 7 6 39 22 37, Brondby 23 10 7 6 40 27 37.
FRANCE Lens 1 Metz 0, St-Etienne 1 Paris St Germain 1, Nancy 2 Racing Strasbourg 3, Auxerre 1 Nantes 1, Le Havre 0 Lyon 1, Bastia 4 Rennes 2, Montpellier 2 Troyes 2, Sedan 0 Bordeaux 1, Marseille 4 Monaco 2. Standings - Monaco 30 19 4 7 60 29 61, Lyon 30 15 6 9 38 35 51, Paris St Germain 30 13 9 8 43 36 48.
GERMANY Werder Bremen 3 Arminia Bielefeld 1, Duisburg 1 Freiburg 2, Bayern Munich 4 SSV Ulm 0, Stuttgart 2 Wolfsburg 5, Schalke 04 1 Kaiserslautern 2, Bayer Leverkusen 3 Borussia Dortmund 1, Hertha Berlin 1 Eintracht Frankfurt 0, SpVgg Unterhaching 1 1860 Munich 1, Hamburg 1 Hansa Rostock 0. Standings - Bayer Leverkusen 28 17 9 2 60 30 60, Bayern Munich 28 17 7 4 59 23 58, Hamburg 28 15 9 4 59 30 54.
HOLLAND Ajax 3 Sparta Rotterdam 2, RKC Waalwijk 0 Heerenveen 1, Feyenoord 1 Utrecht 2, Twente Enschede 1 MVV Maastricht 2, Willem II Tilburg 0 Vitesse Arnhem 4, Cambuur Leeuwarden 1 Den Bosch 2, AZ Alkmaar 2 Graafschap Doetinchem 0, Fortuna Sittard 0 PSV Eindhoven 4, NEC Nijmegen 0 Roda JC Kerkrade 0. Standings - PSV Eindhoven 29 22 3 4 90 22 69, Heerenveen 29 18 3 8 53 33 57, Twente Enschede 29 15 11 3 48 26 56.
HUNGARY Diosgyor 1 Kispest Honved 3, MTK Budapest 0 Vasas Budapest 0, Dunaferr 2 Szombathely 1, Tatabanya 1 Nagykanizsa 0, Vac 1 Pecs 2, Debrecen 3 Perencvaros 0, Ujpest Budapest 2 Siofok 0, Zalaegerszeg 2 Gyor ETO 1. Standings - Dunaferr 24 16 7 1 53 20 55, Vasas 24 15 4 5 47 20 49, MTK 24 13 8 3 46 19 47.
ITALY Bologna 0 Juventus 2, Cagliari 0 Verona 1, Lazio 1 Perugia 0, Lecce 0 Roma 0, AC Milan 1 Fiorentina 1, Piacenza 2 Bari 1, Reggina 1 Venezia 0, Torino 2 Parma 2, Udinese 3 Inter Milan 0. Standings - Juventus 29 18 8 3 42 16 62, Lazio 29 17 8 4 50 26 59, AC Milan 29 13 11 5 55 36 50.
POLAND Zaglebie Lubin 3 Ruch Radzionkow 3, Lech Poznan 0 Odra Wodzislaw 1, Legia Warsaw 1 Petro Plock 0, Gornik Zabrze 1 Groclin Grodzisk 2, LKS Lodz 4 Pogon Szczecin 3, Wisla Krakow 4 Stomil Olsztyn 2, Ruch Chorzow 2 Polonia Wasrsaw , Amica Wronki 2 Widzew Lodz 0. Standings - Polonia Warsaw 22 14 5 3 38 19 47, Legia Warsaw 22 11 10 1 41 21 43, Ruch Chorzow 22 11 9 2 40 21 42.
PORTUGAL Belenenses 1 Maritimo 1, Braga 3 Santa Clara 1, Alverca 0 Vitoria Setubal 1, Gil Vicente 2 Estrela Amadora 2, Porto 2 Salgueiros 0, Campomaiorense 2 Benfica 4, Rio Ave 1 Vitoria Guimaraes 1, Uniao Leiria 1 Sporting Lisbon 1. Standings - Sporting Lisbon 29 19 8 2 48 20 65, Porto 29 19 6 4 54 19 63, Benfica 29 18 6 5 49 27 60.
ROMANIA Rocar Bucharest 2 National Bucharest 1, Steaua Bucharest 1 FCM Bacau 0, Brasov 2 Rapid Bucharest 0, Dinamo Bucharest 1 Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt 1, Otelul Galati 1 Universitatea Craiova 0, Gloria Bistrita 2 CSM Resita 0, Arges Pitesti 1 Astra Ploiesti 1, Extensiv Craiova 1 Farul Constanta 3, Petrolul Ploiesti 4 Onesti 1. Standings - Dinamo Bucharest 28 23 3 2 76 26 72, Rapid Bucharest 28 17 5 6 49 33 56, Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt 28 15 5 8 45 36 50.
SLOVENIA Maribor 1 Domzale 0, Velenje 1 Dravograd 1, Celje 2 Murska Sobota 1, Nova Gorica 1 Ruse 0, Prevalje 1 Beltinci 2, Ajdovscina 3 Olimpija 2. Standings - Maribor 25 18 5 2 66 25 59, Nova Gorica 25 14 5 6 38 25 47, Velenje 25 13 6 6 36 24 45.
SPAIN Real Betis 2 Racing Santander 2, Real Madrid 1 Celta Vigo 0, Alaves 0 Espanyol 0, Athletic Bilbao 1 Rayo Vallecano 2, Barcelona 0 Real Mallorca 3, Malaga 3 Sevilla 0, Numancia 1 Real Sociedad 2, Valencia 6 Oviedo 2, Valladolid 1 Real Zaragoza 1, Deportivo 4 Atletico Madrid 1. Standings - Deportivo 32 19 4 9 59 38 61, Barcelona 32 17 5 10 63 39 56, Real Zaragoza 32 14 13 5 52 32 55.
SWITZERLAND Yverdon 3 Neuchatel Xamax 0, Grasshoppers 1 Lausanne Sports 1, Servette 6 Lucerne 0, St Gallen 1 Basle 1. Standings - St Gallen 5 3 2 0 15 7 34, Grasshoppers 5 2 3 0 14 9 26, Basle 5 1 3 1 6 6 25 Points totals includes 50% of haul from qualifying round
TURKEY Trabzonspor 4 Vanspor 2, Galatasaray 6 Genclerbirligi 0, Erzurumspor 2 Antalyaspor 1, Ankaragucu 3 Denizlispor 1, Kocaelispor 1 Gaziantepspor 2, Istanbulspor 1 Altay 0, Adanaspor 1 Besiktas 3, Goztepe 1 Samsun 2, Fenerbahce 1 Bursaspor 2. Standings - Galatasaray 28 22 4 2 65 17 70, Besiktas 28 20 4 4 57 17 64, Gaziantepspor 28 13 10 5 38 21 49.
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