Wasted Opportunity

I thought March and April were that only crucial month in European football but it just seems that the ball is round and you can’t expect the result of the match to go in favor of the strong team (at least to some).

The Manchester derby last 30 April was crucial to both sides because the win of Man City gave them back the top spot and if Man United won, it should stretched their lead to six points with two more games remaining. Although it is not the end of Man City’s hope to lift the Premier League championship trophy if they lose but it will give their city rivals a psychological advantage. Statistically Man United can still win but that is also very unlikely considering the recent form of play by Man City. But the catch is, Manchester City never been defeated at Etihad Stadium this season thus they prevail in the derby with a slim win. Yet it is enough to snatch the lead from Manchester United and takes the race into the final two games of the season before a champion can be decided.

Across in Italy, champions Milan wasted a golden opportunity to take control of Serie A as they succumb to the pressure when they met city rivals Inter. The loss was crucial for Milan as it became the deciding factor of who will win the Scudetto as Juve win in the other game. The win by Inter eventually handed Juve the title and keeping their hope for a Champions League spot next year.

It was another classic inter-city rivalry that decides who emerge at the top and wins the championship title. It all started with the famous El Clasico last 21 April when the Los Blancos stunned the Blaugrana’s right at their own turf at Camp Nou with another 2-1 slim win. And it was concluded two weeks later at San Mames, giving Real Madrid their 32nd La Liga title.

AC Milan Clinch Serie A Title

AC Milan did not prolong the agony of waiting for another game to be crowned Serie A champions. The Rossoneri did not waste time in ending the five year dominance of city rival Inter Milan by clinching the Scudetto with a 0-0 draw at Roma. Milan won the Italian title for the first time since 2004 in just several minutes ago. Although Inter still has three more games left and if they win in all of its remaining matches, they could still tie AC Milan in 78 points (even if they lose in their last two games) but Milan holds the tie breaker advantage by sweeping both their league matches.

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The Serie A title is decided by the head-to-head record if teams finish level on points unlike in the Premier League that uses goal difference in deciding in case there’s a need for tie breaker.

While in Spain, Real Madrid kept their slim chance of claiming the La Liga title with a thrashing 6-2 win at Sevilla and hoping Barcelona will lose at home against city rival Espanyol on 8 May. A Barca loss will give the Los Blancos another day of hope knowing that there are still nine more points left to grab. If Barcelona won, the slim chance will become so dim that it is near impossible for Real to catch up unless Barca loses in their last three games. Which is very unlikely to happen for they only lost twice this season and with the kind of form they are playing they probably will win two major trophies this season.

Milan Surge Clear of Inter

The derby in Serie A between city rivals Inter and AC Milan was thought to be a match to see considering that Inter needed a win to finally catch up with the league leader but it was eventually a lopsided victory by the Rossoneri. What should be a close fight between bitter rivals became a demolition with a 3-0 win by AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina.

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Pato, the Brazilian striker, made it easy for the Rossoneris to claim the full 3 points by netting two goals and extended their lead to five with 7 more games left in the season. It could be the deciding factor of who will bring the Scudetto home or should I say who will raise the Scudetto since both teams are sharing the same stadium at San Siro. With the masterful win by AC Milan, they are opening the gap and possibly opening the way for the Scudetto after 7 years of drought without any domestic silverware.

Could this be the end of Inter’s domination in Serie A and the chance for The Red and Blacks to hold the Scudetto again?