Bayer Extended their Unbeaten Streak. City & MU Will Face Each Other in the FA Cup Final
Bayer Leverkusen's club won again thanks to a goal in the match's final minutes
The central match of the Bundesliga tour took place in Dortmund, where Leverkusen once again narrowly avoided their first defeat of the season. Just three days ago, Bayer set a new record for top-5 league clubs with 44 matches undefeated, surpassing Juventus. It seemed they would only extend this streak by one more match, but Josip Stanisic scored another saving goal in stoppage time.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich is entirely focused on the Champions League. However, they quickly dealt with Union Berlin. Their silver medal rival, Stuttgart, stumbled at the right time for Munich. They managed to lose to Werder Bremen, a team lacking star power. Leipzig, fighting for a top-four spot, won their match, although not without difficulty, scoring the goal against Heidenheim at the end of the game.
The leader took a time-out
Manchester City advanced to the FA Cup Final by overcoming Chelsea's resistance. To the fans ' disappointment, both teams had a lackluster first half, but the game picked up after halftime. However, the only goal came very late: Bernardo Silva scored the winner just minutes before the end of the match.
However, the referees made another controversial decision. Even when the score was tied, Chelsea rightfully claimed a penalty after a free kick taken by Cole Palmer. The ball hit Jack Grealish's hand, significantly away from his body and clearly not in a natural position.
In the second semi-final, Manchester United led Coventry 3-0 by the 70th minute but squandered their advantage. The game ended in a draw thanks to a penalty scored in stoppage time. Manchester United then won in the post-match penalty shootout.
It's scary to imagine what the odds must have been on 8888bet.org in Vietnam for Coventry not to lose when the score was 0-3. Indeed, it is not less than 50, maybe even more. Someone struck gold.
Therefore, two Manchester clubs — City and United—will play in the FA Cup Final for the second year.
Because of this, Manchester City missed another round. As a result, their competitors had the opportunity to surpass them in the league table.
Arsenal played first and confidently defeated Wolverhampton. Leandro Trossard scored a superb and precise strike out of nowhere. Then Martin Ødegaard sealed the victory against the Wolves.
Liverpool also won, keeping pace with the Gunners. They dealt with Fulham away from home. It wasn't the brightest match for the Reds, but given their current form, any wins are valuable.
In the shadow of El Clásico
The Spanish league focused all attention on the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona clash. However, even without it, there were plenty of exciting matches. Girona continued winning at home and losing away, now stretching to nine games. This time, they defeated struggling Cadiz, with Catalan forward Artem Dovbyk again scoring and extending his lead in the goal-scoring race.
Girona guaranteed their participation in European competitions next season. The specific ones will be revealed with time. For now, the Catalans are comfortably holding onto a Champions League spot.
Favorites' Problems
Napoli and Juventus seem unwilling to improve towards the end of the season. Napoli accepted their championship loss, which they won last season, while Juventus' chances of winning it seem faint.
Further proof of this came from more failures by these clubs. Napoli lost to struggling Empoli, who desperately needed points in the relegation battle. Napoli trailed most of the game and failed to score against their modest opponents.
Juventus also dropped points, this time in Sardinia against Cagliari. In the first half, Cagliari scored twice from penalties. The Turin side had to salvage the match. Still, they only managed to do so with the help of their opponents, who scored an own goal trying to intercept a cross a few minutes before full time.
Italy will get at least five spots in the next Champions League, so the battle for those spots has become more intense. Despite losing the Rome derby, Lazio is on a good run with four wins in their last five games. After defeating Genoa, they closed the gap, with their city rival occupying the fifth spot to just three points.
Published by Patrick Jane
22.04.2024