National Champions in Europe

F91 Dudelange coach Marc Grosjean has set his sights on a UEFA Champions League run after reclaiming the title with five games to spare, their ninth success in 12 seasons.


Luxembourg's dominant force F91 Dudelange have their sights on a UEFA Champions League run after clinching their ninth national title in 12 seasons with five games to spare.

Although Dudelange fell to a 1-0 defeat at AS Jeunesse Esch on Saturday, the following day the only two teams still able to catch them lost: second-placed UN Käerjéng 97 going down 2-1 at FC Progrès Niedercorn and FC Differdange 03 beaten 2-0 by FC RM Hamm Benfica.

With a 16-point lead over Käerjéng, Dudelange – founded by a merger in 1991 – therefore reclaimed the championship they had lost after a five-year hold to Jeunesse Esch last season; in the last 13 campaigns they have never finished outside the top two.


"It is outstanding to win this title after just 21 matches," said Dudelange coach Marc Grosjean, whose side have averaged more than three goals a game. "We all know the most important thing is the title and we will celebrate it properly with the fans. I am delighted to see how this team has developed. A lot of neutrals say they have not seen this brand of football here before, but we can get even better."


Dudelange, who are also in the Luxembourg Cup's last 16, will enter the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round next season, having progressed through only one two-legged European tie in 14 campaigns. This term they won their UEFA Europa League first qualifying round home leg 2-1 against Denmark's Randers FC before suffering a 6-1 away loss. Grosjean is confident his team will not disappoint this time.

"We should have a good preparation period and 90% of the squad will be the same as last year," he said. "We have all the necessary weapons to get through the preliminary rounds and our chances have become even greater."

The 2010/11 Maltese Premier League has been won by capital club Valletta FC, who wrapped up the title with three games remaining after a 1-0 victory against Marsaxlokk FC.

Valletta FC have been crowned champions of Malta for the 20th time after wrapping up the title with three games to spare thanks to a 1-0 home win against Marsaxlokk FC.

Needing only a point to make sure of their first championship in three years, the Whites took all three courtesy of Roderick Briffa's 52nd-minute goal. As well as signalling the start of celebrations in the capital, the result also extended Valletta's unbeaten run in the Premier League to 30 matches since a 1-0 defeat by outgoing champions Birkirkara FC on 28 March 2010.

"It's great to make sure of the title with three matches to spare and knowing that you are home and dry," Briffa told UEFA.com following his third goal in two games. "This 20th title for the club means a lot to me. During the course of this season we showed unity all the way."

Jesmond Zerafa, whose unbeaten team are 12 points clear of Floriana FC, added: "I dedicate this title to the Valletta FC family, squad, committee, our special supporters, and my technical staff. This is a lovely day to remember for such a big club like Valletta FC."

APOEL FC defeated AC Omonia 2-0 with two Constantinos Charalambides goals to reclaim the Cypriot championship four games from the end and set a new record tally of 21 titles.


APOEL FC defeated Nicosia rivals and titleholders AC Omonia 2-0 on Sunday to secure their 21st Cypriot championship with four games left to go in the end-of-season play-offs.

Needing just a point to reclaim the championship and move back ahead of Omonia as the league's most-titled club, APOEL put the contest beyond doubt before the interval courtesy of two goals from Constantinos Charalambides. The Cypriot international scored from a free-kick on 41 minutes and added his second in first-half stoppage time courtesy of a clever assist from Gustavo Manduca, who had earlier seen a penalty saved by Antonis Georgallides.

The win lifted APOEL 15 points clear of second-placed Omonia, who Ivan Jovanović's side have beaten three times in the league this season without conceding a goal. APOEL will enter the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League in the second qualifying round, aiming to reach the group stage as they did last season.

"I am a very happy man right now," said Charalambides, also named man of the match. "It's a great feeling to win this title and I am very emotional right now. For me the man of the match was the entire team and our supporters.

"We deserved this title; I don't believe anyone could say otherwise. APOEL showed this season that our strength is our unity and the fact that we all play for each other. It is not about one single player."

Victory secure, APOEL chairman Fivos Erotokritou laid down his club's next targets. "I always believed that we would win this title because I believed in our coach and the quality of our players," he said.

"With that target now achieved, we will now look towards our next target which is to strengthen our squad in the summer because we want a good European campaign in the group stage of the Champions League. It is obviously a hard target but it is something that we have achieved before and something which we have set our sights on again."

Omonia will now look towards the Cyprus Cup for success after they eliminated second division side Aris Limassol FC last week to make it into the semi-finals, where they will meet either third-placed Anorthosis Famagusta FC, Apollon Limassol FC or Ethnikos Achnas FC.

NK Dinamo Zagreb have secured their sixth successive Croatian title with four matches to spare after captain Milan Badelj scored in a 1-0 victory against NK Osijek.

A solitary goal from Milan Badelj against NK Osijek was enough to secure NK Dinamo Zagreb their sixth successive Prva Liga title with four games to spare.
Set up by Argentinian defender Leandro Cufre, Badelj − the 22-year-old Dinamo captain − struck eight minutes after the restart. The victory maintained a now insurmountable 13-point lead over second-placed HNK Hajduk Split, whose 2-1 defeat of NK Slaven Koprivnica proved a vain attempt to stay in touch with Vahid Halilhodžić's side.
"We won 1-0 again, but I am proud and I must congratulate my players," said Halilhodžić, after his side's fourth single-goal victory in their last six league matches. "I treated my players to a very expensive champagne, which cost me a lot."
Dinamo's quest for silverware is not yet over this season, with NK Varaždin awaiting them in the Croatian Cup final over two legs on 11 and 25 May.

Battleships wrote:Does Massaro still play for Valetta?

polska. wrote:Santa Coloma

How is that FCPorto feeder club doing?

Weather130 wrote:

Battleships wrote:Does Massaro still play for Valetta?

Nope, he is actually playing at Uberlândia a team in the Brazilian 4th division

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — FC Copenhagen secured its ninth Danish league title on Thursday when second-place OB lost 2-1 at home to Nordsjaelland.



Copenhagen is now an insurmountable 23 points ahead of OB with seven rounds remaining after having won 20 of its 25 league games so far, with four draws and only one loss.

Danish capital rival Brondby is in third place, five points behind OB.

Copenhagen reached the knockout phase of the Champions League this year, losing to Chelsea.

ATHENS, Greece — Olympiakos celebrated winning the Greek league for the 38th time, and 13th in the past 15 years, by thrashing Larissa 6-0 in the final round of the season on Sunday.

David Fuster scored twice and Rafik Djebbour, Olof Mellberg, Marco Pantelic and Yiannis Fetfatzidis added a goal apiece in front of a delirious home crowd that braved driving rain.

Olympiakos finished the season with 73 points, 13 more than 2010 champion Panathinaikos, which lost 3-2 at newcomer Volos.
Panserraikos, Larissa and Asteras were relegated.

Panathinaikos had trailed 2-0 only to lose in the final minutes and ended the match with nine players after defenders Cedric Kante and Jean-Alain Boumsong were sent off.

Also Sunday, Aris beat host Xanthi 2-1, Ergotelis won 3-0 at Panserraikos, PAOK beat Kerkyra 2-0, Asteras won 3-1 over Panionios, and AEK Athens and Iraklis plus Atromitos and Kavala battled to scoreless draws.

Panathinaikos, AEK, PAOK and Volos will play each other in home-and-away playoff games to decide European places.

The winner will join Olympiakos in the Champions League, while the two others will play in the Europa Cup. A third Europa Cup place is reserved for the winner of the Greek Cup final between AEK and Atromitos.

Panathinaikos starts the series with a bonus of 3 points and AEK with 1.

Olympiakos opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Djebbour's diving header directed in Albert Riera's cross from the right.
Four minutes later, Yiannis Maniatis crossed from the right, Larissa defender Ibrahim Tall failed to clear and Fuster scored from close range.
The champions continued to press forward. In the 16th, Ariel Ibagaza crossed to Fuster, who chested the ball down and volleyed home from 30 metres (yards) for his 13th goal of the season.

Olympiakos picked the pace up again in the final 30 minutes. In the 62nd, Maniatis crossed and an unmarked Olof Mellberg headed in. Three minutes later, Larissa goalkeeper Giorgos Ambaris failed to clear Francois Modesto's pass and Pantelic sent an angled shot into the empty net.

Fetfatzidis finished the scoring in the 76th with a powerful shot from inside the area after an assist from Mirallas.

Olympiakos goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis was replaced in the 68th and received a standing ovation in his final match before retiring. The 40-year-old veteran played 15 seasons with Panathinaikos and seven for Olympiakos. He also earned 90 caps with the Greek national team, including captaining it to a surprise triumph at the 2004 European Championship.

LISBON, Portugal — FC Porto defender Maicon scored a late winner as the Portuguese league champions extended their unbeaten streak to 26 matches by beating last-place Portimonense 3-2 on Sunday.

Maicon headed in Hulk's pass in the 86th for Porto's 24th win in 26 games this season.

Hulk chipped goalkeeper Hugo Ventura for the 50th-minute opener, but Ruben Fernandes equalized with a header in the 60th.

Radamel Falcao gave Porto the lead again three minutes later, before George Mourad's header levelled at 2-2 in the 84th.

Also, Naval beat second-place Benfica 2-1, and Rio Ave routed Pacos Ferreira 6-1.

Weather130 wrote:

APOEL FC defeated AC Omonia 2-0 with two Constantinos Charalambides goals to reclaim the Cypriot championship four games from the end and set a new record tally of 21 titles.


APOEL FC defeated Nicosia rivals and titleholders AC Omonia 2-0 on Sunday to secure their 21st Cypriot championship with four games left to go in the end-of-season play-offs.

Needing just a point to reclaim the championship and move back ahead of Omonia as the league's most-titled club, APOEL put the contest beyond doubt before the interval courtesy of two goals from Constantinos Charalambides. The Cypriot international scored from a free-kick on 41 minutes and added his second in first-half stoppage time courtesy of a clever assist from Gustavo Manduca, who had earlier seen a penalty saved by Antonis Georgallides.

The win lifted APOEL 15 points clear of second-placed Omonia, who Ivan Jovanović's side have beaten three times in the league this season without conceding a goal. APOEL will enter the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League in the second qualifying round, aiming to reach the group stage as they did last season.

"I am a very happy man right now," said Charalambides, also named man of the match. "It's a great feeling to win this title and I am very emotional right now. For me the man of the match was the entire team and our supporters.

"We deserved this title; I don't believe anyone could say otherwise. APOEL showed this season that our strength is our unity and the fact that we all play for each other. It is not about one single player."

Victory secure, APOEL chairman Fivos Erotokritou laid down his club's next targets. "I always believed that we would win this title because I believed in our coach and the quality of our players," he said.

"With that target now achieved, we will now look towards our next target which is to strengthen our squad in the summer because we want a good European campaign in the group stage of the Champions League. It is obviously a hard target but it is something that we have achieved before and something which we have set our sights on again."

Omonia will now look towards the Cyprus Cup for success after they eliminated second division side Aris Limassol FC last week to make it into the semi-finals, where they will meet either third-placed Anorthosis Famagusta FC, Apollon Limassol FC or Ethnikos Achnas FC.

With 3 rounds left APOEL are 23-2-4 with 60 goals for and 20 goals against

Lisburn Distillery 0 Linfield 4: The title celebrations were a little flat at Ballyskeagh yesterday.

Perhaps it was because Linfield fans already knew the job had been done or perhaps it was because Blues fans are beginning to take Gibson Cup triumphs for granted — they have been spoilt when it comes to silverware.

But there was no disputing the relief and joy in the away dressing room at the end of a league campaign that didn’t always go according to plan.

Linfield proved they are the best team in the league and only five defeats in 37 matches is a phenomenal achievement, with the icing on the championship cake served up in yesterday’s 4-0 victory over the Whites.

The season may be drifting to a thrilling climax with a mouth-watering Irish Cup final to come between the champions and runner-up Crusaders next Saturday, but these are still bitter-sweet times for inspirational defender William Murphy.

Murphy has been with boss David Jeffrey every step on the road to success and he will soon get his hands on an eighth championship medal but he is suspended for the Irish Cup decider.

It’s been a roller-coaster ride for the 37-year-old — he was transfer listed after a breach of discipline in January — but his contribution to the club’s 50th title in their 125th anniversary year has been immense.

“There’s always pressure at Linfield and they are a club that breeds success,” said Murphy. “The club demands success and the players get their rewards that way.

“You win trophies, you win contracts and the players David (Jeffrey) has brought to the club over the last 14 years have enjoyed great success.”

Murphy, who has been at Linfield since September, 1997, is now hoping he has done enough to earn a new contract at Windsor Park — he’s not ready to follow in the footsteps of Noel Bailie yet.

“There have been no talks,” he added. “My last contracts have been on a rolling 12 months deal and usually negotiations start at the end of the season. All I do is try my best every time I pull the shirt on and hopefully it’s enough for the club to give me a new deal.

“I got a wake-up call this season and I had to work hard — things don’t come easy in life. David has said to everyone, not just me, that when you go away from Linfield you will finally realise how good it is here.

“I’ve seen that side of the coin as I started at Carrick Rangers and then went to Ards in the Premiership which was like night and day. Now I’m at the most thorough and professional club in the country, with great people running the club and great players as well.”

Michael Carvill’s fifth goal of the season in the 30th minute broke the deadlock, the winger heading in from close range after a bizarre game of head tennis in the penalty area.

Carvill was denied a second goal in the 54th minute by keeper Billy Brennan while Murphy’s drive struck Peter Thompson and flew over the crossbar.

On 62 minutes the Blues doubled their lead. Pat McShane tripped Robert Garrett and Thompson did the rest from the penalty spot.

Two minutes later it was 3-0, Carvill keeping a cool head to outfox Brennan after clever play from Chris Casement and Murphy.

Mark McAllister came to the party in the 73rd minute, producing a sublime finish from 15 yards.

There was even time for Noel Bailie to replace Steven Douglas in the 79th minute while Glenn Ferguson left the action a minute later.

The final few cherished moments of legends leaving the stage. Two men who know that history is written by winners.

Weather130 wrote:

polska. wrote:Santa Coloma

How is that FCPorto feeder club doing?

They actually finished 1-3-16 with only 15 goals scored and 97 goals against. They obviously were relegated

Battleships wrote:Bredablik won from Iceland!

I was expecting either FH or Valur to win it.

Pip wrote:It is possible. Dudelange have some good players.

Neftçi PFK have wrapped up their sixth Azerbaijani title and their first in six years after beating Olimpik-Şüvälan PFK 3-1 to take an unassailable ten-point lead with three games left.


Neftçi PFK have ended their six-year wait to be crowned Azerbaijani champions after a 3-1 victory at Olimpik-Şüvälan PFK lifted them ten points clear of nearest pursuers Xäzär Länkäran FK with three games left to play.

Draws for Xäzär Länkäran and third-placed Qarabağ FK opened the door for Neftçi and Arif Asadov's men did not miss their chance, racing into a two-goal lead against Olimpik in the opening 17 minutes. Javid Huseynov opened the scoring after racing through the home side's lines and Ritus Krjauklis then put through his own net trying to clear a low cross from Alessandro.

With both coaches forced to make a pair of substitutions due to injuries before the break, Neftçi contented themselves with protecting their lead and Olimpik struggled to threaten. The game still had goals in it, though, with Rodriguinho making it 3-0 with a back heel and Lithuanian forward Gvidas Juska plundering a consolation effort for his tenth strike this term.

The final whistle was then greeted by euphoria among the Neftçi fans who, having seen the club clinch their first title since 2004/05 and sixth overall, can now look forward to the qualifying stages of the UEFA Champions League next season. "We fought with everything we had today," said coach Asadov, who took over in March despite no previous experience in the Azerbaijani top flight. "Neftçi's main strength is the team, the squad. Now we'll try to represent Azerbaijan well in the UEFA Champions League."

"The first day I came to Neftçi, I realised I'd come to an ambitious club," added midfielder Slavco Georgievski. "I wanted to win the title in my first year here and I'm incredibly happy that my dream has come true. I have a feeling I've been playing for this team since the start of my career."

Bangor City FC ended a remarkable season as champions after Craig Garside's second-half goal secured victory in their winner-takes-all decider against The New Saints FC.

Bangor City FC are Welsh champions for the third time after Craig Garside's 68th-minute goal secured victory in their winner-takes-all decider against The New Saints FC.

Garside prodded the ball beyond the reach of TNS goalkeeper Paul Harrison after David Morley headed on a long throw to seal the north Wales side's first Premier League title since 1995. "This is the highlight of my career and with our last season at this stadium it's a dream come true," said manager Neville Powell.

It was a remarkable campaign by Bangor, who started the season with 15 successive wins. A run of six fixtures without a victory in March and early April handed TNS the impetus and a fifth title in seven years would have been theirs had they defeated Neath FC last weekend. A home reverse coupled with two wins in three days for Bangor put the matter back in the melting pot though a draw at Farrar Road would have seen TNS home. It was not to be.

"The players deserve all the credit in the world – after we won two games last weekend we started to believe it could happen again," Powell said, defender Michael Johnston adding: "After we were on top of the league for so long, people started to write us off when we slipped up but the lads have been fantastic."

Bangor could make it a double next Sunday when they face Llanelli AFC in the Welsh Cup final. Powell's side have won it for the past three years.