May 15 – Spanish giants FC Barcelona won their 27th league title after two first-half goals from Robert Lewandowski led the club to a 4-2 victory against crosstown rivals Espanyol. It’s Barcelona’s first title in four years and comes at a welcome time with major financial problems and the shadow of a refereeing scandal off the pitch.
May 15 – With a 1-0 victory against RSCA Futures, RWD Molenbeek ensured their return to the Belgian topflight after a 21-year absence.
May 15 – Turkey’s Bursaspor has sold the naming rights to its stadium to Turkish company Sütaş.
How they qualified
The Croatians did not qualify the easy way for the finals. In a tough group, they struggled with an opening defeat at home to Austria, 3-0. A 1-1 draw with France kept the East Europeans in the race and with perseverance two wins against Denmark as well as a victory in Paris proved to be decisive. They edged the team of Kasper Hjulmand Danish team for the top spot by a single point.
How they qualified
Like the other finalists, Spain were inconsistent in the group stage with a home defeat to Switzerland and a draw against the Czech Republic. Alvaro Morata got his team across the finish line with a late strike in a 1-0 win away to Portugal.
Tournament record
Spain didn’t make the finals in 2019, finishing runners-up behind England in their group, but they came close in the last edition.
How they qualified
En route to the Netherlands, they were beaten 5-2 by Germany, but Roberto Mancini’s came good with back-to-back wins against England and Hungary to top Group 3 on 11 points, one more than the Eastern Europeans.
Tournament record
Italy staged the last edition of the final four in Torino and Milano and suffered defeat at the hands of Spain in the semi-finals 2-1.
May 12 – The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) have at last found a venue willing and able to host the Greek Cup final between AEK Athens and PAOK Thessaloniki on May 24. The Panthessaliko Stadium in Volos will host a final that will be played behind closed doors.
May 11 – The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has punished the football federations of Montenegro (FSCG) and Serbia (FSS) for racism and discriminatory behaviour by fans of both countries.
May 11 – It took Inter Milan just four minutes and two goals to take a huge step toward qualification for the Champions League final with a 2-0 defeat of city rivals AC Milan.
May 11 – The increased importance of LaLiga to ‘Brand Spain’ has been recognised in a ranking that calculates the value and Brand Strength Index of leading companies and organisations.
May 10 – Brera Holdings has completed its acquisition of North Macedonia’s FC Akademija Pandev. The company acquired 90% of the club’s shares, with the value set at €600,000. The new owners said the club will be renamed Brera FC.
May 10 – Lionel Messi’s father has denied reports that his son – Paris Saint-Germain star and World Cup winner – will move to Saudi Arabia in a head-spinning money deal that some reports have pegged at $1 billion over two seasons.
May 10 – The second semi-final of the UEFA Champions League may be an all-Milan affair with AC against Inter, but AC Milan have opened up the derby to their fans worldwide inviting them to share their passion in the run-up to the first leg.
May 10 – In a tense and hard-fought fought match, Manchester City held Real Madrid 1-1 in the semi-finals of the Champions following superb strikes by Vinicius Junior and Kevin De Bruyne either side of halftime.
May 10 – Students of primary and secondary schools in Rotterdam should be given time off to attend the Feyenoord league title parade, Dutch political parties GroenLinks and D66 have argued.