European Football

[taz]

Cheers ppl. Much appreciated.

[taz]

Russian Premier Liga

Matchday 38 of 44

Friday 6 April

Volga Nizhny Novgorod 0-0 Krylya Sovetov
Terek Grozny 2-0 Spartak Nalchik

Saturday 7 April

Amkar Perm 1-0 Rostov
Dinamo Moscow 1-1 Rubin Kazan
Lokomotiv Moscow 0-1 Zenit St Petersburg
CSKA Moscow 0-0 Anzhi Makhachkala

Sunday 8 April

Krasnodar 3-1 Tom Tomsk
Spartak Moscow 2-0 Kuban Krasnodar

Matchday 38 Roundup

In the Championship group, Zenit (77) have opened up an 11 point gap to CSKA Moscow (66). Spartak Moscow (65) have moved upto 3rd after beating Kuban. Dinamo Moscow (63) have move upto 4th after drawing with Rubin and Lokomotiv Moscow (63) have slipepd to 5th as a result of losing to Zenit and Dinamo getting a point against Rubin.

At the bottom, Spartak Nalchik (27) and Tom Tomsk (29) suffered defeats and remain in the relegation zone. In the relgation playoff position, Krylya Sovetov (27) and Volga Nizhny Novgorod (38) occupy those positions after they played out a goalless draw. Volaga re 4 points behind Rostov.

[taz]

Spanish Primera Division

Matchday 32 of 38

Saturday 7 April

Getafe 2-0 Sporting Gijon
Rayo Vallecano 6-0 Osasuna
Espanyol 2-2 Real Sociedad
Real Zaragoza 1-4 Barcelona
Real Betis 3-1 Villarreal

Sunday 8 April

Levante 2-0 Atletico Madrid
Real Mallorca 0-0 Granada
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Sevilla
Real Madrid 0-0 Valencia

Monday 9 April

Malaga 3-0 Racing Santander

Matchday 32 Roundup

Real Madrid's (79) lead at the top has been cut to 4 points (75) after Real were held to a draw by Valencia and Barcelona scored a victory at Zaragoza. Malaga (50) have moved upto 3rd after beating Racing and Valencia (49) have slipped to 4th. Levante (48) remain 5th after beating Atletico Madrid and Osasuna (43) remain 6th despite being hammered by Rayo Vallecano.

In the drop zone, it remains the same with Sporting and Racing (both 25) and Real Zaragoza (28) all slipping to defeats. Zaragoza are 4 points behind Villarreal.

[taz]

Coupe de France Semi Finals

Ajaccio 0-4 Lyon
Quevilly 2-1 Rennes

[taz]

Spanish Primera Division

Matchday 33 of 38

Tuesday 10 April

Osasuna 2-0 Espanyol
Real Sociedad 1-1 Real Betis
Barcelona 4-0 Getafe

Wednesday 11 April

Granada 2-2 Athletic Bilbao
Sporting Gijon 3-2 Levante
Valencia 4-1 Rayo Vallecano
Atletico Madrid 1-4 Real Madrid

Thursday 12 April

Villarreal 2-1 Malaga
Racing Santander 0-3 Real Mallorca
Sevilla 3-0 Real Zaragoza

Matchday 33 Roundup

Real Madrid's (82) remain 4 points clear of Barcelona (78) after both teams recorded victories. Valencia (52) have moved upto 3rd after beating Rayo and Malaga (50) have slipped to 4th after losing to a last minute goal against Villarreal.. Levante (48) remain 5th after losing to Sporting Gijon and Osasuna (46) remain 6th after beating Espanyol.

In the drop zone, it remains the same. Racing (25) have slipped to the foot of the table and 10 points from safety after losing to Mallorca. Sporting and Zaragoza (28) remain in the drop zone and are 7 points behind Villarreal.

[taz]

Italian Serie A

Matchday 32 of 38

Tuesday 10 April

Chievo 0-1 Milan

Wednesday 11 April

Catania 1-2 Lecce
Fiorentina 0-0 Palermo
Genoa 1-1 Cesena
Inter 2-1 Siena
Juventus 2-1 Lazio
Napoli 1-3 Atalanta
Parma 2-0 Novara
Roma 3-1 Udinese

Thursday 12 April

Bologna 1-0 Cagliari

Matchday 32 Roundup

At the top, Juventus (68) remain a point ahead of Milan (67) after both teams recorded victories. Lazio (54) remain 3rd despite losing to Juve. Udinese (51) remain 4th despite losing to 5th placed Roma (50).

The bottom three remains the same. Cesena (21) remain bottom and are 15 points from safety wwith 18 points to play for. Novara (25) look destined to go down with Cesena after losing to Parma. Lecce (34) recorded another victory this time against Catania and are 2 points behind Genoa.

[taz]

German Bundesliga

Matchday 30 of 34

Tuesday 10 April

Werder Bremen 2-2 Borussia Monchengladbach
Mainz 4-0 Cologne
Augsburg 1-3 Stuttgart
Hertha Berlin 1-2 Freiburg

Wednesday 11 April

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Kaiserslautern
Hannover 2-0 Wolfsburg
Nuremberg 4-1 Schalke
Hoffenheim 4-0 Hamburg

Matchday 30 Roundup

At the top, Borussia Dortmund (69) prevailed in the top of the table showdown with Bayern Munich (63) and only require 7 more points to claim the title. Schalke (57) remain 3rd despite losing to Nuremberg and look on course to claim a CL spot. Borussia Monchengladbach (53) remain 4th after drawing with Werder Bremen. Stuttgart (46) remain 5th after beating Augsburg. Bayer Leverkusen & Hannover (both 44) occupy the remaining EL places.

At the bottom, Kaiserslautern (20) remain bottom after another defeat, this time to Bayer Leverkusen and are 10 points from safety. Hertha Berlin (27) remain in the drop zone after losing to Freiburg and Cologne (29) remain in the relegation playoff position after being thrashed by Mainz are a point behind Augsburg.

[taz]

Dutch Eredivisie

Matchday 29 of 34

Tuesday 10 April

Excelsior 0-2 NEC Nijmegen

Wednesday 11 April

AZ Alkmaar 2-2 Twente
NAC Breda 1-2 Heracles Almelo
Roda 0-0 Feyenoord
RKC Waalwijk 2-1 PSV Eindhoven
Heerenveen 0-5 Ajax

Thursday 12 April

De Graafschap 3-0 Utrecht
VVV Venlo 1-3 Vitesse Arnhem
ADO Den Haag 3-0 Groningen

Matchday 29 Roundup

Ajax (61) remain top of the Eredivisie after beating Heerenveen. 2nd placed AZ Alkmaar (58) could only draw against 3rd placed Twente (56). Feyenoord (55) have moved upto 4th after losing to Roda and PSV (54) have slipped to 5th after losing to RKC. Heerenveen (54), Vitesse (45), NEC & RKC (both 40) occupy the UEFA Europa League playoff positions.

Excelsior (18) have slipped to the foot of the table after losing to NEC and De Graafschap (19) beat Utrecht. VVV Venlo (25) occupy the other relegation playoff position after losing to Vitesse and are 5 points behind NAC Breda.

[taz]

2011-12 Coupe de la Ligue Final

Lyon 0-1 Marseille (AET)

[taz]

German Bundesliga

Matchday 31 of 34

Friday 13 April

Stuttgart 4-1 Werder Bremen

Saturday 14 April

Bayer Leverkusen 3-3 Hertha Berlin
Schalke 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
Hamburg 1-0 Hannover
Kaiserslautern 0-2 Nuremberg
Wolfsburg 1-2 Augsburg
Bayern Munich 0-0 Mainz

Sunday 15 April

Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 Cologne
Freiburg 0-0 Hoffenheim

Matchday 31 Roundup

At the top, Borussia Dortmund (72) have opened up a 8 point gap to Bayern Munich (64) and only require 3 more points to claim the title. Schalke (57) remain 3rd despite losing to Dortmund and are under pressure from 4th Borussia Monchengladbach (56) after they beat Cologne. Stuttgart (49) remain 5th after beating Werder Bremen. Bayer Leverkusen (45) & Hannover (44) occupy the remaining EL places.

At the bottom, Kaiserslautern (20) remain bottom after another defeat, this time to Nuremberg and will have their relegation confirmed next weekend. Hertha Berlin (28) remain in the drop zone after despite getting a point at Leverkusen and Cologne (29) remain in the relegation playoff position after being thrashed by Monchengladbach and are 4 points behind Augsburg.

[taz]

Dutch Eredivisie

Matchday 30 of 34

Saturday 14 April

PSV Eindhoven 3-2 AZ Alkmaar
NEC Nijmegen 2-4 Heerenveen
Feyenoord 3-0 Excelsior
Twente 2-2 NAC Breda

Sunday 15 April

Groningen 0-1 Roda
Utrecht 4-2 VVV Venlo
Ajax 3-1 De Graafschap
Vitesse 1-0 ADO Den Haag
Heracles Almelo 1-0 RKC Waalwijk

Matchday 30 Roundup

Ajax (64) remain top of the Eredivisie after beating De Graafschap and have opened up a 6 point gap to 2nd placed AZ Alkmaar (58) and 3rd placed Feyenoord (58). Twente (57) have slipped to 4th and PSV (57) remain 5th after beating AZ. Heerenveen (57), Vitesse (48), RKC & Roda (both 41)occupy the UEFA Europa League playoff positions.

Excelsior (18) remain bottom 13 points from safety. De Graafschap (19) & VVV Venlo (25) occupy the relegation playoff positions with VVV 6 points behind NAC.

[taz]

Spanish Primera Division

Matchday 34 of 38

Saturday 14 April

Real Madrid 3-1 Sporting Gijon
Levante 1-2 Barcelona

Sunday 15 April

Espanyol 4-0 Valencia
Real Zaragoza 1-0 Granada
Real Betis 1-0 Osasuna
Malaga 1-1 Real Sociedad
Villarreal 1-1 Racing Santander
Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Real Mallorca
Rayo Vallecano 0-1 Atletico Madrid

Monday 16 April

Getafe 5-1 Sevilla

Matchday 34 Roundup

Real Madrid (85) remain 4 points clear of Barcelona (81) after both teams recorded victories ahead of the Clasico. Valencia (52) remain 3rd despite being hammered by Espanyol and Malaga (51) remain 4th after drawing with Real Sociedad. Levante (48) remain 5th after losing to Barcelona and Osasuna (46) remain 6th despite losing to Real Betis.

In the drop zone, it remains the same. Racing Santander (26) remain bottom and 10 points from safety after drawing with Villarreal. Sporting (31) remain in the drop zone after losing to Real Madrid. Real Zaragoza (31) beat Granada on the weekend and are 5 points behind Villarreal & Granada.

[taz]

Russian Premier Liga

Matchday 39 of 44

Saturday 14 April

Tom Tomsk 3-0 Terek Grozny
Kuban Krasnodar 1-1 Lokomotiv Moscow
Krylya Sovetov 2-1 Amkar Perm
Zenit St Petersburg 2-0 CSKA Moscow

Sunday 15 April

Spartak Nalchik 3-0 Volga Nizhny Novgorod
Spartak Moscow 2-0 Rubin Kazan
Anzhi Makhachkala 0-1 Dinamo Moscow

Monday 16 April

Rostov 1-1 Krasnodar

Matchday 39 Roundup

In the Championship group, Zenit (80) have opened up a 14 point gap to 4th placed CSKA Moscow (66) after beating them 2-0. Zenit have ensured a spot in the Champions League for 2012-13. Spartak Moscow (68) have moved upto 2nd after beating Rubin. Dinamo Moscow (63) have move upto 3rd after beating Anzhi and Lokomotiv Moscow (64) remain 5th as they could only draw against Kuban.

At the bottom, Spartak Nalchik (30) and Tom Tomsk (32) scored victories but remain in the relegation zone. In the relgation playoff position, Krylya Sovetov (40) and Volga Nizhny Novgorod (38) occupy those positions. Krylya are 3 points behind Rostov.

[taz]

French Ligue 1

Matchday 32 of 38

Sunday 15 April

Lille 4-1 Ajaccio
Lorient 2-1 Montpellier
Nancy 2-2 Bordeaux
St Etienne 2-1 Brest
Sochaux 1-0 Dijon
Valenciennes 0-3 Evian
Auxerre 1-1 Paris St Germain

Monday 16 April

Rennes 3-1 Nice

Wednesday 18 April

Marseille 1-1 Caen
Toulouse 3-0 Lyon

Matchday 32 Roundup

Montpellier (66) remain top despite losing to Lorient and 2nd placed Paris St Germain (64) drew with Auxerre to move within a point. Lille (59) remain 3rd after beating Ajaccio and Lyon (53) have remain 4th after losing to Toulouse.

At the bottom, Auxerre (28) remain bottom despite getting a point against PSG and are 5 points from safety. Sochaux (33) remain in the drop zone despite beating Dijon and only GD keeps them in the relegation zone. Ajaccio (33) have slipped into the drop zone after losing to Lille and are level on points with Sochaux and Brest.

[RomaShield27]

Few random articles worth checkin out:

Team Focus on Borussia Dortmund:
http://www.whoscored.com/Blog/p8wdcssbi ... a-Dortmund

Chelsea v Barcelona: An astonishing statistical story in screen grabs:
http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/statszone/ ... grabs.aspx

Champions League money explained:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012 ... opa-league

[RomaShield27]

Borussia Dortmund celebrate Bundesliga title win built on unity
Dortmund celebrated back-to-back titles with an enthusiasm and togetherness that has been a mark of their season

Posted by Raphael Honigstein / Monday 23 April 2012 15.48 BST /

It was a week that packed – quite literally – plenty of punches. On Tuesday night, an altercation between Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry over the right to mishit a free-kick versus Real Madrid continued into the Allianz Arena dressing room and ended with a bruise under the Dutchman's right eye as well as a €50,000 fine for the French pugilist. Three days later, fisticuffs were reported at Schalke 04's training ground between Jermaine "Ali G" Jones and Klaas-Jan "The Hunter" Huntelaar. The cuddly Berufs-Dortmunder (professional Dortmund-ist) Kevin Großkreutz had his nose broken in a mysterious "training ground accident" during the week, a fate shared by the Leverkusen defender Michal Kadlec after an unfortunate early-hours chance meeting with Köln hooligans outside a Cologne nightclub.

The potentially most damaging blow was again administered by Ribéry on Saturday afternoon, though. The winger came on to supplement Bayern's B-team and scored a last-minute winner away to Werder (2-1) that hit Dortmund where it really hurts. The champions-elect, due to kick-off their game with Borussia Mönchengladbach an hour after the final whistle at Bremen, had been watching happily for 90 minutes, safe in the knowledge that they would claim the title automatically if the second-placed Bayern didn't win. As much as Jürgen Klopp dismissed the effect of the typically late Bayern intervention ("I was busy talking about dead-ball situations, I didn't pay attention at all," he claimed), switching from friendly into competitive mode at the drop of a hat can't have been that easy. "It was a test of character for us," admitted the sporting director, Michael Zorc.

But it soon became apparent that the pain from Ribéry's strike proved both short-lived and ultimately irrelevant. In fact, that element of doubt and anxiety only added to the excitement, in the same way that Hollywood happy endings are always proceeded by a bleak scene that suggests that the hero(es) won't make it. "I'm happy that Bayern won today, otherwise we wouldn't have experienced this [much joy]," said BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, gently twisting an imaginary blade.

Dortmund needed two more points to be absolutely sure of their title defence. And there was no wobble.

Fourth-placed Gladbach's resistance proved as futile as that of the rest of the league. In front of 80,000 ecstatic supporters, Ivan Perisic (23.) and Shinji Kagawa (59.) scored to usher in the wild celebrations at the final whistle. Watzke escaped the traditional beer shower thanks to "a two-metre jump without a run-up" but Klopp was soaked on the pitch and later pushed into the changing room pool, along with Zorc, amidst plenty of half-naked, just-about SFW frolicking. "Fortunately, they allowed me to take my trousers off before," said the sporting director.

Even neutrals felt a sense of relief at the final whistle. For the first time in months, we were spared the incredibly tiresome spectacle of TV reporters asking about Dortmund's title ambition, and the regulation replies of "we're only thinking about the next game". No more questions, no more thinking, utterly deserved black-and-yellow bliss. "Salvation!" exclaimed Welt.

In another fortunate turn of events, the captain and resident veteran Sebastian Kehl (32) was unable to plug in his iPod this time – unlike in the aftermath of another game, when his party mix of German Schlager monstrosities (Die Höhner, Münchner Freiheit) had made his younger team-mates "shudder", in his own words. Kehl put that reaction down to an age gap, but one would like to think that most thirtysomethings would have reacted in a similar manner, even in the Bundesliga. The whole team ended up singing club songs. "Where else can you see that?" wondered the goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller.

The festivities continued at Piazza Navona, an establishment that's been widely described as an Edel-Italiener (noble Italian), thanks to two giant, white plastic pillars at the entrance. Kehl served a round of beer for three dozens of waiting fans after midnight, and the party didn't stop after the captain left the restaurant at 4.30am. The players' staying power has been truly remarkable: no one's been able to put them down – domestically – since they lost 2-1 away to Hannover on matchday six in October. Twenty-six games unbeaten, most of them without the influential Mario Götze, has been an incredible run, a disappointing group stage exit in the Champions League notwithstanding. "Europe has been the fly in the ointment," said Watzke, "but I'm sure that we'll learn from that."

Dortmund have now two weeks to celebrate their thoroughly deserved and hugely impressive campaign before they'll have a chance to win the club's first-ever double in the DFB Cup final against Bayern in Berlin. Whatever happens on 12 May, no one can take Dortmund's second star above the badge (for five Bundesliga titles, their eighth championship in total) away from them; worries about the possible departure of the mercurial Kagawa can also wait another day.

"I'm very impressed with the unity inside the club," said the Germany national team manager, Joachim Löw, after praising "the excellent work of Jürgen Klopp" and "the commitment and passion" of the team. "There's a great sense of togetherness between manager, team, officials and supporters," noted Löw. And he's surely right. This title belongs to all of them.

Talking points

• The Champions League trophy was meanwhile paraded in Munich city hall, albeit not by the Bayern players. The European Cup has been handed to the city in advance of next month's final, where Bayern still hope to feature. A successful outing away to Madrid on Wednesday will certainly soften the blow Dortmund's triumph. In a heart-warming scene of conciliation, Ribéry went over to Robben after his goal and offered up a "ghetto-style" fist which the Dutchman gladly accepted.

• The more hard-hitting stuff happened at the other end of the table, however. 1. FC Kaiserslautern were relegated despite winning 2-1 at Hertha BSC. Supporters of the Red Devils cheered their team after the final whistle – either in recognition of a very good performance or in gratitude that their suffering was finally at an end. Krassimir Balakov's team had been pretty much doomed in advance of kick-off but perhaps cleverly deducted that beating Hertha would be a smart move as far as the next season in the 2. Bundesliga was concerned. You'd definitely prefer this club in your league, even if Otto Rehhagel and sporting director Michael Preetz will be relieved off their duties. Before the crucial match, coaching maestro Rehhagel, 73, had come up with a fantastic idea to combat his side's chronic inability to win games at home; Hertha switched to the away team dressing room, used the away dugout and turned up in the white away strip. Unfortunately, they didn't play like an away team – "they didn't play at all," wrote Süddeutsche Zeitung. Hertha can still come 16th ahead of Köln to contest the play-off against the third-placed second division team but on Saturday, nothing suggested that they'll have what it takes to stay up.

• Köln, though, are showing signs of life. Lukas Podolski woke up from a month of slumber to turn in an excellent performance against Stuttgart. The rest of the side did, too. Their reward was a 1-1 draw against Bruno Labbadia's high-flying Swabians (fifth place). Slawomir Peszko, back in the squad after spending a night in police custody after too much drink, scored Köln's goal; Cacau equalised. "You could sense that the whole city is puling together here," said Labbadia after sharing the points. It remains to be seen, however, if the mini-bounce under caretaker Frank Schaefer can survive what promises to be an eventful AGM – including the election of a new president – on Monday night.

• Augsburg need two more points from their last two games to celebrate an unlikely survival after their 1-1 draw with Schalke; for Hamburg (1-1 at Nürnberg) one more point should suffice. Freiburg are already safe: a 0-0 at Hannover was enough to stay up and conclude an unbelievable turn-around. They were bottom of the table with only 13 points at Christmas. Radical measures were taken. Coach Marcus Sorg was replaced with assistant Christian Streich, who kicks every ball on the touchline and loves to warm up on the pitch before matches in his jeans. Six players were fired, among them Moroccan Yacine Abdessadki, wrongly accused of stealing four bottles of shampoo from a team hotel. By his own account, Streich didn't talk tactics but focused on team spirit, fair play and good behaviour during the remainder of the winter break. As a result, Freiburg amassed 24 points. "We asked a lot of our players in recent weeks and they've delivered without complaints," said the tearful 46-year-old after the final whistle.

Results: Dortmund 2-0 Gladbach, Bremen 1-2 Bayern, Mainz 0-0 Wolfsburg, Nürnberg 1-1 Hamburger SV, Hertha 1-2 Kaiserslautern, Hoffenheim 0-1 Leverkusen, Köln 1-1 Stuttgart, Augsburg 1-1 Schalke, Hannover 0-0 Freiburg.

[taz]

Italian Serie A

Matchday 34 of 38

Saturday 21 April

Chievo 0-0 Udinese
Parma 3-0 Cagliari
Catania 2-0 Atalanta
Napoli 2-0 Novara

Sunday 22 April

Fiorentina 0-0 Inter
Cesena 2-2 Palermo
Genoa 1-4 Siena
Lazio 1-1 Lecce
Milan 1-1 Bologna
Juventus 4-0 Roma

Matchday 34 Roundup

At the top, Juventus (71) have opened up a 3 point gap to Milan (68) after the former beat Roma and the latter could only draw with Bologna. Juventus and Milan have qualified for the UEFA Champions League 2012-13. Lazio (55) remain 3rd despite drawing with Lecce. Udinese (52) remain 4th and Napoli (51) have moved upto 5th after beating Novara.

The bottom three remains the same. Cesena (22) remain bottom and are 14 points from safety with 15 points to play for. Novara (25) look destined to go down with Cesena after losing to Napoli. Lecce (35) scored a last gasp goal to claim a draw at Lazio and are a point behind Genoa.

[taz]

German Bundesliga

Matchday 32 of 34

Friday 20 April

Mainz 0-0 Wolfsburg

Saturday 21 April

Werder Bremen 1-2 Bayern Munich
Nuremberg 1-1 Hamburg
Hoffenheim 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Cologne 1-1 Stuttgart
Hertha Berlin 1-2 Kaiserslautern
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Borussia Monchengladbach

Sunday 22 April

Augsburg 1-1 Schalke
Hannover 0-0 Freiburg

Matchday 32 Roundup

Borussia Dortmund (75) have defended the Bundesliga after clinching the title against 4th placed Gladbach. Bayern Munich (67) have confirmed 2nd spot after beating Bremen. Schalke (58) remain 3rd despite drawing with Augsburg and have ensured a place in the UEFA Champions League 2012-13. Borussia Monchengladbach (56) remain 4th and need a point to qualify for the UEFA Champions League 2012-13. Stuttgart (50) remain 5th after drawing with Cologne. Bayer Leverkusen (48) & Hannover (45) occupy the remaining EL places.

At the bottom, Kaiserslautern (23) have been relegated despite beating 17th placed Hertha Berlin. Hertha Berlin (28) remain in the drop zone and could be relegated next weekend if Cologne win. Cologne (30) remain in the relegation playoff position after drawing with Stuttgart and are 4 points behind Augsburg.

[taz]

French Ligue 1

Matchday 33 of 38

Saturday 21 April

Brest 0-1 Rennes
Dijon 0-2 Lille
Evian 2-1 Toulouse
Montpellier 1-0 Valenciennes
Nice 1-0 Auxerre
Bordeaux 2-1 Marseille

Sunday 22 April

Ajaccio 0-0 Nancy
Paris St Germain 6-1 Sochaux
Lyon 3-2 Lorient

Matchday 33 Roundup

Montpellier (69) and Paris St Germain (67) are still the frontrunners after scoring victories. Lille (62) remain 3rd after beating Dijon and Lyon (56) remain 4th after coming from behind to beat Lorient.

At the bottom, Auxerre (28) remain bottom after losing to Nice and are 6 points from safety. Sochaux (33) remain in the drop zone after losing to PSG. Brest (33) have slipped into the drop zone after losing to Rennes and Ajaccio (34) have moved out of the drop zone after their draw against Nancy.

[taz]

Dutch Eredivisie

Matchday 31 of 34

Friday 20 April

NAC Breda 0-3 Roda

Saturday 21 April

Heerenveen 1-1 Vitesse
RKC Waalwijk 0-2 Utrecht
De Graafschap 2-3 Heracles Almelo
Excelsior 0-1 Twente

Sunday 22 April

ADO Den Haag 1-2 Feyenoord
AZ Alkmaar 2-1 VVV Venlo
PSV Eindhoven 2-1 NEC Nijmegen
Ajax 2-0 Groningen

Matchday 31 Roundup

Ajax (67) remain top of the Eredivisie after beating Groningen and remain 6 points clear of 2nd placed AZ Alkmaar (61) and 3rd placed Feyenoord (61). Twente (60) remain 4th and PSV (57) remain 5th after beating NEC. Heerenveen (58), Vitesse (49), Roda (44) & RKC (41) occupy the UEFA Europa League playoff positions.

Excelsior (18) remain bottom 13 points from safety. De Graafschap (19) & VVV Venlo (25) occupy the relegation playoff positions with VVV 6 points behind NAC.