Bordeaux Up To Second Place

Here's a wrapup of the Ligue 1 weekend action in France.

Here's a peek at the standings:

Standings
Team	P	W	D	L	Pts	GF	GA	Diff
1. Lyon	34	22	8	4	74	57	24	+33
2. Bordeaux	34	16	7	11	55	37	30	+7
3. Lens	34	14	11	9	53	45	35	+10
4. Marseille	34	15	7	12	52	46	35	+11
5. Toulouse	34	15	7	12	52	41	39	+2
6. Rennes	34	13	12	9	51	31	26	+5
7. Sochaux	34	12	12	10	48	40	42	-2
8. St Etienne	34	13	7	14	46	49	45	+4
9. Lille	34	12	10	12	46	40	37	+3
10. Lorient	34	11	13	10	46	29	31	-2
11. Monaco	34	11	12	11	45	40	34	+6
12. Auxerre	34	10	15	9	45	34	37	-3
13. Le Mans	34	10	13	11	43	39	41	-2
14. AS Nancy	34	11	10	13	43	28	38	-10
15. Paris Saint Germain	34	10	11	13	41	38	39	-1
16. Valenciennes	34	10	9	15	39	33	43	-10
17. Nice	34	8	14	12	38	30	34	-4
18. Troyes	34	8	11	15	35	33	49	-16
19. Sedan	34	6	13	15	31	41	53	-12
20. Nantes	34	6	12	16	30	26	45	-19

NOTSOGLADBACH RELEGATED; Stuttgart Closing In On Lead; Schalke, Werder, Bayern Lose

Here's a link to the weekend's action in Germany's Bundesliga.

Here's a look at the standings:

Standings
Team	P	W	D	L	Pts	GF	GA	Diff
1. Schalke	31	19	5	7	62	50	29	+21
2. VfB Stuttgart	31	18	7	6	61	54	34	+20
3. Werder Bremen	31	18	6	7	60	69	37	+32
4. Bayern Munich	31	16	5	10	53	46	37	+9
5. Nurnberg	31	10	15	6	45	40	29	+11
6. Bayer Leverkusen	31	13	6	12	45	48	44	+4
7. Hertha Berlin	31	11	8	12	41	45	47	-2
8. Energie Cottbus	31	11	8	12	41	37	42	-5
9. Hannover 96	31	11	8	12	41	38	44	-6
10. Hamburg	31	8	15	8	39	37	34	+3
11. VFL Bochum	31	11	6	14	39	42	47	-5
12. Borussia Dortmund	31	10	8	13	38	36	41	-5
13. Arminia Bielefeld	31	9	9	13	36	41	45	-4
14. Wolfsburg	31	8	12	11	36	35	39	-4
15. Eintracht Frankfurt	31	7	13	11	34	39	55	-16
16. Alemania Aachen	31	9	6	16	33	44	60	-16
17. FSV Mainz 05	31	7	10	14	31	29	50	-21
18. Borussia Monchengladbach	31	6	7	18	25	22	38	-16

Inter Celebrates Championship With Home Win

Here's a look at the weekend's action in Italy.

Here are the standings:

		Team		Overall
				GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	P
1		Inter Milan		34	27	6	1	71	30	87
2		AS Roma		34	20	9	5	66	26	69
3		AC Milan		34	19	10	5	54	30	59	-8
4		Lazio		34	17	10	7	54	27	58	-3
5		Palermo		34	14	10	10	51	44	52
6		Fiorentina		34	19	8	7	54	28	50	-15
7		Empoli		34	13	11	10	36	34	50
8		Sampdoria		34	12	9	13	42	42	45
9		Atalanta		34	10	13	11	47	46	43
10		Udinese		34	11	10	13	42	46	43
11		Livorno		34	8	12	14	36	51	36
12		Catania		33	9	9	15	39	61	36
13		Parma		34	8	11	15	34	53	35
14		Reggina		34	11	12	11	46	46	34	-11
15		Siena		34	7	14	13	29	39	34	-1
16		Cagliari		34	7	13	14	29	40	34
17		Torino		34	8	9	17	25	44	33
18		Chievo		34	7	11	16	35	45	32
19		Messina		34	5	10	19	31	58	25
20		Ascoli		33	3	11	19	28	59	20

There's Still A Logjam At The Top In Spain

Here's a quick wrapup of the weekend's Spanish Premiera Liga action:

Saturday, with the home club capitalized:

Real Betis 0, ATLETICO MADRID, 0

VALENCIA 2, Recreativo Huelva 0

Sunday:

FC SEVILLA 3, Espanyol 1

Real Madrid 4, ATHLETIC BILBAO 1

BARCELONA 1, Levante 0

Mallorca 3, CELTA VIGO 0

GETAFE 1, Real Sociedad 0

Villarreal 3, GIMNASTIC DE TARRAGONA 0

Real Zaragoza 2, OSASUNA 2

Deportivo La Coruna 0, RACING SANTANDER 0

Here are the standings:

GP W D L PTS

1. Barcelona	32	18	8	6	62
2. Sevilla	32	18	7	7	61
3. Real Madrid	32	18	6	8	60
4. Valencia	32	17	5	10	56
5. Real Zaragoza	32	15	9	8	54
6. Atletico Madrid	32	14	9	9	51
7. Recreativo Huelva	32	14	7	11	49
8. Racing Santander	32	12	12	8	48
9. Getafe	32	12	10	10	46
10. Villarreal	32	12	8	12	44
11. Deportivo Coruna	32	11	10	11	43
12. Espanyol	32	10	12	10	42
13. Mallorca	32	12	6	14	42
14. Osasuna	32	10	7	15	37
15. Real Betis	32	7	14	11	35
16. Athletic Bilbao	32	8	8	16	32
17. Levante	32	6	12	14	30
18. Celta Vigo	32	7	9	16	30
19. Real Sociedad	32	6	9	17	27
20. Gimnastic	32	6	6	20	24

Red Devils Come Back Against Toffees While Trotters Hold Chelsea To Draw; Big Sam Quits; Hammers Hammer Latics

Here's a wrapup of the Saturday and Sunday action in the English Premier League:

Let's start with the Saturday games:

At Liverpool:

After trailing 2-0 after the first 50 minutes, Manchester United stormed back with four unanswered goals, including the game winner from Wayne Rooney (79'), to defeat hosts Everton 4-2 to strectch their lead over second-place Chelsea in the EPL standings.

At London:

Kevin Davies' equalizer at 54 minutes lifted Bolton to a 2-2 road draw with Chelsea, resulting in the Blues losing two points of ground to Manchester United with three league matches remaining. On Sunday, Sam Allardyce resigned as Trotters manager (head coach) even though his club was sitting in fifth place. There have been rumors that Big Sam would become the new head coach at Manchester City over the summer.

At Wigan:

Powered by goals from Luis Boa Morte (30'), Yossi Benayoun (57'), and Marlon Harewood (82'), West Ham United blasted collapsing Wigan Athletic on the road 3-0. Even though the Hammers remain in the relegation zone, they and the Latics are level at 35 points, with Wigan still holding 17th place on goal differential (-22, compared to West Ham's -27).

At Portsmouth:

First-half goals courtesy of Benjani Mwaruwari (27') and Niko Kranjcar (32') lifted Portsmouth up to seventh place in the EPL standings, as Pompey knocked off visiting Liverpool 2-1.

At Sheffield:

Sheffield United remained three points above the relegation zone with their 1-0 home win over Coca-Cola League Championship-bound Watford 1-0, thanks to the Hornets' Chris Powell's own goal at 44 minutes.

At Middlesbrough:

Robbie Keane's double (12', 83') helped power Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-1 road win over Middlesbrough.

At Blackburn:

Jason Roberts tallied twice (60', 80') to help lead Blackburn to a 4-1 home win over Charlton Athletic to keep the Addicks in the drop zone.

At Manchester:

John Carew (24') and Shaun Mahoney (75') each scored once to lead Aston Villa to a 2-0 road win over Manchester City.

And now the one Sunday match:

At London:

Arsenal moved to within one point of third-place Liverpool in the EPL standings (both clubs are assured of taking part in the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying) with their 3-1 home victory over struggling Fulham. Julio Baptista (4'), Emmanuel Adebayor (84'), and Gilberto (PK-87') scored for the Gunners.

Here's a look at the EPL standings:

Standings
Team	P	W	D	L	Pts	GF	GA	Diff
1. Manchester United	35	27	4	4	85	82	26	+56
2. Chelsea	35	24	8	3	80	62	22	+40
3. Liverpool	36	20	7	9	67	55	24	+31
4. Arsenal	36	19	9	8	66	62	34	+28
5. Bolton Wanderers	36	16	7	13	55	44	47	-3
6. Everton	36	14	12	10	54	48	35	+13
7. Portsmouth	36	14	11	11	53	45	39	+6
8. Tottenham Hotspur	35	15	8	12	53	52	52	0
9. Reading	35	15	6	14	51	48	42	+6
10. Blackburn Rovers	35	14	5	16	47	46	50	-4
11. Aston Villa	36	10	16	10	46	38	39	-1
12. Newcastle Utd	35	11	9	15	42	37	43	-6
13. Manchester City	36	11	9	16	42	28	41	-13
14. Middlesbrough	36	10	10	16	40	40	48	-8
15. Sheffield Utd	36	10	8	18	38	31	50	-19
16. Fulham	36	7	15	14	36	36	57	-21
17. Wigan Athletic	36	9	8	19	35	35	57	-22
18. West Ham Utd	36	10	5	21	35	31	58	-27
19. Charlton Athletic	36	8	9	19	33	32	56	-24
20. Watford	36	4	12	20	24	26	58	-32

Unaio Leiria and Pacos Ferreira: Goose Eggs

At Pacos de Ferreira:

In Friday's lone Portuguese BWIN Liga match, visiting Unaio Leiria and Pacos Ferreira played to a 0-0 stalemate.

Bochum Knocks Off Schalke 04

At Bochum:

In the lone Friday German Bundesliga contest, goals from Zvjezdan Misimovic (33') and Theofanis Gekas (41') lifted VfL Bochum to a 2-1 come-from-behind home win over league-leading Schalke 04.

Another Shutout For The Red Bulls As New York Beats Dallas Again

At Frisco, Texas:

Hunter Freeman scored the only goal (79') of the match as the New York Red Bulls began their season with four shutouts. The latest, a 1-0 road win over FC Dallas in Thursday's lone Major League Soccer game.

Espanyol and Osasuna Win UEFA Cup Semifinal Openers

Thursday marked the start of semifinal round play in the UEFA Cup:

At Barcelona:

Goals from Moises Hurtado (28'), Walter Pandiani (50') and Ferran Corominas (88') powered Espanyol to a decisive 3-0 home win in their series opener with Werder Bremen. The series will conclude next Thursday at Bremen, Germany.

At Pamplona, Spain:

Roberto Soldado scored the only goal (55') of Osasuna's series-opening 1-0 home win over UEFA Cup holders Sevilla. The second match will be played next Thurday in Seville, Spain.

Still No Wins, Points, or Goals For Toronto FC As Wizards Win

At Kansas City:

Goals from Eddie Johnson (5'), Kerry Zavagnin (55'), and Yura Movsisyan (70') powered the Kansas City Wizards to a 3-0 home whitewashing of expansion Toronto FC. The visitors not only still await their first win, they still have yet to score to first goal.

MOLES WIN CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP IN PK SHOOTOUT AGAINST GOATS

At Pachuca, Mexico:

Homestanding Pachuca defeated Chivas of Guadalajara to capture the CONCACAF Champions Cup. After last week's 2-2 draw at Guadalajara, the second game of the two-game home-and-away final wound up deadlocked at 0-0. Two fifteen minute overtime periods produced no goals, thus it came down to the penalty kick shootout. After each team scored six goals through the first six rounds of the shootout, Pachuca's Louis Landin scored the game winning goal, this after the Goats' Alberto Medina missed on his penalty kick.

FC Groningen Delivers Another Defeat To Jupiler League-Bound ADO

At Emmen, Netherlands:

The remaing 42 minutes of the suspended (due to "fan" trouble at The Hague) Dutch Eredivisie weekend match were played behind behind closed doors at second-division Emmen on Wedenesday with FC Groningen defeating already-relegated ADO Den Haag 3-1.

Joe Cole Goal Lifts Chelsea Past Liverpool

At London:

In the opening match of a two-game semifinal round series in the UEFA Champions League, Joe Cole's goal at 29 minutes (pictured here) was the only score of Chelsea's 1-0 home win against Liverpool. The Blues will travel to Anfield for next Tuesday's return match. Photo © Getty Images

Wayne Rooney Double Propels Red Devils Over AC Milan

At Manchester, England:

In the opening match of a two-game home-and-away semifinal series in the UEFA Champions League, Wayne Rooney's double (59', 90'+1, with his celebration on the latter goal with Cristiano Ronaldo pictured here) lifted Manchester United to a 3-2, come-from-behind win over AC Milan. Kaka doubled himself (22', 37') for the visitors. Cristiano Ronaldo (5') added the other Red Devils goal. The two clubs will meet again next Wednesday at San Siro Stadium in Milan. Photo © Getty Images

Monday Win For Academica; Goose Eggs For Vitoria and Braga

Two games were played on Monday in the Super Liga in Portugal:

At Aveiro:

Academica de Coimbra delivered a serious blow to Beira-Mar's Bwin Liga survival hopes, beating the hosts 1-0. Szabolcs Gyano scored the game's only goal at 82 minutes.

At Braga:

Vitoria Setubal climbed out of the relegation zone following their 0-0 draw with fifth-place Sporting Braga.

Extra Breathing Space For Buddies

At Falkirk:

The lone Monday Scottish Premier League contest saw St. Mirren stretch their lead over Dunfermline in their battle to avoid relegation to four points as the Buddies blanked Falkirk 2-0 on the road. Stewart Kean (PK-37') and Garry Brady (57') provided the scoring.

FC Dallas Top Rapids

At Frisco, Texas:

In the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest, Ramon Nunez scored twice (29', 78') and Dominic Oduro added another goal (90'+) to help lead FC Dallas to a 3-1 home win over the Colorado Rapids.

1-0 Wins For Zenit St. Petersburg and Spartak Moscow; Goose Eggs For Lokomotiv Moscow and Spartak Nalchik

Three games were played Sunday in the Russian Premier League:

At Vladivostok:

Zenit Saint Petersburg, on the strength of Konstantin Zurianov's 81st-minute tally, defeated homestanding Luch-Energiya Vladivostok 1-0.

At Moscow:

Dmitri Torbinsky scored the long goal (9') of Spartak Moscow's 1-0 home victory over PFC Samara Kryliya Sovetov.

At Nalchik:

Lokomotiv Moscow and homestanding Spartak Nalchik battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Dragons and Lions Among Sunday Winners

Four games were played on Sunday in Portugal's Super Liga:

At Porto:

Adriano (9'), Lucho Gonzalez (PK-45), and Bruno Alves (85') provided the scoring for FC Porto in the Dragons' 3-1 home win over Belenenses, keeping them atop the BWIN Liga standings.

At Lisbon:

Alecsandro's hat trick (12', 14', 81') powered Sporting Club Portugal to a 4-0 beatdown of visiting Naval. The win moved the Lions back up to second place, four points back of FC Porto.

At Leiria:

Bartosz Slusarski scored the only goal (61') in Uniao Leiria's 1-0 home win over CD Nacional.

At Vila das Aves:

Ricardinho knocked in the game winner at 86 minutes, lifting Pacos Ferreira to a 1-0 road win over Desportivo das Aves.

PSV Held To Draw At Utrecht; Ajax and AZ Win

Nine games were played in the Dutch Eredivisie on Sunday:

At Utrecht:

Alje Schut's equalizer at 86 minutes lifted FC Utrecht to a 1-1 home draw with PSV Eindhoven, which----combined with wins by Ajax and AZ Alkmaar----knocked the erstwile league leaders down to third place.

At Amsterdam:

Wesley Sneijder's double (9', 17') helped lift Ajax Amsterdam to a decisive 5-2 home win over Sparta Rotterdam. Though Ajax is in a three-way tie with PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar for first place with 72 points, the Alkmaar club has the best goal differential of the three (with Ajax second and PSV third).

At Alkmaar:

AZ Alkmaar, thanks in part to Simon Cziommer's double (13', 89'), took over first place in the Eredivisie standings (due to the better goal difference) as they defeated visiting SC Heerenveen 3-1.

At Rotterdam:

Feyenoord Rotterdam moved back into a playoff berth for a Champions League qualifying berth with their 1-1 home stalemate with NEC Nijmegen. Romeo Castelen (53') scored to put Feyenoord in front, before NEC's Romano Denneboom equalized at 57 minutes.

At Arnhem:

Blaise N'Kufo's equalizer (87') lifted Champions League hopefuls FC Twente Enschede to a 1-1 road deadlock with Vitesse Arnhem.

At Breda:

Roda JC Kerkrade, powered by goals from Pa-Modou Kah (35') and Adil Ramzi (73'), defeated homestanding NAC Breda 2-0.

At Waalwijk:

Willem II Tilburg and relegation playoff zone residents RKC Waalwijk battled to a 1-1 deadlock. Bjorn Sengier's own goal (64') allowed RKC to gain a share of the spoils.

At Almelo:

SC Heracles Almelo assured themselves of Eredivisie soccer next season with their 3-2 home win over Excelsior Rotterdam. Karim Bridji (58'), Rob Friend (79'), and Everton (81') scored for the hosts.

At The Hague:

The match between visiting FC Groningen and already-relegated ADO Den Haag was abandoned because of crowd trouble, as on at least two instances, so-called "fans" threw fireworks on to the pitch. By the end of the first half, the guests were leading 3-0.

BHOYS CLAIM SPL CHAMPIONSHIP

At Kilmarnock:

In the lone Sunday match in the Scottish Premier League, Shunsuke Nakamura's goal (90'+1) was the game winner as Celtic defeated Kilmarnock on the road 2-1 to clinch their second straight SPL title.

Champs Lyon Held to Scoreless Draw; Bordeaux Wins

Two games were played on Sunday in France's Ligue 1:

At Auxerre:

Having clinched their sixth consecutive Ligue 1 title, thanks to Toulouse's 3-2 Saturday defeat to Rennes, Lyon was held to a 0-0 road draw by AJ Auxerre.

At St. Ettiene:

Bordeuax moved up to third place in the Ligue 1 standings, thanks to their 2-0 blanking of hosts St. Etienne. Fernando Menegazzo (50') and Gabriel Obertain (90') provided the victors with the goals.

INTER WINS SERIE A CHAMPIONSHIP; Atalanta Help Inter By Beating Roma; Parma Out Of Drop Zone

Seven Sunday Serie A matches were contested in Italy:

At Siena:

Inter Milan wrapped up their second straight Serie A championship (and first on the field since 1989) as Marco Materazzi provided both goals (18', PK-60) for the Nerazzurri as they defeated homestanding AC Siena 2-0. The victory, combined with AS Roma's loss to Atalanta assured Inter the title.

At Bergamo:

Alatanta helped clinch the league title for Inter Milan with their 2-1 home triumph over AS Roma. Cristiano Doni (37') and Riccardo Zampagna (44') provided the scoring for the hosts.

At Palermo:

Four different goal scorers each tallied once as Parma escaped the relegation zone with their 4-3 road win over Champions League hopefuls Palermo.

At Reggio Calabria:

Nicola Amoruso's successful penalty kick at 85 minutes enabled Reggina to gain a 1-1 home draw with Udinese. The draw, however, dropped the
Amoronto into the drop zone.

At Verona:

Sergio Pellissier (55') and Erjon Bogdani (76') provided the second-half goals that enabled Chievo Verona to come from behind to defeat visiting Livorno 2-1.

At Empoli:

Visiting Torino and Empoli battled to a 0-0 stalemate, as the hosts lost further ground to AC Milan in the race for Italy's last Champions League berth.

At Rome:

Fiorentina stayed in the race of UEFA Cup qualifying by knocking off third-place Lazio on the road 1-0. Adrian Mutu scored the lone goal of the match for The Purple Ones at 71 minutes.

Yellow Submarine Sinks Barca

Eight games were contested Sunday in Spain's Premiera Division:

At Villarreal:

Goals from Robert Pires (56') and Marcos Garcia (85') propelled homestanding Villarreal to a 2-0 upset victory over league-leading Barcelona. The guests' lead atop the La Liga standings now stood at one point.

At Zaragoza:

An Enrique Ewerthon double (72', 76') powered Real Zaragoza to a 2-0 home win over struggling Celta Vigo. The hosts climbed back up to fourth place in the La Liga standings.

At Seville:

Four players each scored a goal for Sevilla as the hosts dominated Athletic Bilbao 4-1.

At La Coruna:

Alberto Lopo's game winner at 90 minutes lifted Deportivo La Coruna to a 1-0 home win over Osasuna.

At Barcelona:

Espanyol gained a 2-2 home stalemate with Real Betis, thanks to Raul Tamudo's successful penalty kick at 90 minutes.

At Huelva:

In a battle of two teams gunning for European play next season, four different scorers each scored once to lift Recreativo Huelva up to seventh place in the league standings as the hosts doubled Racing Santander 4-2.

At Valencia:

David Belenguer's 57th-minute equalizer enabled European hopeful Getafe to gain a 1-1 road draw with Levante, keeping the hosts in the drop zone.

At Mallorca:

Victor's goal at 21 minutes was the lone tally of Mallorca's 1-0 home win over basement-occupying Gimnastic de Tarragona.

Hannover Sends NotSoGladbach Closer To Relegation; HSV And Mainz Draw

Two games were played Sunday in the German Bundesliga:

At Hannover:

Arnold Bruggink's goal at 31 minutes lifted Hannover 96 to a 1-0 home win over basement-residing Borussia Mochengladbach, who find themselves eight points away from safety with four games left in the league season.

At Hamburg:

Jose Paolo Guerrero's equalizer at 83 minutes enabled Hamburg to salvage a 2-2 home draw with relegation zone-residing Mainz.

Goal-Free Sunday In The EPL

Two games were played Sunday in the English Premier League:

At Newcastle:

Newcastle United held visiting Chelsea to a 0-0 home draw, preventing the Blues from moving within one point of front-running Manchester United.

At Birmingham:

Visiting Liverpool and Aston Villa played to a 0-0 deadlock. Pompey goalkeeper David James set a new Premiership career record with his 142nd clean sheet (shutout).

Josy Leaves New York Feeling Rosy; Fire Top KC; Goats Bury RSL

Three games populated the Saturday Major League Soccer schedule:

At East Rutherford, New Jersey:

Josy Altidore scored the lone goal (60') of a match that saw the 10-man New York Red Bulls knock off visiting Houston 1-0.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

The Chicago Fire, thanks to goals courtesy of Chad Barrett (36) and Chris Rolfe (PK-73'), held off the visiting Kansas City Wizards 2-1.

At Carson, California:

Maykel Galindo scored twice (1', 9'), Ante Razov added his 100th career MLS goal (43'), and Matt Taylor contributed one for good measure (89') as Chivas USA delivered a frontier-styled fistbeating to visiting Real Salt Lake 4-0.

FC Moscow Stun Horses

Five games were on the Saturday Russian Premier League agenda:

At Moscow:

Sergei Semak scored the game winner (48') as FC Moscow knocked off visiting CSKA Moscow 2-1.

At Rostov:

Juris Laizans' score at 68 minutes proved to be the only goal of FC Kuban Krasnodar's 1-0 home win over FC Rostov.

At Perm:

All the goals were score in the first half of a contest that saw FC Tom' Tomsk come back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 3-3 road draw with FC Amkar Perm'. Sergei Serdukov (43') and Valeri Klimov (45') scored the tying goals for the guests.

At Moscow:

Saturn Moscow racked up a 1-0 home win over FC Rubin Kazan, thanks to Edgaras Cesnauskis' goal at 69 minutes.

At Moscow:

Dynamo Moscow racked up a 2-1 home win at the expense of FC Khimki.
Denis Kolodin's 51st-minute penalty kick and the visitors' Vule Trivunovic's own goal at 76 minutes provided the scoring for the hosts.

Eagles Club Maritimo

At Funchal:

In the lone Saturday match in the Portuguese Super Liga, Fabrizio Miccoli tallied twice (54', 78') to help lead SL Benfica to a 3-0 road whitewashing of Maritimo to climb back up to second place in the BWIN Liga standings.

Rangers, Dunferline, Inverness Saturday Winners; Hibs and Dons Draw

Four games were contested Saturday in the Scottish Premier League:

At Glasgow:

Rangers, with goals from Gavin Rae (52') and Barry Ferguson (79'), came from behind to defeat visiting Hearts 2-1 and postpone---at least for a day---Celtic clinching the SPL championship.

At Dunfermline:

Tom McManus scored his first goal (34') for Dunferline as the cellar-dwelling Pars moved within one point of safely after their 1-0 home win over Dundee United.

At Inverness:

Craig Dargo's double (14', 45') lifted Inverness Caledonian Thistle to a 2-0 home blanking of Motherwell.

At Aberdeen:

Richard Foster's goal at 80 minutes enabled Aberdeen to gain a 2-2 home stalemate with Hibernian.

LYON CROWNED CHAMPIONS AGAIN---This Time By Doing Nothing As Rennes Downed Toulouse

Eight games were contested Saturday in France's Ligue 1:

At Rennes:

Bruno Cheyrou scored the game-winning goal at 87 minutes to lift Rennes to a 3-2 home win over Toulouse. The defeat suffered by TFC clinched the sixth consecutive Ligue 1 championship for Lyon.

At Lens:

Eric Carriere (57') and Seydou Keita (89') provided the scoring that lifted Lens back up to second place in the Ligue 1 standings, thanks to their 2-0 home win over Le Mans.

At Paris:

Pedro Pauleta's double (17', 65') played a big part in Paris Saint Germain's 4-0 home rout of basement club FC Nantes Atlantique as PSG continued their climb away from the relegation zone.

At Monte Carlo:

AS Monaco dominated visiting Lille 3-1, creating serious damage to the Mastiffs' chances of playing Champions League soccer next season. Camel Meriem (42'), Sylvain Monsoreau (68'), and Jeremy Menez (76') provided the principality club with the goals.

At Nancy:

Benjamin Gavanon all but locked up AS Nancy Lorraine's place in next season's Ligue 1 action with his successful 40th-minute penalty kick, as the hosts defeated Valenciennes 1-0.

At Sedan:

In a relegation battle contest, Bakari Kone's successful penalty kick (88') put visiting Nice up 1-0, only to see his teammate Olivier Echouafni score an own goal at 90 minutes, lifting second-from-bottom Sedan to a 1-1 draw at game's end.

At Marseille:

Modeste M'Bami's game winner (86') lifted Champions League hopefuls Marseille to a 2-1 home win over relegation-threatened Troyes.

At Montbeliard:

Sebastien Grax scored the equalizer at 73 minutes, lifted Sochaux to a 1-1 home deadlock with Lorient.

Schalke Back On Top; Stuttgart Blanks Bayern

Six Saturday contests were played Saturday in the German Bundesliga:

At Gelsenkirchen:

Secend half goals from Timo Rost (OG-59) and Marcelo Bordon (64') lifted FC Schalke 04 to a 2-0 home win over Energie Cottbus. The win lifted the Royal Blues back to the top of the Bundesliga standings.

At Stuttgart:

Jeronimo Cacau provided both goals (23', 25') in VfB Stuttgart's 2-0 home triumph over Bayern Munich. The hosts tightened their hold on third place (the final Champions League berth) in the Bundesliga and dropped the defending champs five points back in fourth.

At Leverkusen:

Bayer Leverkusen climbed up to fifth place as Bernd Schneider tallied twice (19', 59') to lift the hosts to a 2-0 home win over FC Nurnberg.

At Frankfurt:

Joel Epalle's double (58', 69') helped propel visiting VfL Bochum to a 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, which left the hosts only one point above the drop zone.

At Wolfsburg:

Goals courtesy of Heiko Westermann (8'), Christian Eigler (71'), and Artur Wichniarek (86') lifted Arminia Bielefeld out of the relegation zone as the guests bested VfL Wolfsburg in come-from-behind fashion 3-2.

At Berlin:

Borussia Dortmund's battle for Bundesliga survival got the proverbial shot in the arm, thanks to their 1-0 win on the road over Hertha Berlin. Markus Brzenska's goal at 50 minutes was all the scoring.

Rossoneri Tighten Hold On 2007-08 Champions League Berth; Sampdoria Continue Messina Woes

Two games were contested in Italy's Serie A on Saturday:

At Milan:

Ronaldo's double (14', 69') helped lead an AC Milan side which largely was made up of reserves (many starters are being rested with the upcoming Champions League semfinal series opener at Old Trafford this coming week) to a 3-1 home win over Cagliari.

At Genoa:

Sampdoria, with goals from Reto Ziegler (13'), Daniele Franceschini (83'), and Gennaro Delvecchio (89') defeated visiting---and relegation-threatened---Messina 3-1.

Galaticos Climb To Second; Real Sociedad Knocks Off Atletico

Two games were played Saturday in Spain's Premiera Division:

At Madrid:

Ruud van Nistelrooy (18') and Sergio Ramos (73') provided the goals that lifted Real Madrid to a2-1 home win over Valencia---and into second place in the La Liga standings.

At San Sebastian:

Atletico Madrid blew a shot to draw closer to a Champions League berth as Real Sociedad, in their fight to escape the relegation zone, moved to within three points of safety with their 2-0 win over their guests from the Spanish captial. Darko Kovacevic (7') and Savio (84') each tallied once for the Royal Society Football Club of San Sebastian.

HORNETS RELEGATED: Red Devils Held To Draw By Boro; Relegation Battle Stalemated Between Blades and Addicks

Eight games populated Saturday's English Premier League schedule:

At Watford:

By being held to a 1-1 home draw by Manchester City, Watford offically assured themselves of being relegated to the League Championship for next season. Darius Vassell's goal at 53 minutes, thanks to a critical blunder by Hornets goalkeeper Ben Foster, put the Citizens in front, before the hosts' Tamas Priskin tied it up at 75 minutes.

At Manchester:

Mark Viduka's equalizing header during first-half stoppage time lifted Middlesbrough to a 1-1 road deadlock with league-leading Manchester United. The Red Devils lead second-place Chelsea by four points with the Blues contest at Newcastle United coming up on Sunday.

At London:

Thanks to Jonathan Stead's equalizer at 69 minutes, Sheffield United gained a critical 1-1 road stalemate with Charlton Athletic, foiling the Addicks' attempt to climbed out of the relegation while keeping themselves out of it. Talal El Karkouri's goal (59') gave Charlton what turned out to be a short-lived lead.

At London:

Bobby Zamora's goal (13') was the only score of West Ham United's 1-0 home win over Everton, drawing the Hammers within three points of safety, while virtually ending the fifth-place Toffees hopes of picking off a Champions League qualifying berth.

At London:

Jermaine Jenas' second-half stoppage-time equalizer lifted Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-2 home draw against fourth-place Arsenal.

At Liverpool:

Dirk Kuyt's double (30', 68') provided all the scoring in Liverpool's 2-0 home shutout of Wigan Athletic. The Reds tightened their hold on third place, while the sagging Latics now find themselves only two points above the relegation zone.

At Bolton:

Kevin Doyle's double (PK-84', 89') lifted Reading to a 3-1 road win over Bolton, moving the Royals up to seventh place in the Premiership standings.

At London:

Benni McCarthy's 61st-minute equalizer lifted Blackburn to a 1-1 road stalemate with struggling Fulham.

Friday Win For Estrela Amadora

At Amadora:

In the lone Friday match in the Portuguese Super Liga, Moses Sakyi (60') and Luis Loureiro (70') lifted Estrela Amadora to a 2-1 home win over Boavista.

Werder Bremen On Top Of Bundesliga Standings After Friday Win

At Bremen:

In the lone Friday match in Germany's Bundesliga, Werder Bremen took over sole possession of first place, at least for the time being, after their 3-1 home win over Alemannia Aachen. The hosts benefitted from second-half goals from Daniel Jensen (50'), Markus Rosenberg (55'), and Diego (90').

Chalk Up Still Another Draw For The Crew

At Columbus:

In the lone Thursday Major League Soccer match, Kei Kamara's equalizer at 86 minutes lifted the Columbus Crew to a 2-2 home draw with the New England Revolution. Ned Grabavoy scored the other Crew goal at 8 minutes, while Andy Dorman (10') and Talyor Twellman (38') tallied for New England.

Opening Match of CONCACAF Champions Cup Final: 2-2 Draw For Pachuca and Goats

At Guadalajara, Mexico:

Wednesday first game of the two-game CONCACAF Champions Cup final between two Mexican Premiera Division clubs, visiting Pachuca and Chivas of Guadalajara, ended stalemated at 2-2. Marvin Cabrera's goal at 82 minutes equalized the match for the visiting Moles. The second leg of this two-game final will take place next Wednesday at Pachuca.

Red and Blacks Put Lyon Title Celebration On Hold; Bordeuax Blank Nancy

Two games were played Wednesday in France's Ligue 1:

At Lyon:

Visiting Rennes prevented Lyon from clinching their sixth straight league title by holding the hosts to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Bordeuax:

Marouane Chamakh's first-half double (18', 43') helped powered Bordeuax to a 3-0 home whitewashing of AS Nancy Lorraine. The win placed the Girondins in fourth place (a UEFA Cup berth) in the Ligue 1 standings, only one point out of a Champions League qualification berth.

Inter Finally Loses One As AS Roma Top League Leaders

Nine games were contested Wednesday in the Italian Serie A:

At Milan:

Second-place AS Roma, thanks to goals from Simone Perrotta (44'), Francesco Totti (89'), and Marco Cassetti (90'), knoced off previously undefeated Inter Milan on the road 3-1, preventing the Nerozzurri from wrapping up the Serie A title.

At Ascoli:

Alberto Gilardino's double (3', 27') helped power AC Milan to a decisive 5-2 road win over basement-occupying Ascoli. The Rossoneri tightened their hold on Italy's fourth and final Champions League berth, openening up a four point advantage on Empoli and Palermo.

At Empoli:

Empoli, with goals through the courtesy of the Luca Saudati (35') and Sergio Almiron (54'), climbed up to fifth place in the Serie A standings with their 2-0 home win over Atalanta.

At Livorno (Leghorn):

Christiano Lucarelli (5') and Dario Knezevic (67') provided the scoring that lifted Livorno past visiting Cagliari 2-1.

At Siena:

Luca Antonini's 65th-minute goal was the only score of AC Siena's 1-0 home triumph at Torino's expense.

At Reggio Calabria:

Nicola Amoruso's double (54', PK-71') kept Reggina out of the relegation zone as the Amoronto defeated visiting next-to-last-place Messina 3-1.

At Udine:

Udinese defeated visiting Sampdoria 1-0. Vincenzo Iaquinta provided the only goal of the match with his successful penalty kick at 53 minutes.

At Rome:

Homestanding third-place Lazio and struggling Chievo Verona battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Parma:

Giuseppe Rossi was the star as his double (27', PK-89') lifted relegation-threatend Parma to a 2-0 home win over Fiorentina.

Blues Back Within Three Of Red Devils; Reds Climb Back Up To Third; Almost Time To Stick The Porverbial Fork Into Watford;

Three Wednesday matches took place in the English Premier League:

At London:

Shaun Wright-Phillips scored twice (31' 36') to help lead Chelsea to an easy 4-1 road beating of relegation-threatened West Ham United. The win moved the Blues back within three points of table-topping Manchester United.

At Liverpool:

Steven Gerard (58', PK-65') provided both goals in Liverpool's 2-0 home win over Middlesbrough. The Reds overtook Arsenal and have taken over third place in the EPL standings.

At Blackburn:

Christopher Samba (7'), Jason Roberts (10'), Benedict McCarthy (32'), all with goals in the first half, lifted Blackburn to a 3-1 home win over Watford, who could offically be relegated from the Premiership as soon as this coming weekend after one year in the top flight.