Gremio Top Santos In Semifinal Opener

At Porto Alegre, Brazil:

Thanks to goals from Tcheco (PK-35') and Carlos Eduardo (37'), Gremio took the opening half of their two-match Copa Libertadores semifinal set with Santos 2-0 on Wednesday night at home.

Rams Beat Baggies To Return To Premiership; Promotions for Blackpool, Bristol Rovers, and Morecambe, too

At London:

Derby County won their way back to the English Premier League on Monday, defeating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 in the League Championship promotion final at Wembley Stadium. The Rams' Stephen Pearson scored the game's lone goal at 61 minutes. Derby will, anongside already-promoted Sunderland and Birmingham City, play in the English Premiership next season. The threesome replace Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, and Watford, who finished in the EPL bottom three this past season.

Other promotion news from England:

Saturday at London:

In the League 2 promotion final to see who would join already-promoted Walsall, Hartlepool, and Swindon in League 1 next season, Richard Walker scored twice (21', 35') and Sammy Igoe (90') provided the scoring that lifted Bristol Rovers up to the third tier of English soccer as they defeated Shrewsbury 3-1. The four pmototed clubs replace relegated Chesterfield, Bradford, Rotherham, and Brentford.

Sunday at London:

In the League 1 promotion final to see who would join already-promoted Scunthorpe and Bristol City next season in the League Championship, Blackpool defeated Yeovil 2-0 to climb up to the second tier of English soccer for the first time in 29 years. Robbie Williams (43) and Keigan Parker (52') provided the goals for the Seasiders. The three promotees replace relegated Southend, Luton Town, and Leeds United.

Sunday May 20 at London:

For the right to join champions Dagenham & Redbridge in moving up to League 2 (the lowest division within the Football League), Garry Thompson (42') and Danny Carlton (82') scored to lead Morecambe to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Exeter in their promotion final. This marks the first time in their 87-year history that the Shrimps are playing in the Football League. The Shrimps and Dag & Red replace relegated Boston United and Torquay in League 2.

Goose Eggs For Chicago and (Still Winless) RSL

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

In Sunday's lone Major League Soccer contest, the Chicago Fire stretched their winless streak to five games (though they did end their losing streak at four) as they and still winless Real Salt Lake battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

It's A Champions League Qualifying Berth For Ajax

At Amsterdam:

Ajax Amsterdam bounced back from last Sunday's 2-1 setback at Alkmaar to top AZ Alkmaar 3-0 on Sunday before the home fans to win the two-game playoff for the Champions League qualifying berth 4-2 on aggregate. Johnny Heitinga (55'), Ryan Donk (OG-58'), and Gabri Garcia (90') provided the scoring. AZ gets the consolation prize of a UEFA Cup berth.

SEVILLA STILL IN LA LIGA RACE; GIMNASTIC RELEGATED

Seven Sunday contests took place in the Spanish Premiera Liga:

At Seville:

Luis Fabiano (27'), Alexander Kerzhakov (83'), and Frederic Kanoute (90') provided the scoring for Sevilla as the hosts defeated Real Zaragoza 3-1. The win kept Sevilla in the race for the league title, two points behind Real Madrid and Barcelona with two games left. They also assured themselves of Champions League soccer for next season (clinching at least a qualifying round berth----they can still gain automatic access to the group stage by finishing first or second). Zaragoza's slim Champions League hopes were smashed with the loss.

At Tarragona:

Fernando Torres' double (11', PK-54') proved to be all the scoring as Atletico Madrid maintained their hold on a UEFA Cup berth with their 2-0 road over Gimnastic de Tarragona, who, because of Athletic Bilbao's earlier win, had already been relegated.

At Bilbao:

Ismael Urzaiz provided the game's only goal, a successful penalty kick at 64 minutes, leading Athletic Bilbao to a 1-0 home win over Mallorca, keeping themselves out of the relegation zone while assuring Gimnastic de Tarragona second-division play next season.

At Huelva:

Raul Tamudo's late goal (82') lifted Espanyol to a 1-0 road win over Recreativo Huelva, ending the hosts' slim chances of European play for next season.

At Vigo:

Fernando Baiano's successful penalty kick at 90 minutes kept Celta Vigo's slim hopes of avoiding the drop alive (they're still four points from safety with two games remaining) as the hosts defeated Real Betis (and keeping the guests from assuring themselves of top-division play for next season) 2-1.

At Pamplona:

David Lopez (26') and Javad Nekounam (33') provided the scoring for Osasuna as the hosts secured Premiera division play for next year by moving relegation-threatened Real Sociedad on the verge of falling through the trap door to the Segunda (second) division, beating the visitors from the Basque country 2-0.

At Santander:

Rahamat Mustapha Riga's double (38', 73') all but secured Levante's top-flight status for next season as the guests topped Racing Santander 3-2.

Ajax Wins Champions League Qualifying Berth

At Amsterdam:

Goals from Johnny Heitinga (55') and Gabri Garcia (90'), as well as Ryan Donk's own goal (58') enabled Ajax Amsterdam to take the home leg of a two-game total goals series with AZ Alkmaar, 3-0, and the series itself, 4-2 on aggregate. This enables Ajax to enter the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying, and relegates AZ to competiting in next season's UEFA Cup.

DONKEYS GROUNDED; REGGINA, CATANIA, SIENA STAY UP

Ten games were played on Sunday as the Italian Serie A season drew to its' conclusion:

At Bologna:

Second-half goals from subs Fausto Rossini (65') and Mauro Minelli (80') enabled Catania Calcio to assure themselves of Serie A soccer next season as the Elephants defeated Chievo Verona 2-0 at a neutral-site contest. The Flying Donkeys still would have stayed up had any of three other clubs---Siena, Reggina, and Parma---stumbled. All three won their games, and with their defeat, Chievo's six year stay in Serie A ended.

At Reggio Calabria:

Reggina secured another season with Serie A, thanks to their 2-0 home win over newly-crowned European champions AC Milan. Nicola Amoruso (8') and Daniele Amerini (67') provided the scoring for the Amoronto.

At Siena:

Thanks to goals from Massimo Maccarone (PK-23') and Paolo Negro (85'), AC Siena secured another season in Serie A with a 2-1 home win over Champions League third-round-of-qualifying-bound Lazlo.

At Parma:

With goals from Zlatan Muslimovic (8'), Igor Budan (16'), and Andrea Gasbarroni (88'). Parma defeated visiting (and UEFA Cup-bound) Empoli 3-1 to assure themselves of another season in Italy's top flight.

At Florence:

Fiorentina bounced back from their match-fixing-scandal-induced 15-point reduction to finish sixth (with a UEFA Cup berth in tow) as they defeated visiting Sampdoria big time 5-1. Reginaldo Ferreira tallied twice for the hosts (72', 90').

At Ascoli:

In their final Serie A match, Ascoli racked up a 2-1 home win over Cagliari Calcio. Andrea Soncin (17') and Michele Paolucci (78') provided the scoring for the Serie B-bound basement finishers.

At Leghorn (Livorno):

Cristiano Lucarelli's double (45', PK-57') helped Livorno double-up visiting Atalanta 4-2.

At Udine:

Palermo locked up a UEFA Cup berth with a 2-1 road win over Udinese. Andrea Caracciolo (14') and Eugenio Corini (71') tallied for the Eagles.

At Milan:

Powered by goals courtesy of Marco Materazzi (PK-12), Sisenando Maicon (60'), and Luis Figo (PK-67'), Inter Milan capped off an incredible season with their 3-0 home fistbeating of Torino. The Nerozzurri finished the season with 30 wins and 97 points.

At Rome:

Francesco Totti's double (10', 73') helped lift Champions League-bound AS Roma to a high-scoring 4-3 home win over relegated Messina.

Eddie Johnson Hat Tricks Powers KC Win At New England

Five games occupied the Saturday Major League Soccer schedule:

At Foxboro, Massachusetts:

Eddie Johnson's hat trick (26', 38', 82') helped power the Kansas City Wizards to a 4-3 road win over the New England Revolution. The win placed the third-place within one point of a first-place tie in the Eastern Conference.

At Washington:

Christian Gomez (4') and Ben Olsen (27') provided the scoring that lifted DC United to their third straight win, a 2-1 home decision over the Houston Dynamo.

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Hercules Gomez provided the lone goal (71') in the Colorado Rapids' 1-0 home win against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Visiting Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew played to a 2-2 stalemate. Andy Herron scored both of the Crew's goals (2', 36') while Danny Dichio (27') and Jim Brennan (49') provided the Toronto tallies.

At Carson, California:

After a scoreless first half, Chivas USA, thanks to second-half goals from Maykel Galindo (50') and Ante Razov (90'), defeated high-flying (and still Western Conference-leading) FC Dallas at home 2-0.

Toulouse Picks Off Champions League Berth

Ten games were played on Saturday as the French Ligue 1 season drew to a close:

At Toulouse:

Thanks to Johan Elmander's hat trick (38', 51', 72'), Toulouse defeated visiting Bordeaux 3-1, enabling the hosts to claim the third and final UEFA Champions League berth.

At Lille:

Nicolas Fauvergue's equalizer at 90 minutes lifted Lille to a 1-1 home draw with Rennes, denying the visitors a berth in the UEFA Champions League. They will head to the UEFA Cup tournament instead.

At Monaco:

Jan Koller (10') and Frederic Piouionne (56') provided the tallies that powered AS Monaco to a 2-0 home win over AS Nancy Lorraine.

At Troyes:

In their final Ligue 1 match, Troyes wrecked the Champions League aspirations of Lens with their 3-0 home win. Gael Danic (8'), Blaise Matuidi (55'), and Yann Lachuer (57') provided the relegated hosts with the goals.

At Lorient:

Pedro Pauleta provided the only goal (54') in Paris Saint Germain's 1-0 road victory at Lorient's expense.

At Nice:

Ismael Bangoura (60') and Daisuke Matsui (65') registered the tallies that enabled Le Mans to come back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 3-3 road draw with Nice. The hosts' David Bellion scored twice (PK-30', 53').

At Valenciennes:

Visiting AJ Auxerre, thanks to goals from Daniel Niculae (17'), Thomas Kahlenberg (21'), and Kevin Lejeune (90'), held off Valenciennes 3-1.

At Lyon:

One day after announcing plans to step down as manager, Gerard Houllier went out in style as his championship Lyon squad easily handled hapless and relegated FC Nantes Atlantique 3-1. Florent Malouda scored twice (22', 86') for the hosts.

At Montbeliard:

Anthony Le Tallec scored the lone goal (20') in FC Sochaux-Montbeliard's 1-0 home win over St. Etienne.

At Marseille:

Samir Nasri's goal at 61 minutes was the lone tally of the match as Champions League-bound Marseille defeated visiting and Ligue 2-bound Sedan 1-0.

Real Madrid, 10-Man Barca Win Key Games; Yellow Submarine Knock Valencia Out Of Title Race

Three games were contested Saturday in Spain's Premiera Liga:

At Madrid:

Sergia Ramos (29'), Raul (58'), and Ruud van Nistelrooy (75') provided the goals that lifted league-leading Real Madrid to a 3-1 home win over Deportivo La Coruna.

At Barcelona:

Ronadinho's goal at 2 minutes held up as Barcelona kept pace with Real Madrid as the hosts defeated Getafe 1-0, in spite of the aforementioned Ronnie getting red-carded out of the game late in the first half.

At Valencia:

Diego Forlan scored twice (35', 87') and Jon Dahl Tomasson once (79') as Villarreal knocked Valencia out of the La Liga title race, and moved past Atletico Madrid into a UEFA Cup berth with their 3-2 road win.

Red Bulls Continue Scoring Tear

At East Rutherford, New Jersey:

Powered by goals from Josy Altidore (1') and Juan Pablo Angel (3', 68'), the New York Red Bulls dominated the visiting Chicago Fire 3-0 in the lone Thursday Major League Soccer match.

PIPPO'S PAIR PROPELS ROSSONERI PAST REDS FOR UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CROWN THUS AVENGING 2005 DEFEAT

At Athens, Greece:

AC Milan won their seventh European club championship on Wednesday night, capturing the UEFA Champions League crown by defeating Liverpool 2-1, avenging their 2005 loss at Istanbul. Filippo Inzaghi (pictured here, celebrating his first goal,; photo © Getty Images) scored both of Milan's goals (45', 82') while Dirk Kuyt scored the lone Liverpool goal in the 89th minute.

Here's ESPN Soccernet's account.

And an Associated Press account found on the Fox Soccer site.





AC Milan players celebrating the club's seventh European Cup/Champions League title.

Photo © Getty Images

Another Year Of Serie A Soccer For Cagliari, Torino; AC Siena Into Drop Zone

Nine games were played on Sunday in Italy's Serie A:

At Messina:

Christian Regano's double (81', PK-88') enabled already-relegated Messina to come back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 home draw with Fiorentina.

At Turin:

Visiting Livorno and Torino both assured themselves of Serie A play for next season, thanks to their 0-0 stalemate.

At Cagliari:

Davide Marchini's double (40', 68') helped lift Cagliari to a 3-2 home win over Champions League-bound AS Roma to sercure themselves another season of Serie A soccer.

At Bergamo:

Luis Figo's equalizing penalty kick at 47 minutes enabled league champions Inter Milan to gain a 1-1 road draw with Atalanta.

At Rome:

Third place Lazio and visiting Parma, still in search of points secure another season of Serie A calcio (soccer or football), battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Verona:

Thanks to the only goal of the match---Michele Marcolini's 44th-minute tally---Chievo Verona climbed out of the relegation zone with their 1-0 home win over already-relegated Ascoli.

At Palermo:

Goals from Eugenio Corini (26') and Andrea Caracciolo (45') enabled Palermo to hold off visiting AC Siena 2-1. The loss dropped the guests into the dreaded drop zone.

At Empoli:

After trailing 3-0 at halftime on the road, Reggina came back with goals from Luca Vigiani (52'), Nicola Amoruso (56', PK-84') to gain a 3-3 draw with Empoli, enabling the Amaranto to remain barely above the drop zone.

At Genoa:

Catania Calcio's downward slide continued as the visiting Elephants dropped a 1-0 decision to Sampdoria. Christian Zenoni scored the game's only goal (65').

Dragons Win BWINLiga Title; Lions Second; Eagles Third; Beira Mar and Desportivo Das Aves Relegated

The Portuguese Super Liga season wrapped up over the weekend:

One Saturday contest:

At Funchal:

Roland Linz scored the game winner (68') to lead Boavista to a 2-1 road win over Maritimo.

Seven Sunday games:

At Porto:

FC Porto wrapped up the Super Liga title with their 4-1 home win over Desportivo das Aves, who finished in the basement and relegated. Lisandro Lopez (52', 89') doubled for the Dragons.

At Lisbon:

Four different goal scorers tallied once apiece as Sporting Club Portugal locked up second place and an automatic group stage berth in next season's UEFA Champions League (as well as champions FC Porto) with their 4-0 frontier-styled fistbeating of visiting---and UEFA Cup-bound---Belenenses.

At Lisbon:

SL Benfica , due to wins from FC Porto and SCP, wound up in third place (a spot in the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying for next season). The Eagles, who up to the final day of the season, still had a chance to cop the league crown, did defeat visiting Academica de Coimbra at home 2-0. Derlei (15') and Pedro Manuel Mantorras (82') provided the goals for the hosts.

At Braga:

UEFA Cup-bound Sporting Braga and visiting CD Nacional battled to a 1-1 draw.

At Figueira da Foz:

Auri (17') and Kwame Ayew (33') provided the scoring that lifted Vitoria Setubal to a 2-1 come-from-behind road win over Naval to assure themselves of top-flight soccer next season.

At Aveiro:

Miguel Vasco Matos scored the equalizer (46') that enabled homestanding Beira Mar to salvage a 1-1 draw with Pacos Ferreira. Unfortunately, because of Vitoria Setubal's victory, the Gold-and-Blacks fell into the drop zone and were relegated.

At Amadora:

Luis Alhandra's 65th-minute equalizer lifted visiting Unaio Leiria to a 1-1 stalemate with Estrela Amadora.

Galacticos, Barca, and Sevilla All Win Sunday Tilts

Seven games populated Sunday Spanish Premiera Liga schedule:

At Huelva:

Roberto Carlos scored the game-winning goal in the opening seconds of second-half stoppage time, propelling league-leading Real Madrid to a 3-2 home win over Recreativo Huelva.

At Madrid:

Leo Messi scored twice (39', 80') as an offensive barrage guided Barcelona to a 6-0 anihilation of homestanding Atletico Madrid. Barca remained even with Real Madrid on 69 points, with the Galaticos getting the tiebreaker because of head-to-head results.

At La Coruna:

Dirnei Renato (76') and Frederic Kanoute (83') provided the scoring as Sevilla remained two points behind the league leaders following their 2-1 come-from-behind road victory over Deportivo La Coruna.

At Villarreal:

Alessio Tacchinardi (19') and Ruben Cani (57') provided the goals that enabled Villarreal to gain a 2-1 home win over Racing Santander. The Yellow Submarine now sat one point out of a UEFA Cup spot.

At Barcelona:

Manu del Moral's double (42', 71') helped lead Getafe to a 5-1 brassknuckling of homestanding Espanyol.

At Valencia:

Roberto Soldado's hat trick (18', 32', 64') helped spark Osasuna to a 4-1 road pounding of Levante.

At San Sebastian:

In a battle of relegation-zone residents, Darko Kovacevic (46'), Bortolini Savio (51'), and Xabi Prieto (77') provided the goals for Real Sociedad in their 3-1 home win over Celta Vigo. The win moved the hosts to within one point of safety with three games remaining.

DCU Ends TFC Winning Streak; Red Bulls Back On Winning Track; Still No Wins For RSL

A look back at the weekend Major League Soccer action:

Four games on Saturday:

At Toronto:

Jaime Moreno tied Jason Kreis' record for most career MLS goals (108) with his game-winning penalty kick at 79 minutes, lifting DC United to a 2-1 road win over FC Toronto, stretching their winning streak to two games and their unbeaten streak to three.

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Davy Arnaud's goal at 58 minutes lifted the Kansas City Wizards to a 1-1 road draw with the Colorado Rapids.

At Houston:

Sharlie Joseph's goal at 9 minutes held up as the New England Revolution knocked off the homestanding Houston Dynamo 1-0.

At East Rutherford, New Jersey:

Four different goal scorers powered the New York Red Bulls to a 4-0 home fistbeating of the Columbus Crew.

Sunday's games:

At Carson, California:

In the latest edition of the Los Angeles MLS derby--or "Super Clasico"--Landon Donovan's equalizer at 50 minutes enabled the Los Angeles Galaxy to gain a 1-1 road draw with Chivas USA.

At Frisco, Texas:

Chris Gbandi scored the game winner (82') as FC Dallas defeated visiting Real Salt Lake 2-1 despite Freddy Adu's first goal for RSL (PK-68').

Scottish Premier League Season Ends; Bhoys and 'Jers Drop Finales

The Scottish Premier League season drew to a close over the weekend:

Saturday's games:

At Dundee:

Visiting Motherwell and Dundee United battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Dunferline:

Steven Thomson (49'), Alan Gow (57'), and Pedro Moutinho (90') provided the second half scoring for Falkirk as the guests whitewashed relegated Dunferline 3-0.

At St. Mirren:

Stuart McCarthy's goal at 74 minutes was the lone goal in Inverness Caledonian Thistle's 1-0 road win over St. Mirren.

Sunday's games:

At Aberdeen:

Aberdeen locked up a spot in next season's UEFA Cup competition with their 2-0 home win over runners-up Rangers. Scott Severin (21') and Steve Lovell (32') provided the scoring for the Dons.

At Edinburgh:

Scott Brown (60') and Ivan Sproule (90') provided the scoring for Hibernian as Hibs racked up a 2-1 home win over league champions Celtic.

At Kilmarnock:

A successful penalty kick by Steven Naismith )82') provided all the scoring for Kilmarnock as the hosts bested Hearts 1-0.

TROYES RELEGATED; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BERTH FOR MARSEILLE

Ten games were played on Saturday in France's Ligue 1:

At St. Etienne:

Mathieu Valbuena scored the game winner (86') as Marseille sewed up a spot in next season's Champions League group stage with their 2-1 road win over St. Etienne.

At Paris:

Pedro Pauleta's double (PK-70', 77') lifted Paris Saint Germaine to a 2-1 come-from-behind home win over Troyes which guaranteed the hosts Ligue 1 soccer for next season, while the loss clinched relegation to Ligue 2 for the guests.

At Monte Carlo:

Jeremy Menez scored the game's lone goal (58') as AS Monaco blanked visiting champions Lyon 1-0.

At Sedan:

Valencienne secured Ligue 1 soccer for next season with their 1-1 road draw with already-relegated Sedan. The visitors' Eric Hassili scored at 50 minutes, then the hosts Joseph-Desire Job, at 64 minutes, equalized.

At Nancy:

Marc-Antoine Fortune (20', 80') scored twice to help spark an offensive barrage for AS Nancy Lorraine as the hosts belted Sochaux 5-2, severly damaging the visitors' hopes of European competition for next season.

At Auxerre:

Ireneusz Jelen's goal at 79 minutes lifted AJ Auxerre to a 2-1 home triumph over Lille.

At Nantes:

Already-relegated FC Nantes Atlantique ended Toulouse's hopes for European competition by holding the guests to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Le Mans:

Edixon Perea's equalizer (68') enabled visiting Bordeux to gain a 1-1 road draw with Le Mans, whose Grafite opened the scoring at 58 minutes. The guests saw their hopes for Champions League automatic qualification go up in smoke, but they still have a shot at a qualifying berth.

At Lens:

Lens can lock up a qualifying berth for next season's UEFA Champions League with a win next week. This after their 0-0 home stalemate with Nice.

At Rennes:

For different goal scorers tallied once apiece as Rennes kept their chances of European play next season (either UEFA Cup or Champions League) with their 4-1 home spanking of Lorient.

Udinese Top Milan

At Milan:

In the lone Saturday Italian Serie A contest, Paulo Barreto scored the game winner (61') to lift Udinese to a 3-2 road win over an AC Milan club which was make up of second-stringers as the starters were being rested for this Wednesday's Champions League final at Athens against Liverpool.

Valencia Still In The Thick Of LaLiga Race

Three games were played on Saturday in the Spanish Premiera Liga:

At Mallorca:

Valencia, thanks to Juaquin Sanchez's goal at 90 minutes, drew within one point of the lead in the La Liga standings following their 1-0 road win over Mallorca.

At Zaragoza:

With four goal scorers tallying once apiece, Real Zaragoza held off visiting Athletic Bilbao 4-3, dispite a hat trick from the visitors' Aritz Aduriz (35', PK-74', 78').

At Seville:

Xisco Munoz scored the equalizer during second-half stoppage time enabled Real Betis to gain a 1-1 home draw with cellar-dwelling Gimnastic de Terragona, placing the guests on the cusp of relegation.

STUTTGART COPS BUNDESLIGA TITLE; MAINZ AND AACHEN GO DOWN

Nine Saturday contests wrapped up the 2006-07 German Bundesliga season:

At Stuttgart:

Goals from Thomas Hitzlsperger (27') and Sami Khedira (63') enabled VfB Stuttgart to come from behind to defeat visiting Energie Cottbus 2-1 and wrap up their first Bundesliga title since 1992. The new champs qualified for group stage play in next season's UEFA Champions League.

At Gelsenkirchen:

Goals from Lincoln (11') and Halil Altintop (16') enabled Schalke 04 to hold off Arminia Bielefeld 2-1. Stuttgart's win over Energie Cottbus denied the Royal Blues a shot at winning the Bundesliga crown. However, Schalke, by finishing second, will play in the group stage of next season's UEFA Champions League.

At Wolfsburg:

Markus Rosenberg's double (54', 87') provided all the scoring for Werder Bremen as the guests blanked VfL Wolfsburg 2-0. The guests finish third in the Bundesliga and will play in the third round of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League. Wolfsburg, thanks to losses by Mainz and Alemannia Aachen, as well as their vastly superior goal differential, will stay in Germany's top flight.

At Hamburg:

Ivica Olic (15', 27') and Juan Pablo Sorin (54', 86') each scored twice as Hamburg manhandled visiting Alemannia Aachen 4-0. The loss confirmed Aachen's relegation from the Bundesliga.

At Munich:

UEFA Cup-bound Bayern Munich, with five goal scorers each scoring once, throttled relegation-bound Mainz at home 5-2.

At Leverkusen:

Bayer Leverkusen, thanks to goals through the courtesy of Stefan Kiessling (45') and Simon Rolfes (54'), locked up a UEFA Cup berth as they defeated visiting Borussia Dortmund 2-1.

At Hannover:

Goals from Marek Mintal (54'), Marco Engelhardt (62'), and Ivaca Banovic (90') enabled FC Nurnberg to register a 3-0 road whitewashing of Hannover 96.

At Mochengladbach:

Christoph Dabrowski (24') and Dariusz Wosz (82') provided the scoring for VfL Bochum as the guests bested already-relegated Borussia Mochengladbach 2-0.

At Frankfurt:

Marko Pantelic scored the game-winning goal (87') to lift Hertha Berlin to a 2-1 road win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Didier Drogba Goal Propels Chelsea To FA Cup Title

At London:

At 116 minutes, Didier Drogba (pictued here beating Edwin Van Der Sar) scored the only goal of the FA Cup final, which saw Chelsea defeat Manchester United 1-0 in overtime before nearly 90,000 fans as Wembley Stadium. Photo © Getty Images.

Hoops Douse Fire

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

In the one Thursday night Major League Soccer match, goals from Kenny Cooper (PK-24') and Juan Toja (60') enabled visiting FC Dallas to hold off the Chicago Fire 2-1. Calen Carr scored the lone Chicago goal (73').

Here Are Some Champions League Semifinal Pics

Here's a look at Kaka, celebrating scoring a goal in AC Milan's May 2 series-clinching home win over Manchester United. The Rossoneri took that game 3-0 and the series on aggregate 5-3. Milan advanced to the May 23 UEFA Champions League Final at Olympic Stadium in Athens against Liverpool, who on May 1 at home, defeated EPL rival Chelsea in the penalty-kick shootout (4-1) after the two-game series ended deadlocked at 1-1. Reds' goalkeeper Pepe Reina stopped two penalty kicks in the shootout and is picuted celebrating with teammate Steve Finnan. Photos © Getty Images

Toronto FC Stuns Dynamo

At Toronto:

After losing their first four contests (with nary a goal to show for their efforts), Toronto FC picked up their second straight win on Wednesday night, a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo. Andy Welsh scored the game's lone goal in the 26th minute.

Sevilla Retains UEFA Cup In Shootout Thriller

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Andres Palop (pictured) was the hero as he stopped three penalty kicks in the penalty kick shootout, enabling Sevilla to repeat as UEFA Cup winners, defeating fellow Spanish La Liga club Espanyol 3-1 in the penalty kick shootout after the two clubs were deadlocked at two goals apiece after 120 minutes. Adriano opened the scoring for Sevilla with his goal at 18 minutes. Albert Riera equalized for Espanyol at 28 minutes. The score was deadlocked at one goal apiece after regulation time. In the first fifteen-minute overtime period, the Sevillistos pulled back in front. thanks to Fredi Kanoute's goal (105'). But the Parakeets equalized again in overtime period number two, thanks to Jonatas's equalizer (125'). This forced the penalty kick shootout where Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop saved three Espanyol kicks, while the cupholders' Fredi Kanoute, Ivica Dragutinovic, and Antonio Puerta coverted theirs. At bottom is Javi Navarro, lifting the UEFA Cup as he and his teammates celebrated. Photos © Getty Images

Cosmos Frustrations

There is a sense among former New York Cosmos players and officials that Major League Soccer is ignoring the legacy of that former North American Soccer League club.

It IS Bob's Job Now

The United States Soccer Federation is set to take the "Interim" tag off head coach Bob Bradley's title.

WIGAN AND WEST HAM STAY UP---BLADES RELEGATED

Here's a recap of Sunday action (final day of the season) in the English Premier League:

At Sheffield:

David Unsworth's successful penalty kick during first-half stoppage time proved to be a life saver as Wigan Athletic defeated homestanding Sheffield United 2-1 to assure themselves of another season in the Premiership, as the defeated Blades are relegated to the League Championship.

At Manchester:

On what was a day of celebration for fans of newly-crowned champs Manchester United, West Ham United put a crimp in the celebrations, but created one of their own, as thanks to the only goal of the match from Carlos Tevez (45'), the Hammers secured another season in the Premiership with their 1-0 road win over the Red Devils.

At Blackburn:

Blackburn secured a spot in the Intertoto Cup with a 3-3 home draw against Reading. Matt Derbyshire put the Rovers up 3-2 with his 67th-minute goal, but the Roayls' Brynjar Gunnarsson equalized at 77 minutes.

At London:

First-half goals from Robbie Keane (10') and Dimitar Berbatov (32') enabled Tottenham Hotspur to secure a spot in next season's UEFA Cup competition with their 2-1 home win over Manchester City.

At Bolton:

Homestanding Bolton assured themselves of UEFA Cup qualification with their 2-2 home stalemate with Aston Villa. Gary Speed (32) and Kevin Davies (58') scored for the Trotters, while Craig Gardner (37') and Cool Hand Luke Moore (81') tallied for the visiting Villans.

At Middlesbrough:

Mark Viduka's double (34', 47') helped lift Middlesbrough to a 3-1 home win over Fulham.

At London:

Didier Drogba's equalizer (57') enabled runners-up Chelsea to gain a 1-1 home deadlock with Everton. The Blues have already been assured of playing in the group stage of next season's UEFA Champions League while the Toffees are heading for UEFA Cup play.

At Portsmouth:

Portsmouth's hopes of European play evaporated following their 0-0 home deadlock with Arsenal. The Gunners will be playing in the third round of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League.

At Liverpool:

Harry Kewell's successful penalty kick at 90 minutes enabled Liverpool to gain a 2-2 home draw with relegated Charlton Athletic. The Reds, who will be playing AC Milan in Athens for the UEFA Champions League title on May 23, will enter the third round of qualifying for next year's Champions League.

At Waftord:

In their final Premiership match before heading down to the League Championship, Watford secured a 1-1 home draw with Newcastle United. Marlon King's penalty kick at 52 minutes secured the draw for the Hornets.

An All-Spanish UEFA Cup Final

This past Thursday, current UEFA Cup-holders Sevilla and fellow La Liga club Espanyol won their way to the May 16 UEFA Cup Final, which will be played in Glasgow, Scotland, at Hamden Park. Pictured on top is Ferran Corominas, celebrating after scoring Espanyol's first goal in the Spanish club's series-clinching 2-1 road win over Werder Bremen (and winning the series on aggregate 5-1). At bottom is Renato, congratulated by his Sevilla teammates after scoring the goal that put their club to another UEFA Cup final, as they defeated Osasuna in game two 2-0 (and the series on aggregate, 2-1). Both games were played on May 3. Both photos © Getty Images

It's An Istanbul Rematch In Athens

Liverpool (on Tuesday) and AC Milan (Wednesday) punched their tickets for the UEFA Champions League's May 23 final at Olympic Stadium in Athens.