EUROMIX: Bayern win in record time, PSG and Juve push on, Abidal returns
MUNICH: Bayern Munich won their record-extending 23rd German league title in record time when a 1-0 victory away to at Eintracht Frankfurt opened up an unassailable 20-point lead with six games remaining.
The Bavarians ended the two-year reign of Borussia Dortmund by clinching a 22nd Bundesliga title faster than any club in the league’s 50-year history.
David Aklaba missed an early penalty before Bastian Schweinsteiger backheeled the decisive goal in the 52nd minute to lift Bayern to 75 points ahead of second-placed Dortmund, who beat Augsburg 4-2.
Coach Jupp Heynckes, who hands over this summer to Pep Guardiola, said: “It’s a fantastic moment and I’m winning a league title after 23 years again.” Heynckes guided Bayern to the championship in 1989 and 1990 during his first stint as coach.
Bayern have a treble in sight. They can still win the UEFA Champions League and the German Cup.
In France Paris Saint-Germain’s Jeremy Menez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck second-half goals to secure a 2-0 win at Rennes as their understrength side restored a seven-point lead at the top of the table.
Ibra strikes again
League top scorer Ibrahimovic struck his 26th goal of the season as PSG prepared in winning style to visit Barcelona in the Champions league on Wednesday.
PSG have 64 points with seven games left ahead of Olympique Marseille who beat visitors Bordeaux 1-0 on Friday.
In Holland PSV Eindhoven and Vitesse Arnhem moved level on points with league leaders Ajax Amsterdam thanks to three-goal wins over Willem II Tilburg and NAC Breda respectively.
In Italy Juventus took a further step towards defending their Serie A title when Mirko Vucinic’s late double secured a 2-1 home win over Pescara.
In Spain Eric Abidal returned to competitive action for the first time since a liver transplant in April last year when he came on for the final 20 minutes of Barcelona’s 5-0 La Liga win over Mallorca.
Cesc Fabregas scored three goals and Alexis Sanchez two.
Fellow Champions League contenders Real Madrid recovered from a goal down to beat Levante 5-1. Gonzalo Higuain, Kaka and substitutes Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil (two) scored the goals.
Coach Jose Mourinho omitted several key players from his starting lineup ahead of the Champions League quarter-final return against Galatasaray on Tuesday.
# # # #
