Milan moved closer to Champions League football next season after two late strikes gave them a 2-0 win at Cremonese. Strahinja Pavlovic put Milan ahead in the 90th minute with his shoulder before Rafael Leão’s simple finish in stoppage time gave the away side a result which flattered a drab display in Cremona.
Second-placed Milan have little realistic hope of winning the Serie A title as they are 10 points behind their local rivals Inter, who beat Genoa 2-0 on Saturday. Next weekend’s Milan derby has little more than local pride riding on it with Inter speeding off into the distance with 11 games remaining in the league campaign.
Jamie Vardy’s Cremonese are sliding towards relegation to Serie B: after a 13th straight match without a win, they are outside the drop zone on goal difference.
Sunday’s biggest match in Serie A is the late one, when Roma host Juventus, with the latter desperate for a win to stay in contention for a Champions League place. Juve’s elimination from this season’s competition by Galatasaray and Inter’s even more shocking exit at the hands of Bodø/Glimt severely damaged Serie A’s hopes of a fifth place next season. Juventus kicked off the weekend in fifth, four points behind Roma. Cut that to one and they have every chance of moving up to fourth; lose and the gap is seven points.
In Ligue 1, which has three Champions League slots, there is a similar match-up, with third-placed Lyon taking a five-point advantage into their game at fourth-placed Marseille.
In the Bundesliga, Jamie Leweling grabbed a first-half double and Deniz Undav scored again as Stuttgart cruised to a 4-0 home victory over Wolfsburg, as the German Cup holders drew level with third-placed Hoffenheim on 46 points.
Wolfsburg, who have not been relegated since promotion to the Bundesliga in 1997, have won just one of their last 10 games and now sit second bottom, three points from the last safe spot.
Undav pounced on a poor clearance to put Stuttgart ahead with his 14th league goal after 21 minutes. Chris Fuehrich found Leweling on the half-hour mark to double Stuttgart’s lead and the Germany winger scored again just before half-time, volleying in from the right side of the box. Nikolas Nartey then scored with the final kick of the match.
Meanwhile, Emre Can will miss the remainder of the season after scans confirmed the Borussia Dortmund captain tore an anterior cruciate ligament in Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat by Bayern Munich.
Sevilla came from two goals down to snatch a thrilling 2-2 derby draw against Real Betis in La Liga. Isaac Romero thumped home from outside the box in the 85th minute to salvage his side a point at Betis’s temporary La Cartuja home.
The draw leaves Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis fifth, eight points behind Atlético Madrid and Villarreal, in third and fourth respectively, hampering their hopes of Champions League qualification.
The former Manchester United winger Antony sent the hosts ahead in the 16th minute with an acrobatic overhead kick after the ball fell for him in the box. Álvaro Fidalgo tucked home the second before half-time when Abde Ezzalzouli, who was also involved in the opener, played him in.
Another former Manchester United winer, Alexis Sánchez pulled one back for Sevilla, 11th, after the hour mark with an angled header. It set up an exciting finale and Romero finally got the goal Sevilla craved, drilling home from just outside the box to level.
Ezzalzouli almost fired Betis back in front but struck the post with three minutes to go and Sevilla’s Akor Adams had a shot cleared off the line at the other end.
The Spanish second division match between Sporting Gijón and Leganés was postponed after the death of an 82-year-old supporter in the stands. The game was stopped in the fourth minute at 0-0 so the supporter, reported to have suffered a heart attack, could receive medical attention.
Both teams retreated to the dressing rooms before the match was eventually called off and fans asked to leave the stadium.
Sporting wrote on social media: “He was a club member for 40 years. Today we are all very sad. Rest in peace. Our support and affection for his family and loved ones.”