European Soccer Top 25: May 5
Napoli win Serie A, Erling Haaland breaks Premier League goalscoring record
Napoli were crowned Serie A champions while Erling Haaland made Premier League history and Lionel Messi received a two-week suspension from PSG.
Here is this week’s edition of the European Soccer Top 25.
Dropped from rankings: None
*All stats courtesy of fbref.com.
25. Union Berlin
Last week: 22 (D 0-0 vs. Bayer Leverkusen)
Currently on a three-game unbeaten run, Union Berlin are holding onto third place in the Bundesliga table because they have a better goal difference than Freiburg. Their draw with Leverkusen featured the same number of shots (9) and shots on target (1) from both teams. A loss at Augsburg on Saturday could drop them out of the top four.
24. Aston Villa
Last week: 17 (L 1-0 at Manchester United)
The unbeaten run finally came to an end after 10 games, and it required some desperate defending by United to prevent Villa from grabbing a late equalizer. They were dominated by the Red Devils in the first half and got outshot 14-7 though. The last time they were shut out in any competition was their 4-0 loss at Newcastle on Oct. 29.
23. Feyenoord
Last week: 21
The rest of the Eredivisie was off last weekend while the KNVB Cup final took place, forcing Feyenoord to wait another week for a chance to secure the league title. They will do so if they beat Excelsior and PSV fail to beat Sparta Rotterdam. Two more wins (or a win and two draws) would also do the trick.
22. RB Leipzig
Last week: 24 (W 1-0 vs. Hoffenheim, W 5-1 at Freiburg)
It was good news all around for Leipzig. Christopher Nkunku netted his first goals of 2023, and they hammered the team right above them in the Bundesliga table to reach the DFB-Pokal final for a second season in a row. They will move back into the top four if they can beat Freiburg again on Saturday.
21. AC Milan
Last week: 18 (D 1-1 at Roma, D 1-1 vs. Cremonese)
Late heroics prevented a disappointing week from being a potentially disastrous one for Milan. They were trailing in stoppage time of both games and managed not to lose either of them. Alexis Saelemaekers canceled out Tammy Abraham’s go-ahead goal in the 93rd minute with one of his own four minutes later to get a point at the Stadio Olimpico. Junior Messias came to the rescue against Cremonese with a free kick that found its way through traffic and into the net.
20. Benfica
Last week: 20 (W 2-0 at Gil Vicente)
Chiquinho entered in the 72nd minute and netted his first goal of the season less than 60 seconds later to put Benfica ahead. Álex Grimaldo then slotted home a penalty with four minutes remaining to double their advantage. The win was Benfica’s 25th in the Primeira Liga, surpassing their total from each of the three previous seasons.
19. Brighton
Last week: 25 (W 6-0 vs. Wolves, W 1-0 vs. Manchester United)
The last time Brighton had a six-goal outing, they were still four years away from getting promoted to the Premier League. Pascal Groß, Deniz Undav and Pascal Groß all finished with braces in the dismantling of Wolves. Alexis Mac Allister’s last-second penalty kick gave them all three points in an entertaining game against United and moved them up to sixth in the Premier League table with two games in hand on the teams directly below them.
18. Liverpool
Last week: 23 (W 4-3 vs. Tottenham, W 1-0 vs. Fulham)
The madness that took place between Liverpool and Spurs was a perfect encapsulation of both teams’ seasons. Liverpool were up 3-0 within 15 minutes, allowed Tottenham to tie the game in stoppage time and then immediately went down the field and scored the winner. They’ve won five in a row, which hadn’t happened since they had a six-game winning streak from April 16 to May 3 last year.
17. Porto
Last week: 13 (W 1-0 vs. Boavista, L 2-1 vs. Famalicão [won 3-2 in extra time])
Porto went ahead against Boavista through a 59th-minute penalty kick from Mehdi Taremi and were able to keep a second clean sheet in a row despite Iván Marcano’s red card seven minutes later. Super late goals from Otávio (120th minute) and Evanilson (124th minute) sent them through to the Taça de Portugal final, where they will meet Braga.
16. Juventus
Last week: 15 (D 1-1 at Bologna, W 2-1 vs. Lecce)
Though Juventus went five games without a win before beating Lecce, it’s important to note that four of those games were on the road and that the stretch included games in three different competitions. Dušan Vlahović netted the winner against Lecce, his first league goal in nearly three months. They travel to Atalanta on Sunday for a massive clash in Serie A and have the home leg of the Europa League semifinals against Sevilla on Thursday.
15. Marseille
Last week: 16 (W 2-1 vs. Auxerre)
Trailing because of Birama Touré’s stunning strike, Marseille turned the game around with two goals in three minutes and picked up a third consecutive victory. Cengiz Ünder’s third goal in as many games tied things up in the 75th minute, setting the stage for Alexis Sánchez’s winner. They are one point ahead of Lens heading into their meeting between the two teams on Saturday.
14. Inter Milan
Last week: 19 (W 3-1 vs. Lazio, W 6-0 at Hellas Verona)
After an 11-game stretch where they averaged fewer than a goal per game, Inter have produced 16 in their last five contests while keeping three clean sheets. Lautaro Martínez is responsible for six of those goals and finished with a brace against both Lazio and Hellas Verona. They climbed back into fourth and have a two-point cushion heading into Saturday’s clash with Roma.
13. Lazio
Last week: 12 (L 3-1 at Inter Milan, W 2-0 vs. Sassuolo)
The defeat to Inter was Lazio’s worst performance of the season based on expected goals even though they were ahead with 15 minutes left in the game. They were able to snap their two-game losing streak by beating Sassuolo as Toma Bašić got his first goal for the club and Mauricio Sarri collected his 150th Serie A victory.
12. RC Lens
Last week: 14 (W 1-0 at Toulouse)
Take away their loss at PSG, and Lens are perfect in their last six games with 14 goals scored and one allowed. Loïs Openda headed home Massadio Haïdara’s cross for the lone goal in the win over Toulouse. With Champions League qualification almost guaranteed at this point, the question is whether they can earn automatic entry into the group stage by finishing in the top two of Ligue 1.
11. Manchester United
Last week: 11 (W 1-0 vs. Aston Villa, L 1-0 at Brighton)
United were in complete control against Villa until the final 15 or so minutes and probably should’ve been leading by more than one. Bruno Fernandes’ goal was ultimately enough though. They were unable to survive Brighton’s late onslaught, however, and still have some work to do to ensure they are playing in the Champions League next season.
10. Borussia Dortmund
Last week: 10 (D 1-1 at VfL Bochum)
There were numerous opportunities for Dortmund to complete their comeback even without the penalty they should have been awarded. They tripled Bochum’s expected goals total (2.7-0.9) and were responsible for the game’s final 11 shots. But it was not meant to be, and they have to hope Bayern Munich slip up one more time.
9. Paris Saint-Germain
Last week: 6 (L 3-1 vs. Lorient)
By the 20th minute, PSG had conceded the game’s opening goal and lost Achraf Hakimi to a second yellow card. Kylian Mbappé stole the ball from Lorient goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo to tie the game, but PSG fell behind again 10 minutes later. Then the club suspended Lionel Messi for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia and had to issue a statement saying they condemn the “intolerable and insulting actions” of the fans who gathered to protest both Messi and Neymar.
8. Bayern Munich
Last week: 9 (W 2-0 vs. Hertha Berlin)
Knowing a victory would send them back to the top of the Bundesliga, Bayern allowed two total shots and got second-half strikes from Serge Gnabry (69th minute) and Kinglsey Coman (79th minute) to snap their four-game winless run. It was their first multi-goal game since beating Borussia Dortmund on April 1. Four more victories will clinch yet another league title.
7. Real Madrid
Last week: 5 (W 4-2 vs. Almería, L 2-0 at Real Sociedad)
Karim Benzema had a hat trick by halftime against Almería, and it didn’t get any more competitive in the second half. The Real Sociedad game featured a goal from former Real Madrid player Takefusa Kubo and Dani Carvajal picking up two yellow cards in eight minutes as Los Blancos lost a second straight road contest. They face Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
6. Atlético Madrid
Last week: 8 (W 5-1 vs. Cádiz)
Antoine Griezmann had scored as many goals by the 27th minute (2) as Cádiz would have shots in the game, and the expected goals total of the two shots was 0.04. That is how utterly dominant Atléti were. They have moved into second place in La Liga and face the league’s bottom two teams in their next three games.
5. Newcastle United
Last week: 7 (W 3-1 vs. Southampton)
Newcastle set a new season-high with 4.3 expected goals in their come-from-behind win over Southampton. Callum Wilson brought them level nine minutes into the second half and added the third goal as well, giving him eight goals in the month of April. They’ve won seven of their last eight games and have only lost one Premier League game all season in which they’ve scored.
4. Barcelona
Last week: 4 (W 4-0 vs. Real Betis, W 1-0 vs. Osasuna)
Aided by a pair of first-half red cards, Barcelona dominated proceedings in both games and got an 85th-minute winner from Jordi Alba to secure back-to-back victories for the first time in over a month. Lamine Yamal, who turns 16 in July, became the youngest player ever to debut for the club when he came on against Betis. One more win will secure the La Liga title.
3. Napoli
Last week: 2 (D 1-1 vs. Salernitana, D 1-1 at Udinese)
The celebrations can officially begin in Naples, and the scenes are incredible. Napoli thought they had their first Serie A title in 33 years wrapped up against Salernitana, but Boulaye Dia’s 84th-minute equalizer forced them to wait a few more days. It’s only fitting that Victor Osimhen got the goal that clinched the title, tying George Weah for the most Serie A goals scored by an African player with 46.
2. Arsenal
Last week: 3 (W 3-1 vs. Chelsea)
A game against floundering Chelsea appears to be all Arsenal needed to break out of their slump. Mikel Artera inserted Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard into the starting lineup, and his team responded with three goals in the opening 34 minutes. They still have not lost back-to-back Premier League games this season.
1. Manchester City
Last week: 1 (W 2-1 at Fulham, W 3-0 vs. West Ham)
While Fulham did score with their only shot on target, City did not have much trouble outside of that. Julián Álvarez restored their lead with a brilliant strike in the 36th minute, and Nathan Nathan Aké broke the deadlock against West Ham right after halftime. Erling Haaland then broke the Premier League single-season record with his 35th goal, which was also his 51st across all competitions.