Lazio Close In On Juventus, Barcelona On Deportivo
LONDON, April 30 (Reuters)(DS) - Lazio closed the gap on Serie A leaders Juventus, Barecelona made up ground on Spanish league leaders Deportivo La Coruna and Bayer Leverkusen edged closer to their first German league title at the weekend.
ITALY
The Serie A title race was reopened as leaders Juventus lost 2-0 away to Verona while second-placed Lazio closed the gap to two points with a 3-2 win at home to Venezia. AC Milan and Inter Milan boosted their hopes of clinching Champions League places, with Milan winning 1-0 at home to Piacenza and Inter enjoying a 2-1 victory at Perugia. Juventus now face a high-pressure home game against Parma before a trip to Perugia on the final day of the season. Lazio are away to Bologna and at home to Reggina in their final two games. Parma were held to a goalless draw at home to Udinese, slipping to fifth place and out of the placings for a Champions League berth.
SPAIN
Deportivo Coruna saw their lead over Barcelona cut to two points when they were beaten 2-1 at local rivals Celta Vigo on Sunday. Deportivo were reduced to nine men in a typically ill-tempered clash with their Galician neighbours, who played most of the game with 10 men. Barcelona, fined and expelled from next season's Spanish Cup for refusing to play Atletico Madrid in a semifinal last Monday, won 3-0 in a league clash between the two sides on Saturday. Unsettled striker Nicolas Anelka had a fine game as Real Madrid moved level on 59 points with Real Zaragoza after a 2-0 win at Espanyol. Zaragoza drew 0-0 at home to Athletic Bilbao to stay third. Valencia kept alive their chances of finishing in the top four of the Spanish League, and entering next season's Champions League regardless of their progress in the current competition after winning 3-1 at Rayo Vallecano. But unfancied Alaves reclaimed fifth place from them with a 1-0 win over Valladolid 24 hours later.
GERMANY
Bayer Leverkusen moved a step closer to a first league title when they beat 10-man Hamburg SV 2-0 away. Victory left them three points clear of only challengers Bayern Munich -- 4-1 victors over Hansa Rostock on Saturday -- with two matches left. "We have a good chance of making it now," said Leverkusen captain Jens Nowotny, who scored the second goal. "We are all perfectly aware that the title is within our reach." SpVgg Unterhaching, who were promoted for the first time this season, guaranteed survival in the top flight by beating Werder Bremen 1-0.
ENGLAND
Bradford City plunged Wimbledon into relegation trouble and boosted their own chances of a premier league future with a highly-charged 3-0 home victory. Goals from George Weah and Roberto Di Matteo gave Chelsea a 2-0 victory over Liverpool to throw open the race for Champions League places next season. Champions Manchester United beat Watford 3-2 for their ninth successive win and a result wich confirmed their opponents' relegation. Marc Overmars grabbed the only goal of the match as Arsenal won at Everton to leapfrog over Liverpool into second place on goal difference. Leeds United moved into fourth place within two points of Liverpool and Arsenal with a 3-0 win at relegation-haunted Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.
