Euro world: A milestone goal for Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano-Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo as a member of Real Madrid. (Francisco Seco/AP)

Every Sunday/Monday, I’ll pick out the best weekend highlights from the top leagues across Europe, and I’ll share what I think are some of the most insightful soccer reads on the web from the past week.

CANADA’S LARIN SCORES IN DEBUT FOR BESIKTAS

Cyle Larin has had to patiently bide his time at Besiktas. The Canadian forward was sold to Besiktas by MLS club Orlando City back in January, but Larin had yet to play for the Turkish outfit.

Larin finally made his Besiktas debut on Saturday, and the young Canadian made an instant impact. Four minutes after coming in as a substitute, Larin scored with a composed finish from inside the box after expertly holding his position to stay onside as Besiktas pressed forward.

POGBA SPOILS MANCHESTER CITY’S PARTY

Manchester City stormed out to a 2-0 lead against Manchester United after 30 minutes on Saturday, and looked poised to officially clinch the Premier League title with a win before their fans.

But Paul Pogba scored a pair of goals just minutes apart early in the second half to draw United level.

Then Chris Smalling netted the winner in the 69th minute on a setup by Alexis Sanchez, and United earned an amazing come-from-behind win in the derby, forcing City to postpone their title celebrations for at least another week.

BAYERN MUNICH CLICHES BUNDESLIGA TITLE

Unlike Manchester City, Bayern Munich managed to take care of business.

The Bavarians clinched a record-extending sixth consecutive Bundesliga crown with a 4-1 win away to Augsburg on Saturday, wrapping things up with five games to spare.

Bayern has been on a mission ever since Dec. 2, when it earned a 3-1 decision over Hannover. That was the beginning of a remarkable 10-game winning streak, and a 13-match unbeaten run. Since that victory, Bayern has only lost one Bundesliga match and dropped a mere four points.

RONALDO REACHES MILESTONE IN MADRID DERBY

Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid played to a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, a result that allowed second-place Atletico to maintain a four-point edge over their city rivals.

The stalemate between the two Madrid sides also benefited Barcelona, who defeated Leganes earlier in the weekend and now sit with a comfortable 11-point lead over Atletico with seven matches remaining in the La Liga schedule.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the second half, only to see Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann level the score five minutes later.

Ronaldo has now scored 20 goals in his last 10 matches in all competitions, including his incredible bicycle kick effort in a 3-0 first-leg win away to Juventus in the Champions League quarterfinals earlier in the week.

Sunday’s goal was the 600th of Ronaldo’s career, which is amazing when you consider how he was at 550 only last summer.

NAPOLI STAGES LATE COMEBACK

Napoli staged a late comeback on Sunday at home against Chievo Verona to keep its Serie A title hopes alive.

Down 1-0, Napoli tied things up in the 89th minute when Arkadiusz Milik headed home off a long cross from Lorenzo Insigne. Then in injury time, Amadou Diawara, who earned a rare start in place of the suspended Jorginho, scored on a curling shot that nestled inside the far post. It was the first goal in 69 Serie A appearances for Diawara.

With the win Napoli moved back within four points of Serie A leader Juventus, who won 4-2 at Benevento on Saturday. Juventus will host Napoli on April 22 in a match that will likely decide the Serie A title.

TOP READ ON THE WEB OF THE PAST WEEK

Why is that some former star players make great managers, while others don’t?

Why have Gennaro Gattuso, Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane achieved managerial success, while many of their former contemporaries have failed?

These are just some of the questions asked by David Verman in his piece for These Football Times. Verman looks at these three iconic figures, and explains why they’ve each managed to carve out solid reputations as coaches, underlining the one common characteristic they share.

Verman writes:

” Management is perhaps the hardest job in football. Not because of the tactics or pressure, but rather because it’s about establishing out how to make your mark as the figurehead of a club with a long history and modern, demanding fans. How can one man live up to the expectations of not only his superiors but millions of fans across the globe? Some are just more prepared than others, and smart ex-players like Gattuso, Guardiola and Zidane have the unique perspective of learning from the greats and being able to impart that knowledge to the rest. It’s why they’ve succeeded and other legends fail.”

ALSO WORTH READING

The Guardian’s Richard Williams penned this moving tribute to former Chelsea captain Ray Wilkins, who passed away this week at the age of 61.

Writing in the Financial Times, Murad Ahmed breaks down Swansea City’s season, and the Welsh club’s battle to avoid relegation.

Miguel Delaney of The Independent examines Alan Pardew’s departure from West Bromwich Albion, and how that divorce reflects on the entire Premier League.

Bill Munday of These Football Times takes this in-depth look at trailblazing Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita.

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