Tuesday, April 2, 2019

The Week that was (in Football (Soccer)): Review of the top Leagues in Europe-part 51 (Week of March 26-April 1, 2019)




Photo From: L'Equipe, March 31, 2019





Note:
The purpose of this section is to summarize the week in question, it is not meant to give a full statistical analysis of the matches.
We live in a viral age and all that information can be accessed.
I welcome all contributions from anyone, even for the Leagues that I did not cover.

I.  England

Diary:
Tuesday, March 26, 2019:

-UEFA have charged Montenegro for the racist behavior of its fans towards England players. (Source BBC Football online)
Wednesday, March 27, 2019:

-Gordon Taylor, chief Executive of PFA, announced that he would step down. (Source Sky Sports online)

-Chelsea have offered Callum Hudson-Odoi counseling after he was subject of racist abuse in the last few weeks for club and country. (Source Sky Sports online)

-Gabriel Agbonlahor announced his retirement from the game aged 32. (Source Sky Sports online)

-Louis van Gaal stated that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tactics are just as defensive as his predecessor Mourinho and is ‘parking the bus’. (Source Daily Mail online)

-Former English and most notably Sheffield United Goalkeeper from the 1950s, Edward Burgin pass’s away aged 91. (Source Wikipedia online)

Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as the full time Manager of Manchester United. (Source BBC Football online)

-Harry Kane revealed he has the ambition to play in the NFL in the future. (Source L’Equipe online)   

-Harry Kane received his OBE medal for his performances in the last World Cup. (Source L’Équipe online)

-Southampton Manager Ralph Hansenhuttl has made a rule that hotels that the team stay are to block the players’ wifi as he wants to stop them from becoming vide game addicts. (Source Reuters UK online)

Friday, March 29, 2019:

-Callum Paterson (Iceland) will be out injured for the rest of the season. (Source Sky Sports online)

-Cardiff Manager Neil Warnock criticized Iceland for their handling of Aron Gunnarsson during the International break. (Source Sky Sports online)

-As a gesture of goodwill Manchester United have paid Molde £1 Million following the full time appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. (Source Sky Sports online) 

Saturday, March 30, 2019:

-Huddersfield became the first team to be relegated after their loss at Crystal Palace. (Source BBC Football online)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:

-PSG have reportedly made an offer to Manchester United’s David De Gea that would make the highest goalkeeper in the world. (Source onefootball online)    

-Cardiff Manager Neil Warnock expressed his displeasure with the match officials in their match vs. Chelsea by staring down at them at the end of the match. The most glaring point of contention was Azpilicuera’s goal, which was offside. (Source Sky Sports online)


Monday, April 1, 2019:

-Steve McClaren was dismissed as QPR Manager. (Source BBC Football online)

-Everton are investigating an alleged incident where goalkeeper Jordan Pickford may have been involved in a middle of a scuffle in Sunderland.  (Source Sky Sports online)

 -Arsenal won for the 10th straight time at home. The first time they have achieved this since 1998. (Source L’Equipe online)


English Premier League Matchday (March 30-April 1, 2019):

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Fulham 0-Manchester City 2 (Bernardo Silva 5, Sergio Aguero 27)
Brighton 0-Southampton 1 (Pierre Hojbjerg 53)
Burnley 2-Wolves 0  (Conor Coady (own goal) 2, Dwight McNeill 77)
Crystal Palace 2-Huddersfield 0 (Luka Milivojevic 76 pen, Patrick Van Aanholt 88)
Leicester 2-Bournemouth 0  (Wes Morgan 11, Jamie Vardy 82)
Manchetser United 2-Watford 1 (Marcus Rashford 28, Anthony Martial 72 / Abdoulaye Doucoure 90)
West Ham 0-Everton 2 (Kurt Zouma 5, Bernard 33)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
Cardiff 1-Chelsea 2 (Vicotr Camarasa 46 / Cesar Azpilicueta 84, Ruben Loftus-Cheek 90)
Liverpool 2-Tottenham 1 (Roberto Firmino 16, Toby Alderweireld (own goal) 90 / Lucas Moura 70)

Monday, April 1, 2019:
Arsenal 2-Newcastle 0 (Aaron Ramsey 30, Alexandre Lacazette 83)

Top Goalscorer:
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) 19 goals
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) 17 goals
Pierre-Erick Aubameyang (Arsenal) 17 goals
Harry Kane (Tottenham) 17 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Liverpool
32
24
7
1
72
19
53
79
2
Manchester City
31
25
2
4
81
21
60
77
3
Arsenal
31
19
6
6
65
39
26
63
4
Tottenham
31
20
1
10
58
34
24
61
5
Manchester United
31
18
7
6
  60
41
19
61
6
Chelsea
31
18
6
7
52
34
18
60

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

II.  Italy
Diary:
Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
-Inter’s Mauro Icardi has resumed training with the club. (Source Football Italia online)

-Agent Mino Raiola denied having made comments urging that Moise Kean has to play every match and that he nearly took him to AC Milan in the January transfer window. (Source Football Italia online)

-Cristiano Ronaldo has estimated that he should be fit from his recent injury within two weeks. (Source AS.com online)

-Fabio Quagliarella became Italy National Team’s oldest goalscorer by scoring against Liechtenstein aged 36. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Italy’s (6-0) win over Liechtenstein was their largest victory in 57 years and the last time they had scored six goals in a match was 26 years ago. (Source Football Italia online)

-Mario Balotelli hinted that he might refuse Italy call-ups in the future after constant abuse from the fans. (Source Football Italia online)
Wednesday, March 27, 2019:

-Torino President Urbano Cairo ruled out any possible hiring of Giampiero Ventura as Technical Director. (Source Football Italia online)

Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-

Friday, March 29, 2019:

-Sampdoria President Massimo Ferrero has denied reports that the club is to change owners. (Source Football Italia online)

-Angelo Di Livio was appointed as the Manager of Italy’s Post Office Team. (Source Football Italia online)
Saturday, March 30, 2019:

-Mauro Icardi will not play for Inter this weekend due to ‘new developments’. (Source Football Italia online)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:

-Inter Manager Luciano Spaletti justified Mauro Icardi’s exclusion for his recent behavior. Spaletti stared that it was ‘humiliating’ to negotiate with a player to have him play for Inter. (Source Reuters UK online)

Monday, April 1, 2019:

-


Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
March 27, 2019 
Youssuf Sylla (17 years old)
-
Standard Liege
Torino
Next Season
Footnews.be

Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
March 28, 2019
Daniele Rugani
Defender
Juventus
2023
L’Equipe


Italian Serie A Matchday (March 29-March 31, 2019):

Friday, March 29, 2019:
Chievo 0-Cagliari 3 (Fabio Pisacane 16, Joao Pedro 33, Artur Ionita 43)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Udinese 2-Genoa 0 (Stefano Okaka 4, Rolando Mandragora 61)
Juventus 1-Empoli 0 (Moise Kean 72)
Sampdoria 1-AC Milan 0 (Gtregoire Defrel 1)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
Parma 1-Atalanta 3 (Gervinho 8 / Mario Pasalic 24, Duvan Zapata 75, 90)
Fiorentina 1-Torino 1 (Giovanni Simeone 7 / Daniele Baselli 34)
Roma 1-Napoli 4 (Diego Perotti 45 pen / Arek Milik 2, Dries Mertens 50, Simone Verdi 54, Amin Younes 81)
Frosinone 0-SPAL 1 (Francesco Vicari 13)
Bologna 2-Sassuolo 1 (Erick Pulgar 68 pen, Mattia Destro 90+ / Jeremie Boga 90)
Inter 0-Lazio 1 (Sergej Milinkovic-Savic 13)

Top Goalscorer:
Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria) 21 goals
Krzysztof Piatek (Genoa and AC Milan) 20 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) 19 goals
Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) 19 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Juventus
29
25
3
1
60
19
41
78
2
Napoli
29
19
6
4
56
24
32
63
3
Inter
29
16
5
8
43
25
18
53
4
AC Milan
29
14
9
6
43
  27
16
51
5
Lazio
28
14
6
8
42
29
13
48
6
Atalanta
29
14
6
9
60
40
20
48


P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point
III.  Spain

Diary:

Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
-Spain Manager Luis Enrique will not manage the side today vs. Malta for personal family reasons. Robert Moreno will manage in his place. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Barcelona have ruled out the future signing of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid after the player’s refusal to sign last summer. (Source Marca.com online)

-Miralem Pjanic (Juventus) has been linked to Real Madrid for next season. (Source AS.com online)

Wednesday, March 27, 2019:

-Brazil Manager Tite stated that Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) had missed an opportunity by missing on the recent International matches through injury and hinted would be unlikely to make the Copa America squad. (Source Football Espana online)

-Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele has been linked with Real Madrid as a priority set by Zinedine Zidane. (Source AS.com online)


Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-Reports suggest that Antoine Griezmann may be willing to take a pay cut to join Barcleona. (Source Daily Mail online)

-Luis Figo stated that Sergio Ramos deserves the Ballon d’Or. (Source Marca online)

Friday, March 29, 2019:

-In a vote in Barcelona, Lionel Messi was voted a shaving scored the first second and third best goals in the club’s history (his strike vs. Getafe in 2007 as the best). (Source BBC Football online)

-Antoine Griezmann has reportedly informed Atletico Madrid that he will not leave at the end of the season. (Source AS.com online)

-Lionel Messi stated that he misses Cristiano Ronaldo as he brought prestige to the Spanish League. (Source Daily Mail online)

-Spanish League matches in summertime (May 20th to September 15th) are to be played after 19:30 hours for the health of the players. (Source MaisFutebol online)

-Rivaldo criticized the rumored 280 Million Euros Real Madrid offer for Kylian Mbappe. He stated that no player is worth that much. (Source Football Espana online)
 Saturday, March 30, 2019:

-Lionel Messi has now won his 334th match with Barcelona matching Iker Casillas’ record. (Source Sportskeeda online)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:

-Zinedine Zidane selected his son Luca to start in goal for Real Madrid’s match vs. Huesca. (Source RTBF.be online)

Monday, April 1, 2019:

-

Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
April 1, 2019
Unai Simon
Goalkeeper
Bilbao
2023
L’Equipe


Spanish La Liga Matchday (March 29-March 31, 2019):

Friday, March 29, 2019:
Girona 1-Bilbao 2 (Cristhian Stuani 37 / Inaki Williams 53, Raul Garcia 59)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Getafe 0-Leganes 2 (Michael Santos 49, Juanfran 83)
Barcelona 2-Espanyol 0 (Lionel Messi 71, 89)
Celta 3-Villareal 2 (Iago Aspas 50, 86 pen, Maxi Gomez 71 / Karl Toko Ekambi 11, Alfonso Pedraza 15)
Alaves 0-Atletico Madrid 4 (Saul Niguez 5, Diego Costa 11, Alvaro Morata 59, Thomas Partey 84)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
Levante 2-Eibar 2 (Jose Luis Morales 5, Ruben Rochina 26 / Gonzalo Escalante 19, Sergi Enrich 78)
Vallecano 1-Betis 1 (Raul De Tomas 34 / Cristian Tello 81)
Sevilla 0-Valencia 1 (Dani Parejo 45 pen)
Valladolid 1-Sociedad 1 (Keko 9 / Mikel Oyarzabal 79)
Real Madrid 3-Huesca 2 (Isco 25, Dani Ceballos 62, Karim Benzema 89 / J.Camilo Hernandez 3, Xabier Etxeita 74)

Top Goalscorer:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 31 goals
Luis Suarez (Barcelona) 18 goals
Cristhian Stuani (Girona) 17 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Barcelona
29
21
6
2
75
27
48
69
2
Atletico Madrid
29
 17
8
4
43
19
24
59
3
Real Madrid
29
18
5
6
52
34
18
57
4
Getafe
29
12
10
7
36
26
10
46
5
Alaves
29
12
8
9
31
35
-4
44
6
Valencia
29
9
16
4
31
23
8
43

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point


IV.  Germany
Diary:


Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
-Franz Beckenbauer believes that Bayern Munich should dismiss Manager Nico Kovac at the end of the season. (Source onefootball Online)

-Jurgen Klinsmann criticized VfB Stuttgart for the recent resignation of Guido Buchwald from the supervisory board. (Source Sport Bild Online)

Wednesday, March 27, 2019:

-Hannover President Martin Kind placed pressure on Manager Thomas Doll by refusing to guarantee his position after a loss for this coming weekend. (Source Bulinews online)

Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-Schalke Manager Huub Stevens indicated that the discarded Nabil Bentaleb would be given another chance. (Source Sport Bild online)

-Eintracht Frankfurt have been fined 50,000 for crowd disturbances in their Europa League Match vs. Inter. (Source MaisFutebol online)

Friday, March 29, 2019:

-Bayern Munich’s Uli Hoeness stated that it was wise not to comment on the exclusion of the Bayern trio from the National Team. He said he did it for the sake of himself and Joachim Low. (Source Bulinews online)

-Stuttgart Manager Markus Weinzierl criticized his defender Borna Sosa for complaining in the press for his dissatisfaction at the club. (Source Sport Bild online)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:

-Karim Bellarabi (Leverkusen) will be out injured for the rest of the season. (Source Sport Bild online)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
-

Monday, April 1, 2019:
-Achraf Hakimi (Dortmund) will be out injured for the rest of the season. (Source Goal.com online)

Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
March 27, 2019 
Lucas Hernandez (France)
Defender
Atletico Madrid
Bayern Munich
Next season
Sky Sports
March 28, 2019 
Luan Candido (Brazil)
-
Palmeiras
RB Leipzig
Next season
Sport Bild

Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
March 26, 2019
Guido Burgstaller
Striker
Schalke
2022
Bulinews
March 26, 2019
Karim Onisiwo
Striker
Mainz
2020
Sport Bild
March 27, 2019
Ramazan Ozcan
Goalkeeper
Leverkusen
2020
Sport Bild


Profesional Contract
Date
Player
Position
Club
Online Source
March 26, 2019 
Julian Albrecht (17 years old)
-
Hertha Berlin
Sport Bild


German Bundesliga Matchday (March 29-March 31, 2019):

Friday, March 29, 2019:
Hoffenheim 4-Leverkusen 1 (Ishak Belfodil 10, 61, Sven Bender (own goal) 51, Anfrej Kramaric 79 / Kevin Volland 17)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Nuremberg 3-Augsburg 0 (Mikale Ishak 52, Matheus Pereira 88, Eduard Lowen 90)
Dortmund 2-Wolfsburg 0 (Paco Alcacer 90, 90+)
Dusseldorf 3- Moenchengladbach 1 (Rouwen Hennings 6, 16, Kevin Stoger 12 / Denis Zakaria 83)
Freiburg 1-Bayern Munich 1 (Lucas Holer 3 / Robert Lewandowski 22)
Werder Bremen 3-Mainz 1 (Milot Rashica 3, Max Kruse 36, 63 / Robin Quaison 52)
RB Leipzig 5-Hertha Berlin 0 (Emil Forsberg 17, Yussuf Poulsen 27, 56, 62, Amadou Haidara 64)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
Hannover 0-Schalke 1 (Suat Serdar 39)
Frankfurt 3-Stuttgart 0 (Filip Kostic 45, 64, Luka Jovic 84)

Top Goalscorer:
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) 19 goals
Paco Alcacer (Dortmund) 16 goals
Luka Jovic (Frankfurt) 16 goals
Marco Reus (Dortmund) 15 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Dortmund
27
19
6
2
66
30
36
63
2
Bayern Munich
27
19
4
4
69
28
41
61
3
RB Leipzig
27
15
7
5
49
20
29
52
4
Frankfurt
27
14
7
6
54
30
24
49
5
M’Gladbach
27
14
5
8
46
34
12
47
6
Werder Bremen
27
11
9
7
49
39
10
42

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point


V.  France
Diary:
Tuesday, March 26, 2019:

-

Wednesday, March 27, 2019:

-

Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-Lyon were fined 28,000 Euros due its fans misbehavior in their home match vs. Barcelona. (Source L’Équipe online)

-Michel Platini has been invited as part of the “Change the World Foundation” at UN headquarters in New York City. (Source L’Équipe online)
Friday, March 29, 2019:

-Rennes have been fined 44,000 Euros by UEFA after its fans entered the field in their Europa League match vs. Arsenal. (Source L’Équipe online)

-Caen Management stated that Rolland Courbis was in error when he had held a press conference implying that he had taken over as Manager. They maintained that Fabian Mercadal is the Manager. (Source L’Équipe online)

-Former French striker from the 60s and 70s, Maurice Hardouin passed away. (Source Wikipedia online)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:

-Strasbourg won the French League Cup after a penalty kick shoot-out vs. Guingamp.

Sunday, March 31, 2019:

-
Monday, April 1, 2019:

-

Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
March 26, 2019 
Bjorn Engels
Defender
Olympiakos
Reims
Permanent signing (previously on lona)
Walfoot.be
March 28, 2019 
Jorge (Brazil)
Defender
Monaco (on loan at Porto)
Santos
Loan
L’Equipe
April 1, 2019 
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (Iceland)
Striker
Free Agent (formerly Nantes)
AIK Solan
Purchase
vi.nl


Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
March 28, 2019
Thomas Tuchel (Germnay)
Manager
PSG
2021
L’Equipe
March 28, 2019
Arnaud Nordin
Striker
St Etienne
2022
L’Equipe


French League Cup-Final (March 30, 2019):

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Strasbourg 0-Guingamp 0 (-) (Strasbourg won 4-1 on penalty kick shoot-out)



French Ligue 1 Matchday (March 29-April 1, 2019):

Friday, March 29, 2019:
Rennes 0-Lyon 1 (Martin Terrier 86)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
OM 2-Angers 2 (Mario Balotelli 4, 16 / Thomas Mangani 36 pen, 77 pen)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
Monaco 0-Caen 1 (Enzo Crivelli 23)
Dijon 0-Nice 1 (Pierre Lees Melou 60)
Amiens 0-Bordeaux 0 (-)
Nantes 2-Lille 3 (Valentin Eysseric 54 pen, Kalifa Coulibaly 56 / Rafael leno 62, Nicolas Pepe 68 pen, Jonathan Bamba 69)
Toulouse 0-PSG 1 (Kylian Mbappe 74)

Monday, April 1, 2019:
St Etienne 2-Nimes 1 (Remy Cabella 24, Robert Beric 79 / Antonin Bobichon 2)

Top Goalscorer:
Kylian Mbappe (PSG) 27 goals
Edinson Cavani (PSG) 17 goals

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
PSG
29
26
2
1
87
16
71
80
2
Lille
30
17
7
6
48
26
22
59
3
Lyon
30
16
8
6
51
35
16
56
4
St Etienne
30
14
7
9
44
36
8
49
5
OM
30
14
6
10
48
40
8
48
6
Reims
29
11
13
5
31
27
4
46


P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point



VI.  Holland
Diary:


Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
-

Wednesday, March 27, 2019:

-
Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-Ajax were fined 23,000 Euros for the misbehavior of its fans in their match at Madrid vs. Real. (Source voetbalzone.nl online)
Friday, March 29, 2019:

-


Saturday, March 30, 2019:
-

Sunday, March 31, 2019:

-

Monday, April 1, 2019:
-Heracles announced that Aras Ozbiliz has been suspended for disciplinary reasons and Kristoffer Kristinsson has returned to the youth side. (Source vi.nl online)

-Willem II announced that they will not extend the expiring contracts of Mattijs Branderhorst, Jordy Croux and Elmo Lieftink. (Source vi.nl online)


Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
March 26, 2019 
Razvan Marin (Romania)
Midfielder
Standard Liege
Ajax
Next Season
L’Equipe
March 26, 2019 
Nick Marsman
Goalkeeper
Utrecht
Free Agent
Contract Rescinded
vi.nl
March 27, 2019 
Jordy Tutuarima
-

De Graafschap
Permanent signing (purchase option lifted)
vi.nl
March 27, 2019 
Delano Burgzorg 

-

De Graafschap
Permanent signing (purchase option lifted)
vi.nl
March 27, 2019 
Kristoffer Peterson 

-

Heracles
Permanent signing (purchase option lifted)
vi.nl
March 27, 2019 
Brandley Kuwas 

-

Heracles
Permanent signing (purchase option lifted)
vi.nl
March 27, 2019 
Marco Van Duin

-
NEC
Free Agent
Contract Rescinded
vi.nl
March 27, 2019 
Oliver Zelenika
-
NEC
Free Agent
Contract Rescinded
vi.nl
March 27, 2019 
Guus Joplin

-
NEC
Free Agent
Contract Rescinded
vi.nl
March 27, 2019 
Patrick Pothuizen

-
NEC
Free Agent
Contract Rescinded
vi.nl
March 27, 2019 
Muslu Nalbantoglu

-
NEC
Free Agent
Contract Rescinded
vi.nl


Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
March 27, 2019
Calvin Stengs
-
AZ
2023
vi.nl
March 28, 2019
Andre Onana
-
Ajax
2022
vi.nl
March 29, 2019
Lex Immers
-
Den Haag
-
vi.nl
April 1, 2019
Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco)
Defender
Ajax
2022
L’Equipe


Profesional Contract
Date
Player
Position
Club
Online Source
March 26, 2019 
Jan Paul van Hecke (18 years old)
-
NAC Breda
vi.nl


Dutch Eredivisie Matchday (March 30-March 31, 2019):

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Den Haag 3-Vitesse 3 (Sheraldo Becker 7, Lex Immers 31, 76 / Thomas Buitink 21, 27, 43)
Willem II 3-Fortuna Sittard 2 (Alexander Isak 44 pen, 58 pen, 61 pen / Andrija Novakovich 32, Branislav Ninaj 53)
De Graafschap 1-Heracles 2 (Charlison Benschop 16 / Brabdley Kuwas 66, Lerin Duarte 70)
AZ 1-Groningen 0 (Ron Vlaar 70)
Heerenveen 1-Excelsior 0 (P.Van Amersfoort 90)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
NAC 1-VVV 1 (Greg Leigh 66 / Peniel Mlapa 14)
Utrecht 3-Feyenoord 2 (Urby Emanuelson 33, S. Van de Streek 60, Timo Letschert 90 / Sam Larsson 64, Robin van Persie 75)
PEC 3-Emmen 0 (-Vito Van Crooij 3, Lennart Thy 45, 90)
Ajax 3-PSV 1 (Daniel Schwaab (own goal) 21, Dusan Tadic 72 pen, David Neres 90 / Luuk De Jong 58)

Top Goalscorer:
Luuk De Jong (PSV Eindhoven) 21 goals
Dusan Tadic (Ajax) 20 goals
Hakim Ziyech (Ajax) 15 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
PSV Eindhoven
27
21
4
2
80
19
61
67
2
Ajax
27
21
3
4
92
24
68
65
3
AZ
27
15
5
7
53
30
23
50
4
Feyenoord
27
14
5
8
57
36
21
47
5
Utrecht
27
12
7
8
48
36
12
43
6
Heracles
27
13
3
11
48
51
-3
42

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point



VII.  Scotland
Diary:

Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
-


Wednesday, March 27, 2019:

-Celtic announced that Leigh Griffiths will return to the club to resume fitness. He had taken a leave of absence in December for personal reasons. (Source Sky Sports online)
Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-

Friday, March 29, 2019:

-

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
-Hearts Manager Craig Levein was given a misconduct charge by the Scottish FA for his behavior in a U-18 match vs. Hibernian in his role as Director of Football. (Source BBC Football online)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:

-Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) was sent off in the Old-Firm clash vs. Celtic. This is his 5th sending off in 45 matches in this season. This is a new record as the previous record-holders were Sergio Ramos and Ryan Jack, who both received four red cards in a season. (Source Daily Mail online)

Monday, April 1, 2019:
-Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) has received a four-match ban for his sending off for elbowing Celtic’s Scott Brown in yesterday’s match. (Source BBC Football online)

-The death of former Scottish Professional form the 60s and 70s, Kit Napier as announced. (Source Wikipedia online)

Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
March 29, 2019
Alan Power
Midfielder
Kilmarnock
2022
BBC Football


Scottish Premier League Matchday (March 27, 2019):
Wednesday, March 27, 2019:
St Johnstone 1-St Mirren 0 (Christopher Kane 13)


Scottish Premier League Matchday (March 29-March 31, 2019):
Friday, March 29, 2019:
Livingston 1-Hibernian 2 (Ryan Hardie 90 pen / Paul Hanlon 71, Stephen Mallan 75)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Hearts 2-Aberdeen 1 (Sean Clare 60 pen, Uche Ikpeazu 77 / Connor McLennan 15)
Kilmarnock 5-Hamilton 0 (Greg Taylor 5, Conor McAlemny 56, Youssuf Mulumbu 63, Chris Burke 84, Mikael Ndjoli 90)
Motherwell 3-St Johnstone 0 (Elliott Frear 70, David Turnbull 80, Richard Tait 90)
St Mirren 2-Dundee 1 (Daniel Mullen 12, Bradley Lyons 58 / Ethan Robson 1)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
Celtic 2-Rangers 1 (Odsonne Edouard 27, James Forrest 86 / Ryan Kent 63)

Top Goalscorer:
Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) 17 goals


Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Celtic
31
23
4
4
69
17
52
73
2
Rangers
31
17
9
5
67
24
43
60
3
Kilmarnock
31
15
9
7
44
28
16
54
4
Aberdeen
31
15
7
9
47
36
11
52
5
Hearts
31
15
5
11
37
36
1
50
6
Hibernian
31
13
9
9
47
33
14
48
P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

VIII.  Portugal

Diary:


Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
-

Wednesday, March 27, 2019:
-

Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-
Friday, March 29, 2019:

-

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
-

Sunday, March 31, 2019:

-Moroccan Adel Taarabt finally made his debut for Benfica for the first time since transferring from QPR in 2015. (Source BBC Football online)

Monday, April 1, 2019:
-

Profesional Contract
Date
Player
Position
Club
Online Source
March 26, 2019 
Joao Tome (16 years old)
-
Benfica
Maisfutebol
March 28, 2019 
Diogo Paulo (17 years old)
Midfielder
Guimaraes
Maisfutebol

Portugal Primeira Liga League Matchday (March 29-April 1, 2019):

Friday, March 29, 2019:
Portimonense 0-Moreirense 2 (Chiquinho 34, Heriberto Tavares 60)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Braga 2-Porto 3 (Wilson Eduardo 5, Murillo 47 / Soares 26, 79 pen, Alex Telles 69 pen)
Chaves 1-Sporting CP 3 (Andre Luis 60 / Luiz Phellype 24, 90, Bruno Fernandes 80)
Santa Clara 1-Guimaraes 0 (Ze Manuel 26)
Benfica 1-Tondela 0 (Haris Seferovic 84)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
Maritimo 3-Nacional 2 (Edgar Costa 5, Joel Tagueu 16 pen, Getterson 35 / Joao Camacho 11 pen, Bryan Rochez 88 pen)
Rio Ave 0-Aves 2 (Rodrigo Soares 6 pen, Mama Balde 83)
Boavista 2-Belenenses 0 (Yusupha Njie 53, Mateus 90)

Monday, April 1, 2019:
Feirense 0-Setubal 1 (Jhonder Cadiz 81)

Top Goalscorer:
Haris Seferovic (Benfica) 16 goals
Dyego Sousa (Braga) 14 goals
Bas Dost (Sporting CP) 14 goals



Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Benfica
27
21
3
3
73
23
50
66
2
Porto
27
21
3
3
56
17
39
66
3
Sporting CP
27
18
4
5
53
28
25
58
4
Braga
27
18
4
5
46
27
19
58
5
Moreirense
27
14
3
10
33
34
-1
45
6
Guimaraes
27
12
6
9
31
24
7
42

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

IX.  Belgium
Diary:
Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
-Anderlecht’s Bosnian defender Ognjen Vranjes was arrested at the Charleroi airport upon returning to Belgium from Bosnia. His residency permit had expired, and he was transported to a refugee center and spent the night there before being released on Tuesday. (Source L’Equipe online)

Wednesday, March 27, 2019:

-Charleroi were fined 5,000 Euros for its fans using pyrotechnic materials in their match vs. Antwerp on March 10th. (Source RTBF.be online)

-Romelu Lukaku has described himself as Belgium’s best ever striker. (Source Walfoot.be online)
Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-Manuel Benson (Mouscron, on loan from Genk) will be out injured for the rest of the season. (Source Jupiler League App online)

Friday, March 29, 2019:
-In the near future, Anderlecht’s Stadium Stade Constant Vanden Stock is to be renamed to most likely after an agreement with Lotto. (Source Walfoot.be online)


Saturday, March 30, 2019:

-VAR was used for the first time for Offside line technology. It was used to annul Felipe Avenatti’s goal in the 8th minute of Kortrijk and Mouscron match. (Source RTBF.be online)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:



Monday, April 1, 2019:

-Former Anderlecht manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck stated that he is still owed money by Anderlecht as part of his severance package. The club responded by releasing a statement, saying that they had fully paid him. (Source RTBF.be online)


Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
March 28, 2019 
Jan Van den Bergh
-
Eerschot-Wilrijk
Gent
Next Season
Walfoot.be
March 28, 2019 
Gary Kagelmacher
Defender
-
Kortrijk
Permanent signing (previously on loan)
Jupiler League App

Contract Extensions
Date
Player
Position
Club
Expiration Year
Online Source
March 29, 2019
Yari Vetschaeren
-
Anderlecht
2022
Walfoot.be


First Division A- Championship Play-offs-League Matchday (March 29-March 31, 2019):
Friday, March 29, 2019:
Standard 3-Antwerp 1 (Moussa Djenepo 71, Luis Cavanda 80, Kostas Laifis 88 / Dieumerci Mbokani 25)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Genk 3-Anderlecht 0  (Joakim Marhle 32, Junya Ito 55, Joseph Paintsil 79)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
Club Brugge 3-Gent 0 (Ruud Vormer 14, Clinton Mata 26, Hans Vanaken 57)

Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Genk
1
1
0
0
3
0
3
35
2
Club Brugge
1
1
0
0
3
0
3
31
3
Standard Liege
1
1
0
0
3
1
2
30
4
Anderlecht
1
0
0
1
0
3
-3
26
5
Antwerp
1
0
0
1
1
3
-2
25
6
Gent
1
0
0
1
0
3
-3
25

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

First Division A- EL Group A-League Matchday (March 30-March 31, 2019):

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Ostend 1-Eupen 2  (Fernando Canesin 44 / Youssef Msakni 14, Xavi Molina 62)

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
St Truiden 3-Charleroi 1 (Alexis De Sart 44, Cristian Ceballos 80, Mamadou Sylla 90 / Ryota Morioka 10)
Westerlo 1-Beerschot-Wilrijk 1 (Christian Bruls 34 / Loris Brogno 25)


First Division A- EL Group B-League Matchday (March 30-March 31, 2019):

Saturday, March 30, 2019:
Kortrijk 3-Mouscron 1  (Felipe Avenatti 8, Teddy Chevalier 21, Bruno Godeau (own goal) 64 / Frank Boya 73)
Zulte-waregem 0-Waasland-Beveren 0  (-)
Union St Gilloise 3-Cercle Brugge 1  (Faiz Selemani 26 pen, Youssoufou Niakate 45, 82 / Gianni Bruno 48)


Top Goalscorer:
Mbwana Samatta (Genk) 20 goals
Hamdi Harbaoui (Zulte-Waregem) 18 goals
Ivan Santini (Anderlecht) 14 goals
Nany Dimata (Anderlecht) 13 goals
 
Table
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Genk
30
18
9
3
63
31
32
63
2
Club Brugge
30
16
8
6
64
32
32
56
3
Standard Liege
30
15
8
7
49
35
14
53
4
Anderlecht
30
15
6
9
49
34
15
51
5
Gent
30
15
5
10
53
45
8
50
6
Antwerp
30
14
7
9
39
34
5
49

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point


Diary (extra):

Tuesday, March 26, 2019:

-Ukraine is in danger of losing points in Euro qualifiers, as Junior Moraes became a citizen just the week before but according to FIFA statutes a naturalized player over age of 18 must have lived in the country of residence for at least five years consecutively, however, Junior Moraes was loaned to a Chinese side for four months in 2017. Portugal and Luxembourg have lodged complaints. (Source Footnews.be online)

-Jorge Valdano stated that Argentina should be less Messi dependent and instead improve the players around him. (Source AS.com online)

-Former Russian International Pavel Pogrebnyak was fined for saying that it was ‘laughable’ to have black players playing for the Russian National Team. (Source BBC Football online)

-As expected Republic of Ireland’s match vs. Georgia at Aviva Stadium was briefly halted due to the crowd throwing tennis balls in protest. (Source Balls.ie online)

-Brazilian Journalist Rafael Henzel passed away aged 45 after collapsing while playing Football with his friends. He was one of the few survivors of the Chapecoense airplane crash from 2016. (Source BBC Football online)

-Republic of Ireland’s James McClean has criticized Declan Rice for his International switch to England. (Source Sky Sports online)

Wednesday, March 27, 2019:

-Republic of Ireland’s James McClean has told any player who wants to follow Declan Rice’s example to “sod off and play for someone else”. (Source Sky Sports online)


Thursday, March 28, 2019:

-Australian Tim Cahill plans to retire from the game at the end of the season. (Source Sky Sports online)

-Daniel Cousin was dismissed as Gabon National Team Manager. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Savo Milosevic was appointed as Manager of Partizan Belgrade. (Source Reuters UK online)

-UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against Republic of Ireland due to the tennis ball protest in the Euro qualifier vs. Georgia. (Source Reuters UK online)

-Former Argentina player Leopoldo Luque criticized Lionel Messi’s commitment to the National Team for leaving the squad after his injury. In comparison he said Maradona was available even when hurt. (Source MaisFutebol online)

-The Ukraine Federation have maintained that they followed all procedures and consulted with FIFA and UEFA prior to selecting Junior Moraes. (Source MaisFutebol online)

-Gonzalo Higuain has announced his retirement from the Argentina National Team. (Source BeIn Sport online)

-Former Soviet Defender Vladimir Sergeyevich Basalayev passed away aged 73. (Source Wikipedia online)

Friday, March 29, 2019:

-Australian Tim Cahill officially announced his retirement from the game. (Source Reuters UK online)

- Gabriel Batistuta came to the defense Gonzalo Higuain for his continued abuse in Argentina Football circles. (Source Sportskeeda online)

-Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo revealed that he had turned down an offer to join Barcelona in January to remain in the Chinese League. (Source BBC Football online)

Saturday, March 30, 2019:

-

Sunday, March 31, 2019:
-

Monday, April 1, 2019:

-Bertie Ahern was named as the new CEO of the Republic of Ireland Federation (FAI). (Source extra.ie online)

-Venezuela National Team Manager Rafael Dudamel announced that he would remain in his post. (Source L’Equipe online)


Transfers
Date
Player
Position
From
To
Type
Online Source
March 27, 2019 
Pato (Brazil)
-
Free Agent (formerly Tianjin Quanjian)
Sao Paulo
Purchase
L’Equipe


I. Friendlies:

Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
Japan 1-Bolivia 0 (Shoya Nakajima 76)
South Korea 2-Colombia 1 (Heung-min Son 16, jae-Sung Lee 59 / Luis Diaz 49)
United Arab Emirates 0-Syria 0 (-)
Iraq 3-Jordan 2 (-)
Ivory Coast 1-Liberia 0 (Jonathan Kodjia 90 pen)
Nigeria 1-Egypt 0 (Paul Onuachu 1)
Senagal 2-Mali 1 (-)
Morocco 0-Argentina 1 (Angel Correa 83)
Algeria 1-Tunisia 0 (Baghdad Bounedjah 70 pen)
Czech Republic 1-Brazil 3 (David Pavelka 37 / Roberto Firmino 49, Gabriel Jesus 83, 90)
Gibraltar 0-Estonia 1 (Kosntantin Vassiljev 53)
USA 1-Chile 1 (Christian Pulisic 4 / Oscar Opazo 9)
Peru 0-El Salvador 2 (Miguel Trauco (own goal) 61, Oscar Ceren 90)
Honduras 0-Ecuador 0 (-)
Costa Rica 1-Jamaica 0 (Keysher Fuller 29)
Paraguay 2-Mexico 4 (Hernan Perez 60, Derlis Gonzalez 85 / J. dos santos 6, Gustavo Gomez (own goal) 10, Javier Hernandez 25, Luis Montes 90)


II. 2020 UEFA European Championship Qualifiers:

Group D:

Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
Republic of Ireland 1-Georgia 0 (Conor Hourihane 36)
Switzerland 3-Denmark 3 (Remo Freuler 19, Granit Xhaka 66, Breel Embolo 76 / Mathias Jorgensen 84, Chritsian Gytkjaer 88, Henrik Dalsgaard 90)


Group F:

Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
Malta 0-Spain 2 (Alvaro Morata 31, 73)
Norway 3-Sweden 3 (B.Maars Johnsen 41, Joshua King 59, Ola Kamara 90+ / Viktor Claesson 70, Haavard Nordtveit (own goal) 86, Robin Quaison 90)
Romania 4-Faroe Islands 1 (Ciprian Ioan Deac 26, Claudiu Keseru 29, 33, George Puscas 63 / Viljomur Davidsen 40 pen)


Group J:

Tuesday, March 26, 2019:
Armenia 0-Finland 2 (Fredrik Jensen 14, Pyry Soiri 78)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-Greece 2 (Edin Visca 10, Miralem Ojanic 15 / K.Fortounis 64 pen, Dimitris Kolovos 85)
Italy 6-Liechtenstein 0 (Stefano Sensi 17, Marco Verratti 32, Fabio Quagliarella 35 pen, 45 pen, Moise Kean 69, Lonardo Paoletti 76)

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