As we approach the World Cup in November, many summer leagues are drawing to a close. Elsewhere, the big games are continuing to come thick and fast in the big winter leagues around Europe. We will be rounding up all the major action from the last couple of days in this edition of Last Weekend.
By Neel Shelat
đ Copa Libertadores: Flamengo 1-0 Athletico Paranaense
The biggest match of the year in South America was played on Saturday night in Ecuador, where the Copa Libertadores final saw two-time winners Flamengo face Athletico Paranaense, who were searching for their first-ever title.
Flamengo were the favourites for this match as they had comfortably progressed through the knockouts with 17 goals scored and just 2 conceded, but Athletico Paranaense were no strangers to succeeding as underdogs. In the semi-final, they got the better of defending champions Palmeiras after holding on for a win at home and then snatching a late away draw.
The final was, of course, a one-match affair, so everything was set to be decided at the Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha. As expected, Flamengo dominated possession in the opening exchanges, but Athletico defended with discipline and were able to pose a threat on the break. Both sides were incredibly cautious of overcommitting in attack and always kept bodies back to defend, so clear-cut chances were hard to come by.
The decisive moment came in the 43rd minute when Pedro Henrique received a second yellow card for a silly slide tackle that led him to swipe through the foot of his opponent. Luiz Felipe Scolari opted to wait till half-time to send on a replacement centre-back, but Flamengo capitalised in the meantime as Gabriel Barbosa lurked in to the back post area unnoticed and turned in Ăverton Ribeiroâs cross on the stroke of half-time.
The numerical disadvantage made Athletico Paranaenseâs quest for an equaliser quite difficult, and although they were able to fashion a couple of openings later in the second half, Flamengo came away with a pretty comfortable victory.
That meant Flamengo lifted their second cup title in the span of about 10 days, having also beaten Corinthians in the Copa do Brasil final recently. The Libertadores will certainly be a far more celebrated title, though, and for the season they have had, they undoubtedly deserve it.
đŽó §ó ąó „ó źó §ó ż England: Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 Chelsea
Graham Potter was greeted by a relatively hostile crowd at the Amex Stadium, where he returned for the first time since moving to Chelsea. The Seagullsâ new manager Roberto De Zerbi was yet to pick a win having drawn two and lost three of his first five matches in charge, but this would be a fine occasion to change that.
Brighton absolutely flew out of the traps and were all over Chelsea in the first five minutes, when Thiago Silva made not one but two goal-line clearances to keep the scores level. The hosts went on to take the lead anyway, as Leandro Trossard worked his way past the keeper and beat the defenders on the line after Brighton won the ball back high up the pitch.
10 minutes later, it was 2-0 as Ruben Loftus-Cheek turned a corner into his own net, and by half-time, Chelsea created a record by scoring multiple own goals in a league match for the first time in their history. Trevoh Chalobah was the culprit in this case as he helplessly turned in Pervis Estupiñånâs low ball across the box, giving Brighton a three-goal cushion into the break.
Kai Havertz reduced the deficit a couple of minutes into the second half, but the home side were able to establish a respectable degree of control on the match thereafter, and kept Chelsea from getting any real big chances. So, there were no more goals scored until the end of normal time, and Pascal GroĂâs stoppage-time strike only sealed Brightonâs deserved win.
With that, Brighton are eighth in the table and just three points behind Chelsea. Before Potterâs departure, there was talk of them challenging for a European spot, and that possibility could still be on if De Zerbiâs side can keep playing like this.
đžđȘ Sweden: IFK Göteborg 0-4 FK HĂ€cken
Sunday was a historic day in Sweden, as HĂ€cken lifted their first-ever top-flight title in 82 years of existence. And what better place to do it than at the home of their local rivals?
HĂ€cken made the short trip to the Gamla Ullevi without their star striker and the leagueâs top scorer Alexander Jeremejeff in the squad, but they needed just one point to seal the title. They decided to do the job in some style, though, as goals from Blair Turgott, Johan Hammar and Mikkel Rygaard put them in a commanding position half an hour into the match. Rygaard scored again late on to cap off a huge derby victory.
That was HĂ€ckenâs fifth consecutive victory in a decisive run of fixtures that also saw them defeat defending champions Malmö, early title challengers AIK and their direct title rivals DjurgĂ„rden. Prior to that run of fixtures, they were level on points with the second-placed side.
This title is a concrete product of what seems to be HĂ€ckenâs golden era. They spent their first four decades in lower divisions before reaching Allsvenskan for the first time in the 1980s but were regularly involved in relegation fights until around 2010. In the last six years, they were able to lift their first two major trophies in the form of cups, but now, they finally have the big one.
At the same time, this title is quite a surprise when you consider the fact that HĂ€cken finished just two spots and four points above the relegation zone last season. Not much changed between the seasons as head coach Per-Mathias HĂžgmo remained in charge and there were just a couple of major incomings and departures in terms of personnel, so this is quite a remarkable turnaround.
There certainly is a lot of reflection for HĂ€cken to do on this title, but for now, itâs time to celebrate.
đȘđž Spain: CadĂz 3-2 AtlĂ©tico Madrid
It certainly has not been a peaceful week for faint-hearted Atlético Madrid fans because their side has been involved in some incredible late drama.
In midweek, they needed a win against Bayer Leverkusen to stay alive in the Champions League, but the referee blew the final whistle with the scoreline reading 2-2. He was then alerted by VAR about a potential handball in the box, which led to him restarting the match for an AtlĂ©tico penalty. Yannick Carrascoâs effort was saved, the follow-up came off the crossbar, and the rebound hit the trailing leg of Carrasco just in front of the goal line and somehow stayed out.
Diego Simeoneâs side would have hoped to shift focus from this Champions League disaster on Saturday when they travelled to CĂĄdiz to face a side that had just one win this season and was second last in the table. That could only mean one thing: AtlĂ©ti found themselves trailing in under half a minute.
CĂĄdiz deserve credit for defending resolutely thereafter (albeit against a grossly uninspiring attack), and they seemingly sealed the win in the 81st minute with a second goal. Substitute JoĂŁo FĂ©lix had other ideas, though, as he helped halve the deficit when his deflected strike went in for an own goal, and he then scored the equaliser from range in the 89th minute.
Félix then had a gilt-edged chance to grab a stoppage-time winner in the 96th minute, but he sent his header wide. Up at the other end, Rubén Sobrino turned in a cross in the 99th minute to win the game for Cådiz, with the goal surviving a VAR check for handball.
A misfiring attack is not exactly a cause for panic for AtlĂ©tico Madrid, so what is really troubling is their defence. Based on xG conceded, they have had a top-three defence in the league in each of the previous five seasons, but this time around, they arenât even good enough for the top half of those standings.
đșđž USA: Portland Thorns 2-0 Kansas City Current
The NWSL season drew to a close with the play-off final on Saturday night at Audi Field in Washington, where the Portland Thorns lifted their league-record third title.
Season MVP Sophia Smith netted her 16th goal of the campaign with great composure in the 4th minute to set her side on course for the win, and their lead was later doubled a little before the hour-mark through an own goal.
The Kansas City Current should be quite proud of their performance and season as a whole, as they made the play-off final in their second year of existence, having finished plum last in 2021. En route to the final, they beat 2020 Challenge Cup champions Houston Dast and this seasonâs table-toppers OL Reign.
For the Thorns, this is a huge title at the end of what has been anything but a regular season. The club was among those investigated in the Yates report, and its distressing findings would have extracted a toll on the players and the fans. This title and the celebration that comes with it should give them some welcome respite, but there is still lots to be done for the club as an organisation.
đŠđ· Argentina: Talleres 0-1 Patronato
Regular readers of the column will remember that we covered Ventforet Kofuâs fairytale cup success in Japan recently, so now, we are bound to highlight a similar story that has developed in Argentina.
Unlike Ventforet Kofu, Patronato did play in the top flight this season, but they were one of the two sides that suffered relegation based on points per match from the last three yearsâ worth of fixtures. That brought an end to what has just been their second-ever stay in the Argentine top division in their 108-year history.
Meanwhile, in the cup, they were going on a giant killing spree. After beating ColĂłn, they eliminated title contenders Gimnasia La Plata in the Round of 16. Their next two opponents were the big two of Buenos Aires, River Plate and Boca Juniors, who both fell on penalties.Â
Their opponents in the final were Talleres, who were also searching for their first-ever major trophy in over a century of existence. Having played Copa Libertadores football earlier this season, they were the favourites for this fixture and created more chances too, but a tackle-turned-shot from outside the box helped Patronato score the only goal of the game.
In this most incredible fashion, Patronato lifted the Copa Argentina title. With it, they sealed qualification for next seasonâs Copa Libertadores, even though they will be a second-tier side. Could they mount another historic cup run?
Cover Image from IMAGO