In a weekend that saw England’s lower tiers’ final gameweek, there were other sources of drama throughout Europe that had fans enthralled.
From high-scoring thrillers to minnows keeping their promotion battle alive, here is THE DECK’s five noteworthy games from last weekend you might have missed.
Strasbourg 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain – Ligue 1
Two weeks ago, Paris Saint-Germain were on the verge of an unbeaten league campaign and a European fairytale that saw their much-heralded side in the semi-final of the Champions League.
But a 3-1 defeat to Nice at home on April 25 crushed their domestic dream of a no-loss season. On Saturday, a plucky Strasbourg side inflicted further damage. Thanks to a Lucas Hernández own goal opening the scoring for Le Racing, PSG found theirselves on the back foot early on.
It was 2-0 before the half-time whistle blew, with Félix Lemaréchal finding the net for Strasbourg to inflict further misery. Bradley Barcola pulled a goal for Les Parisiens, but the league champions could not find another.
The 2-1 scoreline also keeps the home side’s Champions League hopes alive, as a close battle for second in the table is a fight Strasbourg are very much in the mix for.
Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-4 Hoffenheim – Bundesliga
Eight goals were on the cards at Borussia-Park as Borussia Mönchengladbach took on Hoffenheim, and it would not take long before the game swung into action.
Teenager Fabio Chiarodia headed in a corner with five minutes on the clock, before midfielder Rocco Reitz doubled the lead with a superb goal that saw him dribble through the last line of defense.
Hoffenheim then took matters into their own hands, with goals both sides of half-time from Arthur Chaves and Marius Bülter. Franck Honorat gave the lead back to Mönchengladach by scoring their third, but was quickly cancelled out by the away side’s Adam Hložek – the Czech attacker rifling in a shot from outside the box.
Journeyman Haris Tabaković gave Hoffenheim their first lead of the game as a set-piece header made it 4-3, but Tim Kleindienst would head home himself in the dying minutes to tie the game up at 4-4.
A draw after such drama means Hoffenheim are still within touching distance of fellow relegation playoff candidates Heidenheim, who sit five games behind with two matches to go.
Bradford City 1-0 Fleetwood Town – League Two
Sometimes it is vital to look past the surface of match results, as this one-goal game had much more drama than its scoreline suggests.
Third-placed Bradford City were in need of a win in their final game of the season to guarantee promotion to the English third tier, and at one point were tipped to win the league title. Walsall, only a point behind the Bantams, needed to better Bradford’s result if they were to lose or draw – with the caveat being Walsall’s dismal form, having won two of their last 20.
Bradford’s game with Fleetwood was a 0-0 stalemate for the thick of it, with only four shots on target before stoppage time. Antoni Sarcevic eventually converted a winner at the death, rolling the ball past a dumbfounded Jay Lynch in the Fleetwood net.
Chaos erupted as fans streamed on to the pitch, elated that their side had clinched a winner in the tough battle for promotion. And the other thing? Walsall were victorious in their match, and up until what was almost the last kick of Bradford’s game, were going up theirselves.
San Diego FC 5-0 FC Dallas – MLS
Mid-table clashes in the MLS are never usually too newsworthy, but new kids on the block San Diego FC have proven they’re not in the league to mess around.
FC Dallas were a point ahead of San Diego in the overall standings before the two teams played, as both teams looked to solidify their place in the top half of the MLS table.
What unfolded shocked many, as a theoretically tight game turned into a routing. Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano got San Diego firing, first through a penalty, then the Mexican adding another in the 27th minute to make the game 2-0.
Half-time came and went with the scoreline respectable, before Designated Player Anders Dreyer added a third with a slick left-footed finish. Midfielder Onni Valakari made it four with his shot just about crossing the goal line – the final blow being delivered from substitute Milan Iloski with three minutes of regulation to go.
This win for San Diego snaps the club out of a three-game losing streak, and puts the Californian outfit back on track for a surprising postseason berth.
1. FC Nürnburg 1-3 SV Elversberg – 2. Bundesliga
The 2. Bundesliga has a myriad of historic clubs competing this season – Schalke 04, Hertha Berlin, FC Kaiserslautern, to name a few – but one team has raised the most eyebrows.
SV Elversberg have spent most of their time since the turn of the millennium battling in the third and fourth divisions, before earning promotion to the second tier in 2023. Elversberg have impressed in their sophomore season, and found theirselves in a fight with Paderborn for the division’s singular playoff spot heading into last weekend.
Opponents 1. FC Nürnburg were a formidable side to face, with the team simply known as Der Club having a talented squad – including future Brighton transfer Stefanos Tzimas.
Nürnburg scored the only goal of the first half through Janis Antiste, before Elias Baum levelled for Elversberg with a wonder-strike that flew into the top-right corner of the net. Baum would double his efforts for the first brace of his career with a precise finish in the box, before Tom Zimmerschied capped off Elversberg’s exploits with a third.
Elversberg’s win puts them in a prime position to grab an automatic promotion spot from either Köln or Hamburg provided either team suffers a drop in form over the next month – but this season is a success for the side regardless of if they go up.
