With the season drawing approaching its end and league position now more important than ever, it’s safe to say there has been some teams flourishing in the run-in, while some flounder. From La Liga, to Bundesliga to Eredivisie and more

Including El Clásico madness and a potential title botch in the Eredivisie, here’s THE DECK’s five noteworthy football matches you may have missed this weekend.

RSC Anderlecht 0-1 Royale Union Saint-Gilloise – Belgian Pro League

Belgium’s Pro League is well known for its strange format, where the top six teams have their points halved as they enter the closed-off championship round.

The Brussels derby on Saturday was a huge opportunity for away side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to strengthen their hold on a first league title in 90 years versus cross-city rivals RSC Anderlecht.

A missed penalty for Franjo Ivanović would get Les Unionistes off to a less-than-ideal start, but the 27th minute saw Saint-Gilloise go ahead from a low-driven shot from Mohamed Fuseini.

Anderlecht would miss a penalty of their own due to Kasper Dolberg’s attempt being thwarted by USG goalkeeper Anthony Moris, before having a goal ruled out only minutes later as Mario Stroeykens was ruled offside after scoring.

Despite two huge opportunities coming Anderlecht’s way, it was Saint-Gilloise who prevailed and picked up a vital win in their bid for domestic silverware. With Club Brugge on 49 points to USG’s 50, the title race is as tight as can be and should the league trophy return to Brussels, it would be a mighty feat for USG.

Como 1907 3-1 Cagliari – Serie A

Como 1907 are not shy of creating headlines. From the appointment of Barcelona and Chelsea legend Cesc Fàbregas to the signing of ex-Spurs icon Dele Alli, the club have established theirselves as one to watch in the Italian Serie A.

The double signing of young Spain-based prospects Nico Paz and Assane Diao in the 2024/25 season has put on display Como’s lofty ambitions going forward, and the Lariani are proving that right now.

A five-game winning streak allowed Como to enter their match against Cagliari as clear favourites, but initially it seemed they were in for a shock. Poor goalkeeping from veteran keeper Pepe Reina allowed Michele Adopo to slot one away, and put Cagliari on top.

That wouldn’t be the case for long. Two goals before half-time, courtesy of Maxence Caqueret dinking one past the goalkeeper and another from Gabriel Strefezza, meant Fàbregas’ men entered the second half ahead.

Ex-AC Milan striker Patrick Cutrone added a third to put the game out of Cagliari’s grasp, with a final score of 3-1 extending Como’s Serie A win streak to six – and putting the club in the top half of the table for the first time all season.

VfL Bochum 1-4 Mainz 05 – Bundesliga

Although Champions League dreams are now out of the picture for an out-of-form Mainz 05, European competition is still on the cards.

Already relegated VfL Bochum provided no real threat to Mainz on Saturday, but it was the margin of victory and the win itself that should give Mainz the courage to go into their final game versus Bayer Leverkusen and get a result.

The first half was a quiet affair, but rejuvenated midfielder Nadiem Amiri curled a free-kick into the back of the net just before the stroke of half-time.

Defender Philipp Mwene struck to add a second the other side of the break, before Joshua Burkhardt buried a shot from distance to make the game 3-0.

Bochum consolidated through substitute Gerrit Holtmann in the 84th minute, with Paul Nebel notching one back for the away side in the final moments of the match.

Mainz find theirselves in a dead heat with RB Leipzig for Conference League football next year, but need to better their East German opponents’ result in the final Bundesliga gameweek to achieve those continental dreams.

Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid – La Liga

Two iconic arch-rivals in Barcelona and Real Madrid are once again tussling for the La Liga title – but the most recent El Clásico might have put the championship fight to bed.

A penalty in the fifth minute that Kylian Mbappé coolly converted was enough to install confidence in the Real squad and Madridstas alike, and the Frenchman added another soon after following a clinical counterattack.

Eric García headed one in from a corner to reduce the deficit to 2-1, followed by wonderkid Lamine Yamal thrashing a fantastic finish past Thibaut Courtois in the Real net for the Blaugrana’s second.

More first-half chaos followed, as Brazilian Ballon d’Or contender Raphinha beat Courtois twice — the second after a defensive mishap from Real — to send the game into half-time at 4-2.

Two offside goals were scored to launch the second half into more absurdity, but both were rightfully ruled offside. A goal would come, though, in the form of a dominant Mbappé completing his hat-trick by latching on to the end of a Rodrygo pass and slotting away.

Seven goals in Spain – and arguably football’s – most iconic derby is an eyebrow-raiser in itself, but the implication the match had on La Liga is massive as well. Three gameweeks remain in the Spanish top flight and Barça sit seven points ahead at the top, further extended by their El Clásico antics. A league title should heal the wounds of a Champions League semi-final loss to Inter nicely enough.

Ajax 0-3 NEC Nijmegen – Eredivisie

Another crucial game for a title took place on Sunday, this time in Amsterdam as the city’s beloved Ajax took on minnows NEC Nijmegen.

Despite a vast amount of chances for de Godenzonen throughout the game, it would be NEC and ex-Ajax academy graduate Sontje Hansen putting the away side up 1-0 with a brilliant long-shot in the 59th minute.

French right-back Brayann Pereira scored the follow-up to give NEC a 2-0 lead, thanks to a convenient deflection landing right at his feet, before attacking midfielder Sami Ouaissa hit home in the ending minutes to guarantee a victory.

This humiliating result for Ajax means that instead of having a four-point lead in the Eredivisie over rivals PSV Eindhoven, the difference only sits at one with two games left of the season – in what could be a massive fumble for Francesco Farioli’s men.