European soccer review: England's race for Champions League places is chaos

Both the title fight and the relegation race look largely settled in the Premier League, but everywhere in between, uncertainty reigns supreme.

In LaLiga, Real Madrid engineered more reason to feel aggrieved. Meanwhile in Germany, there are some unfamiliar faces looking more and more likely to be playing continental football next fall.

All that and more in this edition of Weekend Review as Luis Miguel Echegaray, Alex Kirkland and Constantin Eckner look across Europe for the big takeaways and highlights from the weekend.

Premier League

Top takeaway: England's Champions League race is chaos

As we enter the final months of the Premier League, the race for European places continues to give us more dramatic uncertainty. When it comes to where the action lies, it's not the top nor the bottom that are giving us the storylines, but rather the middle -- this weekend added more proverbial fuel to the fire.

After Liverpool and Arsenal, the question remains: in the battle for Europe, who will eventually earn a golden ticket? Now with 54 points, third-place Nottingham Forest are getting closer and closer to a historic berth in the UEFA Champions League. It's happened before, back in Brian Clough's reign, when they were twice champions of the formerly titled European Cup, but never in the modern era. Now, Nuno Espirito Santo's squad are creating magic week after week in the most incredible of circumstances. The Tricky Trees can almost taste it.

After them, it's chaos. Eight points separate fourth-place Chelsea (who lost 1-0 to Arsenal on Sunday) and 11th-place Brentford (who won 2-1 against AFC Bournemouth and Saturday), and there are still 27 points up for grabs.

The continental telenovela adds another plot twist when you consider that fifth place also will qualify for next season's Champions League, so anyone in that list could be playing on club football's grandest stage next fall. That speaks to the Premier League's financial muscle, but this is also about the depth of player personnel within each squad and the improvement of managers across the league. From Andoni Iraola to Unai Emery, Marco Silva and Fabian Hürzeler, the quality of managers is not limited to a select few.

Best match: Man City 2-2 Brighton

No side in England's race for European football, especially not Manchester City, will be happy with just a point, but for the neutral? This was a fantastic, frantic game, one filled with magnificent goals, which included a beautiful free kick from Pervis Estupiñán, which leveled the game for Brighton & Hove Albion in the first half after Erling Haaland's 11th-minute penalty. Omar Marmoush scored a delicious 20-yard attempt before Abdukodir Khusanov accidentally placed the ball into his own net, from Jack Hinshelwood's effort. There were plenty of attempts, and Nico Gonzalez even hit the post, but the game really should have been won by Brighton, who were intoxicating in the latter stages. In the end, Hürzeler's side earned their first point at City since 1982.

Best goal: Pervis Estupiñán at Man City

The Ecuador international delivered a wonderful, curling effort that hit the post before eventually going in and tying the game for the Seagulls. It had to be perfectly accurate, and the left-back rose to the challenge. Some may question Stefan Ortega's indecision as Man City's goalkeeper was left completely frozen, and I can see that argument, but the reason why he didn't move was because Estupiñán's effort was elevated in disguise. The curve really did seem, even for a split second, that it was going wide but it completely deceived the German stopper. A lovely goal.

MVP of the weekend: Nikola Milenkovic, Nottingham Forest

Milenković scored and earned an assist in his team's 4-2 victory over Ipswich Town, helping the Tricky Trees inch closer and closer to a historic Champions League spot. From a defensive standpoint, the Serbia international was once again a dominant force, leading from the back and starting almost every buildup. In the 35th minute, he reacted well for the opener from a corner and in the 41st minute, his long ball found Anthony Elanga, who had scored his brace and Forest's third in the space of six minutes. It's quite simple, really: Forest's success is down to their resiliency and collective will to fight for everything, and Milenković is their most prized, often undervalued warrior. He's the foundation underpinning Santo's side, and if they earn the aforementioned Champions League place, he will be a big reason why. -- Echegaray

LaLiga

Top takeaway: Madrid pick another fight with LaLiga

A six-minute brace from Kylian Mbappé helped Real Madrid overturn a 1-0 deficit to beat Villarreal 2-1 and keep pace at the top of the LaLiga table -- but that wasn't the topic that dominated conversation after the full-time whistle.

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Burley: Mbappe 'stood up' in Real Madrid's win vs. Villarreal

Craig Burley reacts to Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Villarreal in LaLiga.

Instead, it was Madrid's latest fight with LaLiga, this time over how much rest their exhausted players had been given between Wednesday's grueling, 120-minute (plus a penalty shootout) encounter with Atlético Madrid in the Champions League last 16 and Saturday's game at La Cerámica.

Madrid's players had been given fewer than 72 hours to recover between the games -- 66 hours and 45 minutes, to be precise -- and Madrid weren't happy. First, the club's official TV channel voiced their discontent ahead of kickoff. This was the last time that the club would accept playing with fewer than 72 hours' rest, they said.

Carlo Ancelotti confirmed the stance in his post-match news conference.

"I think today is the last time," he said. "We won't do it again."

He later said, when asked if that meant his team would refuse to play if the circumstance was repeated: "Of course."

It's worth pointing out that Madrid weren't the only LaLiga team playing with fewer than 72 hours' rest this weekend. The same applied to Athletic Club, Real Sociedad and Real Betis, after their UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League commitments on Thursday.

And -- as LaLiga president Javier Tebas was quick to point out on social media on Sunday -- Ancelotti's claim will soon be put to the test. Madrid play Leganés in LaLiga on Saturday, March 29, with a 9 p.m. local kickoff time, and then face Real Sociedad in their Copa del Rey semifinal second leg the following Tuesday, kicking off at 9.30 p.m.

That's less than 72 hours' rest, if we're counting from when the first game ends. Would Madrid not turn up for a cup semifinal? It seems unlikely.

It's also unclear whether FIFA would support Madrid in their stance, as the club appeared to suggest on Saturday. The 72-hour period is a recommendation from players' union FIFPRO, but there is no rule or obligation.

Ultimately, this the latest front in Madrid's wide-ranging, damaging battle with the league over a whole series of issues, from TV rights management, to the CVC investment deal, to the Super League, and now scheduling. The only certainty is that we haven't heard the last of it.

Best match: Leganés 2-3 Real Betis

Manuel Pellegrini's rejuvenated Real Betis can now be relied upon to provide consistent, non-stop entertainment, and this 3-2 comeback win at Butarque was the latest example. Dani Raba had put the hosts 2-0 up in the first half; but goals from Isco, Cédric Bakambu and Cucho Hernández after the break -- with a helping hand from Leganés keeper Marko Dmitrovic -- secured the three points for Betis.

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Leganés vs. Real Betis - Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from Leganés vs. Real Betis, 03/16/2025

Best goal: Toni Martínez vs. Las Palmas

The Alavés forward has had a strange career, including spells at West Ham United and Oxford United, but he won't have scored many sweeter goals than his opener at Las Palmas on Friday, taking Santiago Mouriño's scooped pass over a static defence first time, with impeccable technique.

MVP of the weekend: Joan García, Espanyol

García is, for many LaLiga watchers, a candidate for best goalkeeper in the division this season. He's certainly been among the busiest. And Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Real Mallorca was no exception. García made two outstanding, full-stretch penalty saves from Vedat Muriqi and Abdón Prats -- following the second with a smart follow-up save -- although sadly for García, the second spot kick was eventually retaken after a frustratingly long VAR check, and this time, García was beaten. A cruel end to a magnificent performance. -- Kirkland

Bundesliga

Top takeaway: Germany's unfamiliar faces destined for the Champions League

While RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund clashed on Saturday, the battle for the Bundesliga's Champions League spots took place a few hours earlier in Mainz. Mainz and SC Freiburg met in what was justifiably the top-of-the-table game of the weekend, and it turned out to be a real barnburner with a red card in the first half and a back-and-forth on the scoreboard.

Mainz, in particular, have impressed and surprised many this season. Although the club have one of the best youth academies in the country and possibly in Central Europe, it was never enough to break into the top four of the league -- until Bo Henriksen arrived. The Dane has put together a team of homegrown players and outcasts who can compete with the best. On Saturday, after Mainz's Dominik Kohr was shown the red card in the 43rd minute and Freiburg scored the equalizer in the 58th, Mainz managed to get the lead back before ultimately conceding another goal. A 2-2 draw between these two rather humble yet successful sides seemed fair.

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich dropped points for the second game in a row, this time against an intensely defending Union Berlin side at Alte Försterei. Bayer Leverkusen netted in the 88th minute and four minutes into stoppage time to secure a comeback win over VfB Stuttgart. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund suffered yet another defeat, as Niko Kovač's team appeared to be alarmingly vulnerable defensively but also very wasteful offensively against Leipzig, eventually succumbing in a 2-0 defeat.

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RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Dortmund - Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Dortmund, 03/15/2025

Best match: Bremen 2-4 Gladbach

If you are looking for pure quality and tactically sophisticated football, this game might not be your cup of tea, but it was a spectacle involving reckless backlines, a striker on fire in hat-trick-hero Alassane Pléa and countless twists and turns. While leading Werder Bremen 3-2 in the second half, Borussia Monchengladbach had to take off goalkeeper Jonas Omlin and introduce 18-year-old Tiago Pereira Cardoso. Given that first-choice goalie Moritz Nicolas is already out with an injury until the end of the season and both Pereira Cardoso as well as 36-year-old Tobias Sippel have had to play this year, it is fair to say that Gladbach have a bit of a goalkeeper issue.

Best goal: Phillip Tietz vs. VfL Wolfsburg

Tietz scored FC Augsburg's first home goal since late January, which also brought his team the win over Wolfsburg. In the lead-up to the goal, Cédric Zesiger made an explosive run in Augsburg's half before playing a long ball from the left for Tietz to run onto. Because Zesiger's pass had the right amount of spin, Denis Vavro misjudged the bounce and thus allowed Tietz to run in behind and tap it past goalkeeper Kamil Grabara.

MVP of the weekend: Alassane Pléa, Borussia Monchengladbach

Here is a fact for all you stats geeks: Pléa is only the second player in Bundesliga history to score a hat trick away against an opponent on more than one occasion. After scoring three times at Bremen in 2018, he did it again on Saturday. -- Eckner

What else you missed this weekend

Blades, Burnley up promotion odds

There was a very important derby victory in the Championship, Sheffield United winning 1-0 against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, helping the Blades move to 80 points, level with leaders Leeds United. It was an anxious game, coupled with obvious animosity as both sides have ambitions of promotion.

The Blades are looking good under Chris Wilder and currently fighting off Scott Parker's Burnley (third) who won 2-0 against Swansea City a day earlier, making it 25 matches without a loss. Not only that, but it was their 27th clean sheet of the season, which is a record in the second tier of English football. Surely former three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and minority owner (alongside wife and former NWSL star Kealia) J.J. Watt is proud of the defensive statistic. -- Echegaray

Even in uneventful title fight, Old Firm is magical

Celtic and Rangers were divided by a 16-point gap going into the Old Firm derby on Sunday. Barry Ferguson, currently serving as caretaker manager for Rangers, played in 40 Old Firms but had never coached in one before. The only time he had faced Celtic as manager was in a Scottish FA Cup game with Alloa Athletic in 2022. Back then, he lost 2-1 with a third-division team.

His team entered the prestigious derby with plenty of wind in their sails, though, after beating Fenerbahce on penalties in the Europa League three days prior. And Rangers roared into a somewhat surprising two-goal halftime lead after Nicolas Raskin's early header and Mohamed Diomande's low shot. After the interval, though, Celtic hit back thanks to the Japanese duo Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate, giving the home team the momentum. However, Morocco forward Hamza Igamane profited from right back Alistair Johnston's slip to hit home the winner.

The 3-2 result in favor of Rangers marked Celtic's first Scottish Premiership home defeat since December 2023. Of course, it is close to impossible that Rangers will close the gap to the league leaders before the end of the season, but such wins might give the struggling side new life with a familiar face at the sideline. -- Eckner

Dele's Como debut short lived

Dele Alli had waited a long time for this. After more than two years without stepping onto a football pitch -- amid injury problems, and frank revelations about dealing with mental health challenges -- the former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder was finally ready to return to action. Having joined Como in January, and twice sat on the bench in Serie A, Dele made his debut against AC Milan at San Siro on Saturday, introduced as an 81st-minute substitute by coach Cesc Fabregas.

It didn't last long.

Ten minutes later, Alli was red carded -- after a VAR check -- for a challenge on Ruben Loftus-Cheek. It was the outcome nobody wanted. Even Milan defender Kyle Walker, aware of Dele's situation, tried to convince the referee not to change his initial yellow card to a red.

"2 years! Not necessarily how I planned it, but we keep moving," Dele posted on Instagram later, sharing a screengrab of a WhatsApp conversation with Loftus-Cheek. "I just tried to clip [your] heel. When the ref went to VAR, I didn't even know it was for me." -- Kirkland