KALIDOU KOUBILALY WAS sent off early as Napoli’s title hopes took a severe knock on Sunday with a Giovanni Simeone hat-trick giving Fiorentina a shock 3-0 win which allowed Juventus to close in on the Serie A title.
With just three games left, Juve have a four-point lead and could wrap up a seventh straight league title next weekend.
Koulibaly, the hero who scored the last-gasp header that kept Napoli’s ambitions alive with a 1-0 win over Juventus in Turin last week, was sent off after just eight minutes for a foul on Simeone.
Argentina forward Simeone — the son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone — scored all three goals in a spectacular display to keep Fiorentina’s Europa League hopes alive.
Maurizio Sarri’s side fell four points behind Juventus who battled past 10-man Inter Milan in a 3-2 San Siro thriller on Saturday night with two late goals in three minutes.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side play at home against Bologna on Saturday and could win the Scudetto if Napoli fail to win at home against Torino on Sunday.
Some very tight groups so far going into the last round. Should be some exciting games.
Thank the lord for Niclas Füllkrug. Pretty good game, both sides definitely had the chances to win it. Just wish Sané had struck that goalwards at the death. Musiala is beyond critical to Germany’s success. Ultimately I couldn’t be happier for anyone other than Füllkrug to score – its magic to see a 29-year-old grab the opportunity on the big stage whilst he has a 10-goal stormer of a season for newly promoted Bremen. I was praying he would start or at least get enough minutes to stamp his mark vs Japan and Spain today. Closest thing Germany have at the moment to that physical, imposing, ruthless striker like a Klose or Gomez.
@Ultan Corcoran: I know you are a big dortmund fan. Would you have any advice on how best to secure tickets to see them. Hoping to bring my lads over for a game to witness the yellow wall. Thanks a lot.
@Dave Kilmartin: I was living out there a couple
Of years ago and got tickets to for Dortmund v Frankfurt game on stubhub handy enough. A little over the odds and wasn’t in the yellow wall but legit tickets and a great experience.
@Dave Kilmartin: Can’t help you but I was at a match there a while back, impressive, early start there, being a major industrial centre of the Ruhr the roads are full of people going to work at 6am.
@Darren Fitzpatrick: many thanks. Will bear that in mind.
@Dave Kilmartin: Yeah, as Darren said above me there you can go through third party if you don’t mind paying a bit over the odds.
Alternatively I’ll send you this link and you can join the Dublin BVB Fan Club – there’s a guy Alec Lindsay on Facebook who runs it and he can pretty much guarantee you face value tickets for all home games (bar Schalke/Bayern/or in unlikely event Dortmund make a UCL semi-final type thing). I’ll send you the link to join the club below and that way the fan club can book tickets in advance with your details on them. They’re always looking for new members and it costs nothing and don’t spam any inboxes or anything!
Link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAO__RIRJb5UMEQwNU5LMTU2N1JGTlUxWlIzNDlFSlhLQy4u
@Ultan Corcoran: @Ultan Corcoran: thanks so much. Really appreciate you and the other lads above getting back. Will follow up. Cheers
@Ultan Corcoran: I’m sure I’m wrong, but I’d like to think the double L in Füllkrug is silent, so his name sounds like a carnal encounter with a living room mat. In other news, it’d be hilarious, albeit entirely unlikely, if Costa Rica and Japan both win the last group games.
@Stiofán Ó’Murchú: Hahahah winner but sadly its a definite Fuell-kreug pronunciation. I think the literal translation in Filling Jug tho… or at least according to my phone when I read German translated Bundesliga articles. Also the thought crossed my mind too! And honestly… if it were to happen, I wouldn’t be enraged hahaha. I’ll always enjoy a day for the underdogs even if it comes against a team I like! May the best 2 sides progress its all fair game!
There is something about Spain that makes them hard to route for.
Great game. Love an aul’ nearly break the net finish. Madness out of Sane at the end.
Spain have the bones of a great side, they just lack something, a bit of spice or something but they have a very very good side. I’ve often felt Morata robbed a living and still do at times but he made a big difference when he came on so all in all not the worst game but expected more from Germany
Gavin, it appears the work ‘high-quality’ is now defunct in football. Quality = High-quality. Also, note all the German syntax that the commentators use. (Whelan is ace). ‘They are up for the game tonight, Germany”. Never, ‘Germany are up for the game tonight”. The way the rest of us speak.
@Brendan Wallace: Ah wonny whelan,remember his SWEIIINSTIIIGAAA pronunciation?
Hurry up to the next round ,been disappointing so far to be fair !!!
Typical Germany’s never say die attitude once again to the rescue Sane made a huge difference when he came on