Rangers recaptured the Scottish Premier League title from Celtic on goal difference on Sunday with a 6-1 romp against Dunfermline.
Although Celtic won 4-0 at Kilmarnock and also missed a penalty, Rangers -- already just ahead on goals scored -- made sure with a high-scoring victory at Ibrox Park after a last minute penalty by Spanish forward Mikel Arteta. The two Scottish soccer giants had gone into the final round of games level on points and goal difference in the closest finish in the 113-year history of the championship.
They wound up level on 97 points and Rangers finished with a slightly better goal difference of 73 to Celtic's 72.
Even if Alan Thompson had converted his second penalty of the game at Killie, Rangers would still have won the title on the number of goals scored. Alex McLeish's team, which last won the title in 2000, scored 101 to Celtic's 98.
"It was unbelievable; what an ending," said Rangers' Dutch forward Ronald de Boer. "I couldn't watch the penalty. Normally if I don't watch, it goes in."
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
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