Ludogorets, Celtic, Trenčín and Vardar take titles
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
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Ludogorets Razgrad have been crowned Bulgarian champions for the fifth year in a row while Celtic and Vardar triumphed and Trenčín completed another Slovak league and cup double.
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While Bayern München wrapped up their fourth straight Bundesliga triumph and PSV Eindhoven were crowned in the Netherlands, there were other title success elsewhere in Europe.
Five in a row for Ludogorets
Ludogorets Ragzrad have been crowned champions of Bulgaria for the fifth season running thanks to Levski Sofia's 3-2 home defeat against Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Levski led 2-0 at half-time but succumbed to a second-half Plovdiv fightback and are now 11 points behind the leaders with only three games to go. Ludogorets, who were only promoted to the top flight for the first time in 2011 and have won the league in each of their five seasons since, become only the second Bulgarian club to win five or more championships in a row after CSKA Sofia's nine successive triumphs between 1954 and 1962.
Celtic success for departing Deila
Celtic are enjoying their fifth consecutive Scottish title and the 47th of their history after defeating closest pursuers Aberdeen 3-2 on Sunday, Patrick Roberts hitting a first-half double before and an early second-half strike from Mikael Lustig. The victory left the Hoops 12 points clear of Aberdeen with two games remaining – and meant a triumphant end to manager Ronny Deila's two years in charge.
"It means that we are the best team in Scotland," commented the Norwegian. "It's a very, very good achievement. We have lost important games – that makes the season a little bit more grey than white – but in the league we have been very, very consistent and we haven't lost since we played Aberdeen up there in the beginning of February."
More of the same for Trenčín
Trenčín have put the seal on their second consecutive league and cup double thanks to a 4-0 triumph against nearest rivals Slovan Bratislava. Martin Ševela's men beat the same opponents in the Slovak Cup final last month and they prevailed again with help from a Gino van Kessel double to move an unassailable eight points clear with two fixtures remaining.
"We showed that everything is possible – it looked beyond reach to repeat the double again," explained Ševela, who steered the club to their first major titles last term. "If we wanted to be champions, we had to play like champions. We needed to have a winning mentality. That was our goal and we fulfilled it."
Vardar crowned again
Vardar have retained the Macedonian title with a game to spare after defeating Shkupi 2-0 on Sunday. The champions needed just a point to secure their fourth crown in five seasons – and ninth overall – but crossed the finishing line in style courtesy of second-half goals from Boban Grncarov and Hovhannes Hambartsumyan. "We truly deserved this title," Vardar's top scorer Dejan Blazevski told UEFA.com. "Shkëndija were breathing down our necks throughout the season, but in the end our quality prevailed."
Fourth title for Zrinjski
Zrinjski are the new Bosnian-Herzegovinian Premier League champions following a 3-0 victory against Mladost. They now have an unassailable four-point advantage over Sloboda with just one game to spare, ensuring the fourth league title in the club's history. "We have been in almost top form all season," said coach Vinko Marinović. "There has been extremely stiff competition but we played very well against our direct competitors."
Three in a row for Salzburg
Salzburg have sealed their third consecutive Austrain Bundesliga title thanks to a 1-1 draw against Sturm Graz. Valon Berisha fired the champions into the lead with a splendid strike and even though Bright Edomwonyi equalised with 20 minutes left, it was not enough to spoil the party. Wonderkid Konrad Laimer could barely control his emotions after the game. "Words cannot describe this joy," he said. "It's simply a wonderful feeling and tonight we will be celebrating a little. I'm a champion for the second time now and the feeling is just incredible."