Wladimir Klitschko wasn’t nearly as dominant as the 14-1 odds suggested he’d be Saturday night. The long-reigning heavyweight champion beat Bryant Jennings by unanimous decision in a 12-round title fight at Madison Square Garden, but it was much more competitive than experts expected. Two judges – Robin Taylor and River Vale’s Steve Weisfeld – scored Klitschko a 116-111 winner. The third judge, Max DeLuca, credited Klitschko with a wider win than the action indicated he deserved (118-109).
Torino came from behind to beat runaway leaders Juventus to secure their first Turin derby victory for 20 years. Juve would have wrapped up a fourth consecutive title with a win, coupled with a Lazio defeat, and led when Andrea Pirlo curled home a free-kick. Matteo Darmian levelled in style as he chipped the ball into the box with his first touch from a cross and lashed home with his second. And Fabio Quagliarella tapped home against his old club for a famous win. At least 10 Torino fans were injured in the first half when a paper banger exploded, causing splinters from seats to hit supporters. Second-placed Lazio drew 1-1 with Chievo, meaning a Juventus win would not have secured the title anyway. But for Juve, the game was about more than the title as their 17-match unbeaten run and seven-game winning streak in the derby came to an end. And they almost rescued a point late on, just moments after Josef Martinez had a goal disallowed for Torino. Alessandro Matri’s cross hit the post and Simone Pepe was unable to turn in the rebound. In injury time, Pirlo had a glorious chance to level but shinned his shot from 18 yards out, firing well over.
Bayern Munich clinched their third consecutive Bundesliga title courtesy of Wolfsburg’s 1-0 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach, BBC reports. Pep Guardiola’s side beat Hertha Berlin 1-0 on Saturday to put them within sight of the title. Wolfsburg had to beat Gladbach, who move up to third, to make Bayern wait another week for their 25th title, but lost to an injury-time Max Kruse goal. Treble-chasing Bayern are in the Champions League and German Cup semis. They will have little time to celebrate this success as they face rivals Borussia Dortmund in the last four of the domestic cup on Tuesday. Bayern are bidding for their third consecutive domestic double, and second treble in three years. Guardiola has won five domestic titles in his six years as a manager; three out of four with Barcelona and now two in two for Bayern. The Bavarians face Barca in the Champions League semi-finals in May. Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “Retaining the title is a magnificent achievement. All credit to the coach and the team. They’ve been fantastic throughout, in a season following a World Cup where we had a host of players in action. “We’ll have a magnificent party at some stage, no worries. But all in good time. When we do, it’ll be a huge celebration.”
GOAL KEEPER:
David De Gea – Manchester United
DEFENDERS:
Ryan Bertrand – Southampton
Gary Cahill – Chelsea
John Terry – Chelsea
Branislav Ivanovic – Chelsea
MIDFIELDERS:
Nemanja Matic – Chelsea
Eden Hazard – Chelsea
Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool
Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal
STRIKERS:
Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspurs
Diego Costa – Chelsea