Another weekend of European soccer is in the books and plenty of action to sink your teeth into. Here are all the details.
Aston Villa on the Rise
Unai Emery is one of Europe's great managers, but his failed 18-month spell in charge of Arsenal had made the Spaniard a derided figure in English soccer. However, no one is laughing at him now, with his Aston Villa side threatening to make a late charge for a surprise Champions League qualification place.
As the man hired to succeed Arsene Wenger at the Emirates, Emery was perhaps always destined to fall short due to having to rebuild a team that had been in decline for the best part of a decade.
Arguably he was the right coach at the wrong time and tried to change things too quickly, but having been bold enough to give debuts to players like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe, he laid the foundations on which Mikel Arteta has built a title-challenging team.
Now, Aston Villa under Emery is reaping the results of his vision. His transformation under Emery has been remarkable, but perhaps not remarkable. His record deserves the utmost respect, respect he has not always had in England, and he is showing just how good he is at Villa Park.
Dortmund and Its Complications
There are definitely still some twists and turns left when it comes to the Bundesliga title race, but Borussia Dortmund really picked a bad time to have one of those collapses they've been known for in recent years. Form is temporary and the only permanent thing in life is change itself, but Bayern's 1-1 draw opened the door for BVB to get back on level terms on points, and they simply couldn't do it.
What could be the most painful way to draw? Maybe being up 2-0 after 76 minutes and 3-2 with three minutes to go. That might be an ideal scenario, but against a struggling Stuttgart side precariously above the relegation zone, winning just one league game since mid-February, BVB collapsed. Dortmund conceded as casually as they scored, with two goals in seven minutes, sealing their fate 3-3.
And so the table remains where it was before the weekend, with time running out for Dortmund to add one more twist to a lovely season.
PSG on the Road to Another Title Despite Difficulties
It was first against second this weekend in Ligue 1. Paris Saint-Germain hosted Lens after a week of turbulence over coach Christophe Galtier, accused of racism, and with only a six-point lead over the northern club. A third consecutive home defeat for PSG, after losses to Rennes and Lyon, would see Lens just three points behind, with all the momentum on their side and plenty of suspense.
Kylian Mbappé, who went clean sheet in his last three games for the club, scored a fine opening goal before Vitniha netted his second and before the Frenchman provided the assist of the weekend for Lionel Messi with a left-footed back-heel.
However, PSG were never in control. It did not press and did not move the ball well enough. Lens had chances in the second half, even with 10 men, as the defending champions went to sleep. Nevertheless, it ended 3-1 and PSG are on course for their record 11th French title. Mbappé scored his 139th goal in Ligue 1, the most in the league for a PSG player, another record for him.
