All season long, in order to knock off the top team in the best domestic league in the world out of the top spot in the rankings, somebody was going to knock that club out of the Champions League. It took until the final match of the season, but that finally happened as FC Barcelona played its game and manhandled Manchester United 3-1 in a match that wasn’t even that close. If Ryan Giggs could be called for offsides at Wembley, United wouldn’t have even scored. (By the way, nobody seemed to have any problems on calling offsides on Chicharito.) It was a masterful victory that was well-deserved for the best player in the world and the best club in the world.
Elsewhere in the world, a handful of domestic cups were decided, France’s Ligue Un concluded and the Copa Libertadores semifinals got underway. Those will all be discussed below. For the record, there will be two more rankings this season: one next week after the conclusion of the Copa Libertadores semifinals, and again a few weeks later after the conclusion of the South American championship tournament.
For now, enjoy the weekly snapshot.
World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – May 30, 2011
1. Barcelona (Esp) (2) – Once and for all, Barcelona demonstrated that it indeed is the best club in the world by dominating Manchester United in a 3-1 Champions League final. All hail the new champions!!! Coming Up: Season complete.
2. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – Likewise, the Red Devils proved themselves inadequate to the task by losing 1-3 to Barcelona and have been knocked from the perch atop the rankings on which it has sat throughout 2011. Coming Up: Season complete.
5. Vélez Sarsfield (Arg) (5) – Vélez Sarsfield hasn’t handled prosperity well, losing a pair of away matches this week. First of all, Vélez lost 0-1 to Peñarol in Montevideo in the first leg of the clubs’ Copa Libertadores semifinal matchup. Over the weekend, Vélez Sarsfield lost again, falling 1-2 to Tigre. Coming Up: Two huge matches at home are coming up this week for Vélez. On Thursday evening, it will host Peñarol in the home leg of the Copa Libertadores semifinals Next Monday, it will host second-place Godoy Cruz in a match that may determine the champions of the Argentine Clausura.
9. Lille (Fra) (9) – Lille completed its French Ligue Un championship season with a 3-2 home victory over Stade Rennes. Coming Up: Season complete.
10. Inter Milan (Ita) (10) – Internazionale salvaged some hardware out of the season with a 3-1 victory over Palermo to win the Coppa Italia. Coming Up: Season complete.
19. Marseille (Fra) (19) – OM’s late-season slide continued as it finished its season with a 2-2 draw away against Caen. Nevertheless, Marseille was able to finish the season in second place in Ligue Un. Coming Up: Season complete.
20. Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr) (20) – Shakhtar completed the domestic double by taking the Ukranian Cup by defeating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0, placing the team from the capital in second-place in both the league and cup competitions. Coming Up: Season complete.
21. Corinthians (Bra) (22) – It’s two victories in two matches in the Brazilian Serie A for Corinthians who beat Coritiba 2-1 over the weekend. Coming Up: On Sunday, Corinthians season continues as it takes on Flamengo.
23. Santos (Bra) (21) – Santos defeated Cerro Porteño 1-0 at home in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores semifinals. Its domestic season start, however, has been much more difficult, losing 0-1 to Botafogo on the weekend. Coming Up: The second leg of the Copa Libertadores semifinals will take place on Wednesday in Paraguay. Domestically, Santos will host Avai on Sunday.
25. Peñarol (Uru) (24) – On its home leg of the semifinals, Peñarol defeated Vélez Sarsfield 1-0. Domestically, Peñarol had a tougher time, drawing 2-2 with Central Español. Coming Up: On Thursday, Peñarol will travel to Buenos Aires to play the away leg of its Vélez Sarsfield semifinal in the Copa Libertadores. Domestically, Peñarol will host Uruguay’s version of Racing Club on Monday.
Bubbling Under: Dynamo Kyiv (Ukr), Lyon (Fra), Rangers (Sco), Tottenham Hotspur (Eng), Villarreal (Esp).
Next Five: Cetlic (Sco), CSKA Moscow (Rus), Fluminense (Bra), Liverpool (Eng), Trabzonspor (Tur).
Matches This Week Between WCR Top 25 Clubs:
2 June – (25) Peñarol at (5) Vélez Sarsfield
Posts
