Juventus, Valencia, Dortmund, Lyon seal title glory
The titles in four of Europe's five top leagues were settled over the weekend, with England the odd one out as Arsenal lifted the FA Cup.
Juventus and Olympique Lyon came from behind to clinch the Italian and French championships, while Borussia Dortmund and Valencia secured the points they needed to see off their rivals in Germany and Spain.
The most unexpected triumph was in Italy where Juventus won 2-0 at Udinese on Sunday to leapfrog long-time Serie A leaders Inter Milan who lost 4-2 at Lazio.
Juve, for whom David Trezeguet and Alessandro del Piero scored early goals, secured their 26th 'Scudetto' and first for four years, dashing Inter's hopes of ending a 13-year wait for the title.
Inter even failed to claim the small consolation of finishing as runners-up, with champions AS Roma winning 1-0 at Torino to condemn the Milan club to third place and the Champions League qualifying round.
AC Milan came fourth to join their neighbours in the qualifying stages of Europe's premier club competition, while Chievo, Lazio, Parma will fly Italy's flag in the UEFA Cup.
Valencia sealed their fifth Spanish title and first for 31 years with a 2-0 win at Malaga on Sunday thanks to goals before halftime by Roberto Ayala and Fabio Aurelio.
The second strike caused huge controversy, however, with the referee taking eight minutes to consult with his assistants before allowing it to stand amid Malaga claims that Aurelio was offside.
Champions League finalists Real Madrid finished second following a 0-0 draw against Real Mallorca. With one round of matches to go, Deportivo Coruna, Barcelona and Celta Vigo are still vying for the minor places.
Lyon emerged triumphant in the French title showdown on Saturday, beating their nearest rivals RC Lens 3-1 to clinch the championship for the first time in their history.
Goals by Sidney Govou, Philippe Violeau and Pierre Laigle took Lyon above Lens, who had led the standings since October and needed only a draw to take the trophy.
They did at least finish second to qualify directly for the Champions League, with AJ Auxerre third despite a 3-2 home defeat by Stade Rennes in their final match. Paris St. Germain go into the UEFA Cup.
THRILLING BUNDESLIGA
Dortmund sealed a thrilling Bundesliga title race on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Werder Bremen, coming from behind to clinch victory through a goal by Brazilian substitute Ewerthon.
As Dortmund celebrated their first title since 1996, there was despair for Bayer Leverkusen, whose wait for their first ever championship continues after they finished second for the fourth time in six seasons.
Leverkusen's 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin came in vain, Real Madrid's Champions League final opponents paying the price for defeats in their previous two matches after heading the domestic standings for much of the season.
Dortmund's triumph also left Bayern Munich without any silverware for the first time since 1995.
The 2001 European champions finished third to book a place in the Champions League qualifying round, while Hertha Berlin, Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen go into the UEFA Cup.
Arsenal completed the first part of a potential domestic double with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea in England's Cup final.
The London club will seal the premier league title if they take a point from Wednesday's match at Manchester United, who need to beat the leaders to retain any hope of winning an unprecedented fourth straight championship.
Defeat at Old Trafford would leave Arsenal needing to beat Everton in their final match on Saturday, when a draw would leave the back door open for United to finish top by defeating Charlton Athletic.
