Winners: FC Porto
A year after his heartbreak at Ajax, where the title slipped away in the final rounds, Francesco Farioli bounced back and led FC Porto to reclaim the Portuguese championship over the weekend.
At just 37, the Italian coach was once again a bold bet by president Andre Villas-Boas, following unsuccessful spells with Vitor Bruno and Martin Anselmi. This time, Farioli delivered results and dispelled the doubts that lingered since his time in the Netherlands, where he lost a comfortable lead in the title race.
In a period of transition, with a squad under reconstruction and Villas-Boas in his second year as president after 42 years of Pinto da Costa’s leadership, the coach managed to steady the team and bring them back to the top of Portuguese football, something that hadn’t happened since 2021/22.
The celebrations for the 31st national title were also filled with emotion, as the club paid tribute to Jorge Costa, the legendary captain who passed away in August, remembered at Estadio do Dragao in a moment of deep symbolism.
Losers: Wrexham
What looked like another chapter in a true fairy tale ended in disappointment on Saturday. Wrexham, co-owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, missed out on the Premier League promotion playoffs on the final day, after drawing 2-2 at home against Middlesbrough.
Everything seemed on track, but one detail changed everything. At the same time, Hull City beat Norwich City 2-1 and jumped to sixth place. Wrexham only needed one more goal to change their fate: a win would have given them two extra points and put them ahead of Hull in the table on goal difference.
Instead, they finished seventh, one spot outside the playoff places, in an ending that may force the club to rethink its project. According to English analysts, missing out on promotion could have a financial impact of around €140 million for a club that has invested heavily to keep its remarkable journey to the top of English football alive.
Winners: FC Thun
While some stories end in disappointment, others seem straight out of a movie script. This is one of those...
Newly promoted to the top flight after five years away, FC Thun pulled off one of the most unlikely campaigns in European football by winning the Swiss Super League on Saturday, securing the first major trophy in their 128-year history.
The Swiss side became the season’s biggest surprise, taking the league lead as early as October and holding on until the end, overcoming historically dominant clubs like Basel and Young Boys, despite having a much smaller budget.
Thun’s journey, going from direct promotion to league champions in a single season, has few parallels in European football. In the last 50 years, only cases like Nottingham Forest in 1978 or Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga two decades later come close.
Losers: Ludogorets
After more than a decade of absolute dominance, Ludogorets' reign in Bulgarian football has come to an end.
Champions for the last 14 consecutive seasons, the Razgrad side saw their streak broken by Levski Sofia, who return to the top after a long wait. The capital club celebrates a league title for the first time since 2008/09, now claiming their 27th in history.
As for Ludogorets, who were chasing an unprecedented 15th straight title this season - a potential world record - they fell short and remain with (just) 14 consecutive triumphs that defined an era in Bulgarian football.
Winners: Inter Milan
Inter Milan were crowned Serie A champions for the 21st time in their history, beating Parma 2-0 on matchday 35.
Christian Chivu’s side only needed a draw, but sealed the title with goals from Marcus Thuram, in first-half stoppage time, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the 80th minute.
The win, after slip-ups by Napoli and AC Milan in the round, mathematically secured the Scudetto.
Under Chivu, a former player of the club, Inter have re-established themselves as a force in Italy and could end the season with the Coppa Italia as well, with the final against Lazio set for May 13th.
Losers: Plymouth and Luton
A last-minute 'ghost goal' decided the playoff race in England's League One. Stevenage scored in the 92nd minute to secure a top-six finish, in a dramatic ending that left Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town out of contention.
However, the decisive moment was shrouded in controversy. TV replays suggested the ball may not have fully crossed the line, even though the goal was awarded by the officials. With no goal-line technology in the competition, the decision stood.
The incident has reignited debate about introducing technology in the lower tiers of English football, especially as two clubs missed out on the playoffs due to this possible ghost goal.
Winners: BK Hacken Women
BK Hacken made history as the first-ever winners of the Women's Europa Cup, thanks largely to a decisive performance from Felicia Schroder.
The forward scored a hat-trick in the second leg of the all-Swedish final against Hammarby IF, played in Gothenburg. The 3-2 victory sealed an aggregate win of 4-2, after she had already scored in the first leg in Stockholm.
With this achievement, Hacken becomes the first Swedish club, men’s or women’s, to lift a European trophy since Umea IK won the Women’s Champions League in 2004.
Hammarby, meanwhile, once again fell just short, repeating the outcome of the last Swedish league season, but will have another shot in the Swedish Cup final in two weeks’ time.
Losers: Atletico Ottawa
After a historic season, in which they won the Canadian title for the first time with a memorable bicycle kick goal in the snow, Atletico Ottawa are struggling to defend their crown.
The team, a branch of Atletico Madrid, suffered a heavy defeat away to Inter Toronto (4-1), in a match decided in just over 10 minutes, with all four goals conceded between the 50th and 63rd minutes. This was already their third loss in just five rounds this season.
The contrast with last season is clear: during their title-winning campaign, Atletico Ottawa lost only twice, a far cry from their current inconsistent start.
