Weekend Highlights: A goodbye to a legend, a mad own goal and a half-way line stunner
Goal of the weekend
Before the final weekend of the season, Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo had scored his last league goal back in September 2022 for Brighton. Sure, he is a defensive midfielder, but the €116 million price tag also meant expectations were high for the 22-year-old Ecuadorian. Caicedo had his special moment in the final round when he opened the scoring against Bournemouth with a wonderful shot from the halfway line.
Fail of the weekend
Goalkeeper Kazuki Fujita had a very special game. His Chiba team swept Ehime 7-1 in the second Japanese league, but that single goal he conceded will probably keep him awake for a long time. He tried to dribble past an onrushing striker, but got so tangled up that he diverted the ball into his own net. One of the most curious own goals of the season...
Social media highlight
Do you also like to wave your scarf when your team scores an important goal? At Southampton, that taken it to a new level. During the Championship play-off match with West Bromwich, one enthusiastic Saints fan celebrated by waving a prosthetic leg above his head. Judging by the way he stood up in the clip, it might not have even been his...
Stat of the weekend
The weekend offered two four-goal performances, each with a slightly different story. In the Czech league, Jan Kuchta set up four goals for Mladá Boleslav and put a stylish stamp on Sparta winning their 38th title. In LaLiga, it was Norwegian goalscorer Alexander Sorloth who almost spoiled one of the title celebrations. His Villarreal were 4-1 down at half-time in their match against Real Madrid, but eventually, he guided them to a 4-4 draw by scoring all four goals.
Story of the weekend
St. Pauli had the sweetest end to the season. Before the final round, the Hamburg club already knew that they would be promoted to the top flight after 13 years of waiting. On Sunday, they improved this situation even more when they celebrated the championship title with a win over Wehen - one point above their closest pursuer, second-placed Kiel. And, most importantly, 11 points ahead of their hated city rivals, who they finished above in the table for the first time ever. So while the more modest of the Hamburg clubs celebrates promotion and the title, the more famous Hamburger SV finished fourth and face another year in the second league. They have now missed out on promotion for the sixth year in a row...
Photo of the weekend
The 4-0 win over Darmstadt was not only Borussia Dortmund's farewell to the Bundesliga season, but more importantly to one of the greatest legends in the club's modern history. Marco Reus gave the club of his heart a fond farewell in style, contributing a goal and an assist to the demolition of their relegated opponents. And so did the BVB fans, who choreographed a wonderful routine for Reus. The award for Photo of the Weekend could not have been any more obvious.