GOAL brings you the latest goings-on with the Britons plying their trade on foreign soil, including England's captain and Los Blancos' 'Galactico'
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There isn't a lot left to play for in the Premier League after Liverpool strolled to the title last week and with three teams already relegated straight back to the Championship. The quest for the top five is bubbling away deliciously and the FA Cup final is appearing over the horizon, but the most life-changing of races have already been run.
The same can't be said for many of the competitions in mainland Europe and beyond, however. While those at home on this side of the English Channel are scrounging for continental qualification, there have been some major storylines unfolding elsewhere. Championships are still to be won in Spain and Italy, while one particular person will have been more pleased than anyone else in the knowledge that Germany's Bundesliga has been wrapped up.
Over in France, the top-four battle is as close as can realistically be at this stage of the season, and across the border in Belgium, a relatively low-key Englishman is making waves for a side chasing their first title in generations. This week's review of Britons abroad also takes us to Asia to check in with a continental champion.
So strap in as GOAL brings you the latest on the best Brits strutting their stuff across the globe. It's an action-packed one this week…
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPKane & Dier crowned champions
What a topsy-turvy weekend it was for Harry Kane, one that will live with him forever. Bayern Munich knew that victory away at RB Leipzig on Saturday would be enough to pry the Bundesliga title away from Bayer Leverkusen for good, even if they had to do without their £85 million striker owing to suspension.
It appeared as though the champagne would have to go back on ice anyway when Leipzig raced into a two-goal lead before half-time, only for Eric Dier and Michael Olise to wipe that deficit out with efforts only a minute apart after the hour mark. When Leroy Sane notched Bayern ahead in the final 10 minutes, it seemed they would be champions come full-time.
Yet there was still long enough left for another twist. Kane, watching from the stands, was given special permission by the DFB to join his team-mates on the pitch to celebrate the title, so he made his way down to turf level. And then Yussuf Poulsen equalised in the fifth minute of added time. The party was cancelled again, and Kane was made to wait a little longer to end his trophy curse.
Well, as it turned out, not too much longer. Twenty-four hours or so, to be more precise. Bayern's players and staff gathered at a restaurant in Munich to watch Leverkusen's clash with Freiburg, knowing the reigning champions had to win to keep the title race going. Despite themselves fighting back from a two-goal deficit, Xabi Alonso's men could only manage a 2-2 draw, and Bayern's place in first was cemented.
The wait for Kane was over, and he had finally earned the first team trophy his glorious career has warranted. He and the Bayern squad celebrated into the night, toasting with drinks, cigars, singing and dancing. How liberated Kane in particular must feel now he's slain the demon that's stalked him for so long.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBellingham digs deep
Over in Spain, Jude Bellingham isn't quite having the same sort of success in trying to snag a trophy this season, despite leading Real Madrid to a memorable double last term. Real Madrid were beaten finalists in last week's Copa del Rey final with Barcelona, disgracing themselves in front of the entire world in the process, and they still trail their Clasico rivals by four points in La Liga.
A rotated Barca did need to bring on the big guns in order to get the job done against crisis club Real Valladolid and eek out a 2-1 victory on Saturday, putting pressure back onto Madrid to deliver in Sunday's match with Celta Vigo. Bellingham teed up Kylian Mbappe for the second of Madrid's three goals as the hosts looked to have run away from the points, but then the chaos kicked in.
Celta hauled themselves off the canvas and fired back twice, including a Williot Swedberg strike which Bellingham could have done more to close down and prevent in the build-up. They then threw the kitchen sink as their hosts but couldn't quite find a remarkable equaliser as Madrid escaped with the three points, cutting the deficit to Barcelona back to four ahead of this weekend's trip to Catalunya.
Though he did have his usual moments of petulance and ill-discipline, Bellingham was nonetheless praised by the Spanish press for digging in and helping drag Madrid across the finish line. Full steam ahead for El Clasico, it is.
Toney is a Champions League winner
Away from Europe, Ivan Toney has been quietly enjoying life in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli after leaving Brentford. Well, it's no longer a muted excursion, but one that has now yielded a trophy parade.
Toney grabbed the second goal in last week's 3-1 win against Al-Hilal in their AFC Champions League semi-final, and he played the full 90 minutes as they saw off Kawasaki Frontale – the slayers of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr – 2-0 in the final on Saturday, securing the first major continental title in Al-Ahli's 88-year history.
Such a triumph has added more than enough shine to Toney's first season abroad, during which he has scored 26 goals in 39 games. In domestic action, Al-Ahli are 10 points off the Saudi Pro League pace and are currently lingering in fifth, but their historic Champions League campaign has saved the day.
Toney has embraced the Middle Eastern lifestyle and such a gesture was returned with the display of England flags at Sunday's parade through Jeddah. He's made the most of his journey out in Saudi Arabia.
Getty Images'Old fox' McTominay shows cunning class
Bad news, Scott McTominay Nation, he didn't score this week. Shame. The good news is he was still additive to his team's fortunes and was heavily involved as Napoli beat Lecce 1-0 to continue their Serie A title charge.
Giacomo Raspadori's first-half free-kick was all that separated the the two sides at the Stadio Ettore Giardiniero, but McTominay's industry and work ethic were equally as important in ensuring all three points went back to Naples. In fact, his role in blocking the view of goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone was 'worth half a goal', according to the Italian press.
wrote: "The clever move on Raspa's shot – he covers Falcone's view and then drops – is that of an old fox and is worth half a goal. He always comes inside the field, making [Mohamed] Kaba and [Thorir] Helgason lose their bearings. The most interesting things often come from his plays, despite the doubling up."
Antonio Conte's side remain three points clear of Inter with only three rounds of fixtures remaining, with McTominay ever a core cog in their winning machine. Manchester United's decision to sell him is only aging more like milk by the week. His former boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, only added to that sentiment by breaking his silence on the sale: "Scott and Fred together, they were lads you would put your hat on every day to give 100 percent. How you can sell Scott is beyond me."
