CHAMPIONS: Goal difference gives PSV Dutch title

• by Soccer America , Apr 30, 2007

PSV won the Dutch Eredivisie title for the 20th time when it beat Vitesse, 5-1, on Sunday and edged Ajax for the championship on goal difference.

Peruvian Jefferson Farfan led PSV with two goals against Vitesse. Brazilian Alex and young Dutch international Ibrahim Afellay also scored. Veteran Phillip Cocu struck the fifth goal that proved to be the goal that clinched the title with 13 minutes remaining. PSV finished with a goal difference of plus-50, one better than Ajax, which won, 2-0, at Willem II.

PSV, Ajax and AZ went into the final day of the season all tied with 72 points, but AZ, which had a big edge in goal difference, slipped to third place when it lost 3-2 at Excelsior.

AUSTRIA. Red Bull Salzburg, guided by head coach Giovanni Trapattoni and coach Lothar Matthaeus, clinched the Austrian championship with five games to spare with a 2-2 tie with Austria Vienna on Saturday.

Trapattoni became the second European coach after Austrian Ernst Happel, to land championships in four countries. He previously won seven Serie A crowns with Juventus and Inter Milan, a German Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich and a Portuguese championship with Benfica.

CROATIA. Defending champion Dinamo Zagreb won the Croatian league title with four games to spare with a 4-1 home win over Medjimurje on Saturday to give it an unassailable 13-point lead over Hajduk Split.