Three of Canada’s best added to their already impressive résumés this past weekend, as Christine Sinclair, Jessie Fleming, and Alphonso Davies all got their hands on trophies in their respective leagues. Saturday saw two of those trophies handed out, starting with Alphonso Davies picking up yet another trophy in Germany. Davies played 90 minutes as his Bayern Munich side swept aside Borussia Mönchengladbach 6-0, thanks in large part to a hat trick from Robert Lewandowski. The win confirmed their ninth Bundesliga title in a row, with two matches to spare. It’s the third in a row for Davies, who joined Bayern from the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2018. In 31 appearances in all competitions this season, Davies has scored once and assisted three goals.
Christine Sinclair scores in Portland's Challenge Cup win
Later on Saturday was the final of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. The match saw three Canadians square off, as Christine Sinclair’s Portland Thorns hosted Kailen Sheridan, Évelyne Viens and Gotham FC. Sheridan was on the bench but Sinclair and Viens both influenced the match. Sinclair opened the scoring for Portland just eight minutes into the action by stealing the ball, running toward the box, and curling a left-footed shot from long range into the bottom corner, past a diving DiDi Haracic. After Carli Lloyd equalized for Gotham FC in the 61st minute, this match would end up needing penalties to decide a winner. Sinclair and Viens both stepped up and scored, but it would be the Thorns lifting the trophy in the end, winning 6-5 on penalties. The NWSL season will continue on May 15th with the start of the regular season.
Fleming, Chelsea capture Super League title
Finally, over in England, Canadian Jessie Fleming finished her first season in the FA Women’s Super League with Chelsea lifting the league title. Fleming played the final 21 minutes as The Blues secured their second title in a row with a 5-0 win over Reading. The win saw them narrowly beat Manchester City, and fellow Canadian Janine Beckie, in the table by two points. Fleming could win an even bigger prize this weekend. In great form at the moment, Chelsea will take on Barcelona on Sunday in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final. After Kadeisha Buchanan’s Olympique Lyonnais won the last five in a row (four with Buchanan), don’t bet against another Canadian lifting the trophy this weekend. Chelsea also won the League Cup and the Community Shield earlier this season, and are still alive in the FA Cup, in what has been an incredible year for the club thus far. Fleming has made 24 appearances for the side this season in all competitions, mostly off the bench, but is yet to pick up any goals or assists.
More titles to come for Canadians?
There are several other Canadians in title races that could be decided in the next week. Cyle Larin and Atiba Hutchinson could clinch the Süper Lig for Beşiktaş as early as Tuesday. If they win, and Fenerbahçe drop points, the title race is over, as Beşiktaş currently lead by two points with two matches (including Tuesday’s games) to go.
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The tie breaker if they finish even on points is their head-to-head record, which favours Beşiktaş, but they’ll obviously want to put it to bed without needing that. With 19 goals this season, three back of leading goalscorer Aaron Boupendza, Larin also still has a shot at leading that as well. Larin has two four-goal games this season, so it’s certainly not out of the question. In France, Jonathan David’s Lille are also battling it out at the top of their league. Currently beating PSG by three points with two matches remaining, Lille are in pole position in Ligue 1, and could also wrap up the title this week. If Lille beat Saint-Étienne (Sunday 3PM ET live on OneSoccer), and PSG drop points against Stade de Reims, Lille win the title. In David’s first season in France, he’s scored 12 goals in 32 league matches thus far, trailing Burak Yılmaz for the team lead.
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