Dinamo Zagreb and company

While in Europe Dinamo Zagreb haven't exactly set the world alight, within the borders of Croatia the club have been utterly dominant in the past decade. In fact they did have a period of dominance in the nineties when between 1995-96 to 1999-00 they won every league title on offer. After that came a period where other clubs stepped up to the title challenge. Dinamo in the following five years would only win one title (2002-03). Arch-rivals Hajduk Split won three titles while amazingly NK Zagreb managed to secure a title against the odds in 2001-02.

Dinamo's title win in 2005-06 was to be the beginning of their dominance that has rarely since been challenged. Dinamo have won every single Prva Liga title since with every title win offering them the chance to move onto the champions league stage where the money on offer has cemented their place at the very pinnacle of Croatian football.  They haven't threatened to qualify for the last 16 in the champions league as the step up between domestic duty and continental has been tricky. This season they did beat Arsenal at home but have lost all their other games and are unlikely to continue their European campaign beyond Christmas.  
While they have been dominant the club have produced some of Croatia's top players with current Real Madrid pair Luka Modrić and Matteo Kovačić as well as former Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva and current Barcelona starlet Allen Halilović and going further back the famous Zvonimir Boban. The list is pretty impressive and arguably one of the finest produces of talent in the Balkans. The regular selling of this talent has bought in millions in transfer fees which goes back into the academy system and keeping the first time up to standard. 

Dinamo are curently on nine league titles in a row and in that time have secured the double (league and national cup) on six occasions. Not once in that time have they been given a run for their money...until now. 

Over the past two-three seasons a third force in Croatia if you like has risen on the coastal city of Rijeka, assuming that Dinamo are the first and Hajduk Split are the second force. Rijeka broke into the group stages of the Europa League in 2013-14 but couldn't manage any better than last place in the group. The following season they again made the group stage of the Europa League which bought it's own share of decent money through performances. On this occasion they managed to finish 3rd in the group. That money from their impressive European runs have given them the finance to make a push to be the second force. Hajduk Split have traditionally been the 2nd force but haven't finished in the top two in the league since 2011-12 in which time Rijeka have risen. 

Above is the current Prva Liga table. Rijeka have started brilliantly and are still unbeaten going into this weekend's games. Also good to see is Hajduk Split in the mix as well three points behind Rijeka and it certainly has been a more competitive league this season than it's been for a decade. 

While Dinamo Zagreb have stuttered its given both Hajduk and Rijeka the impetus to actually mount a challenge. Yes Champions league aspirations have probably played their part in Dinamo's stuttering season so far but to see someone else at the top does mix it up a bit. 

Rijeka this season were eliminated from the Europa league in the 2nd qualfiying round by no other than Aberdeen so haven't had the same number of fixtures Dinamo have had. Dinamo have one final champions league game remaining at home to Bayern Munich while the league reaches its mid-winter break of two months not long after that game. 

It would be great to see Rijeka claim a first league title and for Hajduk to stay in the mix come the end of the season but don't count against Dinamo gunning for 10-in-a-row. 

Azeri duo flying the flag

In 2012-13 Neftchi Baku became the first club from Azerbaijan to reach the group stages of any European competition. They did so by overcoming Cypriots APOEL Nicosia, who themselves months previous were champions league quarter-finalists. Neftchi became the flag ship club, the one to aspire to for the other Azeri sides in Europe. All of the country's other sides were long gone out of Europe when Neftchi broke through the group stage barrier. 

In that group they got Inter Milan, Partizan Belgrade and Rubin Kazan. Three draws, which included a 2-2 draw at the San Siro and three defeats followed. Neftchi had not disgraced themselves. 

Fast forward two seasons to last season and there was another breakthrough this time for FK Qarabağ. The side in exile from their home of Agdam broke through having ousted Twente on away goals in the play-off round. Their group again featured Inter Milan plus Saint-Étienne and Dnipro. They norrowly missed out on the last 32 after a Dnipro win in the final game coupled with Qarabağ's 0-0 draw at home to Inter saw the Ukrainians go through by a point. 

This season however Qarabağ are back in the group stages of the Europa League and they are joined by fellow Premyer Liqasi side Qabala. For the first time ever there are two Azeri sides in the group stages together. However Qabala's campaign is a learning curve as with four games played in their group they have a solitary point, gained in the draw at home to PAOK. 
Qarabağ however are still in with a fighting chance of breaking new ground by getting through. They currently have four points from four games in a tough group featuring Tottenham, Monaco and Anderlecht. They are two points behind 2nd placed Monaco with two games to go and are by no means done. They face Tottenham tomorrow night in what will decide if they go into that final game with Anderlecht with the chance of creating history. 
Qarabağ's route to this stage started in the champions league where a narrow defeat to Celtic saw them drop down into the play-off round for the Europa League. A comprehensive victory over BSC Young Boys saw them through while Qabala dispatched Greeks Panathinaikos. 

Back home it is no surprise that Qarabağ are currently leading the Premyer Liqasi. They are nine points ahead of both Inter Baku and Qabala after thirteen games played. Neftchi are languishing in mid-table three years after their breakthrough. 
The rise of Azeri club football can be put down to a influx of foreign players. A quick glance at the Premyer Liqasi top scorers shows only two local players in the top ten scorers. Qarabağ's recent European runs have given them the financial backing to lure some decent foreign players such as Rydell Poepon, Míchel and Dani Quintana. Qabala have been able to attract former Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Oleksiy Gai as well as Oleksiy Antonov from Aktobe in Kazakhstan. 

The next stage for Azeri sides would be the try an get through the group stages in the Europa League or do what Kazakhstan have done this season and get a team into the group stage of the Champions league. Qarabağ's defeat to Celtic, while narrow in scoreline did show that in the champions league this season there is still a bit more work needed. It does look on current form that the Agdam side will be Azerbaijan's representative side in next season's champions league however with Qabala also qualifying for the group stage in the Europa League this season it shows that Azerbaijan do have a bit of depth and like some leagues around Europe there isn't one dominant team flying the flag. 

Inconsistency rules as PSG walk towards four-in-a-row

Picture the scene of three sides gunning for the Ligue 1 title. You have the money bags of the capital side Paris Saint-Germain, the historic big boys of Marseille and the reliance on youth from Lyon. All three sides were neck and neck in the title race. 

Marseille had started like a TGV, PSG had not and Lyon were quietly keeping pace with the in-form Alexandre Lacazette. The title race going into round 31 gave us this picture. 

Of the fixtures in round 31 the "Le Classique" of Marseille v PSG was to have a massive bearing on where the title would be going. The game wasn't till the late Sunday night kick-off slot of 21:00. This was Lyon's big round as they faced a trip to mid-table Guingamp. Lyon duly won 3-1 to top the table ahead of the "Le Classique". 

A Marseille victory would propel them into 2nd put pressure on Lyon but kick PSG into 3rd and set up a 7 game dash towards the title for the three competitors. A PSG victory would narrow it down to a foot race between them and Lyon. A 4th team did come into the reckoning in Monaco but a draw with Saint Étienne on the Friday realistically put them out of the running if there was to be a winner in "Le Classique". 

The game was a thriller. André Pierre-Gignac put the south coast side ahead before Blaise Matuidi hauled PSG level. However Marseille were not going to let PSG leave with something and re-took the lead with Gignac grabbing a second just before half-time. Marseille were half-way there. A sting from PSG came shortly after the restart with a Marquinhos goal, 2-2. Disaster struck for Marseille as barely two minutes later PSG went in front with Jeremy Morel credited with an own goal. Marseille afterwards huffed and puffed at the PSG goal, atmosphere was rocking as they went in search of an equalizer and maybe more. PSG held out for a narrow but thrilling 3-2 victory. 

It was now a two-horse race between PSG and Lyon. Seven games to decide it. Needless to say many were hoping Lyon would prevail. 

Two weeks later Lyon suffered a set back with a 2-2 draw with Saint Etienne, PSG won away to Nice. 

PSG ended victorious by a margin of eight points. Lyon had dropped with just a few games to go with further set backs against Bordeaux and Caen. PSG on the other hand had won all their remaining games. Many hadn't expected a title race let alone a three-horse race until April. PSG were challenged and it made Ligue 1 the most exciting title race of the big five leagues in 2014-15. 

This season:

Now cast forward to this season and the picture couldn't be more duller. PSG have started this season strongly as opposed to last season where a slow start gave Marseille and Lyon the momentum to challenge. PSG have only dropped points twice this season in 13 games. Lyon after a sluggish start have climbed the table into 2nd but tonight suffered a major defeat in Nice by three goals to nil, giving PSG the opportunity to increase the gap to thirteen points. 

Marseille on the other hand started horribly and haven't recovered. They find themselves down in 13th with no chance of a title challenge and their champions league hopes just about hanging on. 

Unfortunately this season will be a very easy stroll for PSG towards a 4th title in a row. The riches available to them put them head and shoulders possibly torso above everyone else. 

So while 2014-15 was a thrilling race that ultimately ended with PSG winning it was exciting. The same can't be said for this season and even at the bottom of the league it isn't exactly exciting. This summer the league made a baffling decision to reduce the number of relegation places from three to two. This effectively means no more last day drama in France with relegation. A quick look back in recent seasons shows that relegation in France has been drama filled. Monaco's relegation in 2011 being a standout or even the final day in 2013-14 where four sides were battling on the final day to stay up while the bottom two were relegated weeks beforehand. A massive own goal by the league to reduce the drama at the bottom because the drama won't be there at the top. 

So Ligue 1 where inconsistency rules as PSG walk towards four in-a-row. 

Ireland make it two in a row

Ireland sealed their passage through to the finals of next summer's European Championship on Monday with a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina to win 3-1 over the two-legged tie. It was the first time ever that Ireland have qualified for back-to-back European championships having also qualified via a play-off in 2012. 

The surprising aspect of this tie was that Bosnia were so poor. Coming into the second leg it was assumed that Bosnia couldn't play as badly as they did in Friday's first leg. It turned out to be true. Bosnia just never threatened with the gile and determination we expected. After the soft penalty (yes soft, speaking as an Irishman) Bosnia were rattled but did settle to have a shot on goal before half-time. 

Former Sevilla and Bayer Leverkusen defender Emir Spahic was on a mission to see how many clear cut fouls he could get away with. While he got away without getting sent-off it was his last cynical foul that lead to Ireland swinging in a free-kick and Jonathan Walters volleying home to put Ireland 2-0 up on the night. Still there was a feeling that Bosnia could still haunt us. You just never know with Ireland but thankfully Monday wasn't one of those nights. Despite hitting the bar late on Bosnia had disappointed throughout the tie. 

It all means that Ireland will join Northern Ireland for the first time ever at a major finals. Never before have both sides played at the same tournament with Northern Ireland appearing in their first ever European championships. Both sides however will be in the same pot for the draw so there won't be any group stage head-to-head but potentially in the last 16 depending on the draw itself. 

Dundalk victorious...again

On Sunday in Irish football's showpiece event, the FAI cup final, Dundalk completed the double. A Richie Towell extra-time strike was enough to get the better of a stubborn Cork City side that despite a period of pressure in the 2nd half couldn't match Dundalk's fitness in extra-time.

City had come into the game having finished 2nd to Dundalk in the league and were chasing a first cup win since 2007. The game wasn't a classic as both sides tried to break the deadlock. Up until Towell scored it seemed like City were settling for penalties. After the goal, City did chase the leveler and did hit the top of the bar late on in extra-time. The fitness of Dundalk though is what won them the cup. City were out on their knees come extra-time and the goal was a result of tiredness from Garry Buckley being unable to keep pace with Daryl Horgan who squared for the free Towell in the box.

For Dundalk it's been an exceptional season. They have secured the double and will be the team to beat once more next season. They'll also return to the champions league qualifiers in July next year. This year they were unlucky to draw the strongest side in the qualifiers in BATE Borisov from Belarus. A kinder draw next summer and they may well make it through a few rounds in Europe. For City, it's likely there will be changes in personnel.  The Europa league beckons for City again in 2016. A first qualifying round exit in July to Icelandic side KR Reykjavík was disappointing and hopefully City will also get through a round or two next July. Whatever happens an interesting winter lies ahead.

City and Dundalk battle again

This Sunday the FAI cup is on the line between Cork City and Dundalk. For the 2nd time in just over a year both sides will be clashing with a trophy on the line. In 2014 it was the league title in which a 2-0 success for Dundalk saw them win their first title since 1994-95. The 2014 title race set up a grand finale that Cork City just couldn't see out having gone into the clash in 1st place. Revenge is definitely the mission ahead of this clash.

Cork City never really troubled Dundalk in the title race to the extent they did in 2014 so the cup was always likely to be given a full tilt once City were realistically out of contention for league honors. Dundalk will be favorites as they ran away with the title and have just looked a class above anyone domestically this season. However the 2nd best time domestically two years running Cork City certainly have a big day in them. They couldn't match Dundalk over a 33 game marathon this season but on a given day they will be more than a match.

In many ways this is the ideal final. The two best sides for the past two years going head-to-head and both sides have a big fan base that should create a proper atmosphere on cup final day. For Dundalk a victory would cap off a terrific season while for City it would end the season on a high.

Personally I'm hoping City will emerge victorious so we can finally end the hoodoo that the lily-whites have had over us since 2012. City's last victory over Dundalk was back in May 2012, a 3-2 success. However it is worth noting that Dundalk in 2012 were a very poor side and have since enjoyed a surge in fortunes. There isn't many better ways to beat a bogey team than in a national cup final so hopefully we'll emerge victorious!.

Skënderbeu keep the wave going

Albanian champions Skënderbeu Korçë tonight kept up the good factor wave sweeping Albanian football with a massive 3-0 victory over Portuguese title hopefuls Sporting Club. The victory was also the first time an Albanian side beat a Portuguese one (not that there have been many clashes but still). The victory came less than a month after the national team qualified for their first ever European championship finals.

Skënderbeu Korçë are flying the Albanian flag in Europe this season after becoming the first side from the country to make a group stage of a European competition. The started their campaign back in July against Belfast's Crusaders. Victory in that tie gave them the spring they needed to overcome Moldovan champions Milsami Orhei in the 3rd qualifying round before Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb ended their champions league run. However they dropped into the Europa league group stage where they have been struggling till tonight with Lokomotiv Moskva, Beşiktaş and Sporting.
Heading into tonight's game they had been beaten in all three of their group games and needed a victory tonight to maintain their slim hopes of creating even more history.

The game tonight saw them take full advantage of an early red card for their Portuguese guests. Sabien Lilaj had given Skënderbeu a 15th minute lead before Sporting keeper Rui Patrício was sent-off. Lilaj stepped up to convert the resultant penalty to put the hosts into dreamland. The Albanians added a 3rd ten minutes after the break to confirm beyond doubt the result.
The result puts Skënderbeu back into contention with two games remaining. Next up for them is a trip to Istanbul to face Beşiktaş before rounding off the group with a home clash with Lokomotiv Moskva. Nothing but two victories will do if they are to extend their European adventure till the new year but with this victory they certainly have given themselves a fighting chance.

In the meantime domestically they have a battle on their hands to retain their crown. Champions for the last five seasons, they are facing competition from 15-times champions Partizani Tirana who are currently three points ahead of Skënderbeu. They have played once already this season which ended in a 2-1 success for the Tirana side. The next head-to-head is December after Skënderbeu have concluded their group games.