This season in Europe saw a fair amount of league title droughts ended. Some of them were by largely successful clubs who had only a couple years hiatus, others were by smaller clubs who snatched their first title in decades.
One title drought ended after the league trophy changed hands between three times on the final matchday, while another seemed over only midway through the season. Here’s the rundown of the winners.
Royal Antwerp: The Belgian side were victors of what was dubbed ‘the wildest finish in Europe this year’. It had been 66 years since Antwerp had won their last league title, but knowing they just needed to win to lift the trophy, the team finished a nervy game with a fairytale finish.
Former Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld, not known for his goal scoring, placed a brilliant shot from outside the box in the top left corner of the goal.
The goal, which came in the fourth of seven minutes of extra time, gave Antwerp 47 points. K.R.C. Genk and Union Saint-Gilloise both finished with 46, but each team had a better goal differential, making a Royal Antwerp win essential to them maintaining the league lead.
Before Antwerp finished the match 2-1, the title changed hands five times over the course of the ninety minutes of the penultimate matchday. To cap off their league drought, Antwerp beat KV Mechelen 2-0 in the Belgian Cup Final to complete the domestic double.
Napoli legend Diego Maradona. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Napoli: By far the most noticeable name on this list, Napoli ended a 33-year drought by running away with the Serie A title. Final standings had Napoli 16 points ahead of second place S.S. Lazio. Their largest season lead was 23 points, which, taking into effect goal differential, meant Napoli had won eight more games than the rest of the league after only 24 games.
Their title clinching draw against Bologna caused Naples to come alive, even in the middle of the night. Fireworks blazed the city alive in a truly awe-inspiring display of pride and passion. Breakout striker Victor Osimhen led the league with twenty-six goals, and midfielder conductor Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had a campaign good enough to earn a hundred-million Euro market value.
The year was further romanticised as Diego Maradona, the star striker in their last title winning team, died before the mid-season World Cup. Napoli had their stadium renamed after him and it was packed the entire season to see their team win the Scudetto.
Finally winning Serie A was a huge relief for Gli Azzuri; after the streak of Juventus wins was broken by the Milan teams, Napoli saw their chances of winning the title away. Four second place finishes after six years concluded with a glorious return to the European stage.
Sparta Prague: The Czech League finale needs some explaining for those who are not used to a play-off system league finish. Sparta, who won for the first time in a decade, finished level on points with city rivals Slavia Prague, but 24 goals behind in goal differential, and they lost 4-nil in the city derby match.
Most would think it was Slavia’s year to lift the trophy, and they did beat Sparta in the Czech Cup Final, but it was Sparta winning the league. The reason is thanks to the play-off format, though Sparta also rested their squad for their last match before the final, leading to a meaningless loss.
The Czech League, like many leagues in Europe, have started to do (Austria and Denmark) the mid-season play-off format. How that works is after playing each team once, the top and bottom halves of the league table are split in half, and each team within that league half will play the other teams in that group twice.
Sparta were ahead of Slavia by two points at the end of the first half of the season, which gave them an advantage if they were to be tied with Slavia on points. After being ahead by three points with one match left, they clinched the title. Sparta finished 2nd or 3rd seven times in between title wins, and are guaranteed either a Champions League or Europa League spot for next year’s competition.
The victory is a joy for West Prague, and the advantage they gained from winning the first half of the season helped carry them to glory.
Benfica and Barcelona: Neighbouring Iberian giants Benfica and Barcelona both won league titles for the first time in four years. Not a particularly long drought, but to their fans it was agony.
Both teams seem equally unlikely to win the UCL and the league struggles only worsened the woes. Titles by Sporting CP and Atletico Madrid only worsened things for these two clubs, but with young stars leading both squads, domestic and continental campaigns look achievable as both teams strive towards repeating the league title, and improving their most recent quarter-final appearances in the UCL.
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