Roma 0-1 Lazio: Eagles edge Giallorossi to claim Coppa Italia in derby final

Lazio claimed its sixth Coppa Italia by defeating capital city rival Roma 1-0 in the final at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

Senad Lulic grabbed the only goal, slotting home with just 19 minutes remaining to spark wild celebrations in one half of the capital.

Both sides had played their part in a predictably frenetic opening to the game that resulted in early bookings for both Cristian Ledesma and Federico Balzaretti.

Lazio could have been ahead inside the opening four minutes, but Miroslav Klose fired into the side netting after Bogdan Lobont had been unable to hold onto a low strike from the dynamic Lulic.

Roma then could have taken the lead soon after when Erik Lamela and Marquinho combined to put Michael Bradley in on goal, only to see the American's subsequent strike trickle wide after he made a late run into the center of the box.

For the majority of the half, the Giallorossi looked the side most likely to make the breakthrough, but, for the most part, they were restricted to long-range efforts from Francesco Totti and Lamela. In the end, they were lucky to go in level at the break, with Klose surprisingly heading straight at Lobont after being picked out at the back post by Stefan Radu's deep cross from the left-hand side.

Moments later, the Germany international became the fifth player to enter the book, which merely underlined the fractious nature of a first half that ended just second after Mattia Destro had got his first sight of goal, with the striker just failing to climb high enough to get a clean connection on a brilliant cross from Marquinhos.

The Giallorossi continued to press in the secnod half, and Totti tested Federico Marchetti with a decent low strike before the Lazio goalkeeper was called upon again to get down low to stop a snap-shot from Destro.

A goal was coming - but it arrived at the other end, with Lulic tapping home at the back post after Lobont had deflected Antonio Candreva's cross into his path.

Roma tried to rally, throwing striker Pablo Osvaldo on in place of left back Federico Balzaretti, but it did not truly come close to forcing an equalizer. Indeed, it was Lazio that looked the more likely to net the game's next goal, with Lobont denying Stefano Mauri in an injury-time one-on-one.

In the end, though, Lulic's goal proved sufficient to earn the Biancocelesti their first meaningful piece of silverware since lifting the same trophy four years ago, while Bradley and his Roma teammates were denied a place in Europe following a sixth-place finish in Serie A.

Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich Champions League Final Prediction 25th May 2013

Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich Betting Preview

Wembley will be gearing up to host the first ever all-German final of the European Cup on Saturday, as Dortmund take on the challenge of stopping the Bayern Munich powerhouse. Both scored big wins over their Spanish counterparts in the semi finals to set up this clash. For Bayern Munich, this will be their third visit to the final of the Champions League and will look to bury the heartbreak of last year penalty shootout loss to Chelsea. As for Dortmund, they triumphed on their only ever visit to the Champions League final. Can they make it two from two?

Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich Betting Odds at WinningFT
Bayern Munich 1.74, Draw 5/23.71, Borussia Dortmund 4.25

Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich Recommended Bet:

Dortmund only other appearance in the final of the European Cup was back in 1997 when they beat Juventus 1997. They put in a momentous effort in the semi finals of this year competition against Real Madrid, with striker Robert Lewandowski setting things up with four goals in a 4-1 home victory in the first leg. They dug deep back at the Bernabeu to hold on to their advantage. Over the two legs they produced a lot of composure and power as well, winning through from the underdog role. They are heavy underdogs for the final itself too. Their form on the road in this years Champions League wasn't great on the way to the final. They managed to take just one win from their six games outside of Germany. It is those fine margins which make all the difference. They have been to London three times in their history, winning just once at West Ham back in the European Cup Winner Cup semi final in the 1965/66 season. They lost their other two visits to London, both times against Arsenal.

Overall in England, Dortmund's record is W2 D1 L4. Their big dangerman, Robert Lewandowski is second top scorer in the tournament this season with a ten goal haul, and only Cristiano Ronaldo dozen goals has topped that. There is no disguising the attacking threat that Bayern Munich can bring, and defensively Borussia Dortmund have only kept three clean sheets in their last twelve European matches, so they are likely to be opened up. They have also faced Bayern Munich four times this season already without a win. They held out for home and away draws in the Bundesliga, but lost in the German Super Cup and the German Cup to their rivals. The only time that Dortmund met Bayern Munich in a European fixture though, they prevailed 1-0 after a goalless first leg in the 1997/98 Champions League quarter finals. Dortmund also got the better of things when they last met on neutral ground in a final. That was a 5-2 win for Dortmund in the 2012 DFB-Pokal final. However, as good as Dortmund can look, they still fall under the betting shadow of Bayern Munich immense power.

Where this will be Dortmund second European Cup final, this will be Bayern tenth. Munich could could join Liverpool to become the joint third most successful club in the competition with five titles if they win at Wembley on the weekend. However, they have lost their last two Champions League finals in going up against Inter Milan and then Chelsea last year. Thumping Barcelona 7-0 is no easy task, but that is what they produced in the semi finals. Bayern Munich won all of their quarter final and semi finals matches without conceding a goal. So not only are they immense going forward, but they haven't given much away either. Bayern Munich have already won in London this season, as they triumphed at Arsenal 3-1 in the round of 16. Overall in London, Bayern's record is W1 D2 L3. Thomas Muller is top scorer for them with eight in the Champions League this term and they are on course to becoming the first ever German side to win the treble  (league championship, a domestic cup and the Champions League/European Cup).

Form

Dortmund WWLDDL, Bayern Munich WWWDWW

Stat Attack

Just one of the last five Champions League final have gone over 2.5 goal (that game was at Wembley though, Barcelona 3 – Man United 1 in 2011).
This is the first all German final in the European Cup
Bayern Munich have lost three of the four Champions League finals they have contested
Munich are unbeaten in four meetings with Dortmund this season (W2 D2)
Bayern Munich didn't concede a goal in the quarter or semi finals

Is Manchester City connection really what MLS needs?

Late Monday night in England, Manchester City's true colors rose to the surface again.

The club has taken tremendous strides since coming under Abu Dhabi ownership in 2008, with its free-spending ways eventually leading to top status in the Premier League. With the territory, though, comes an ample dosage of madness, the latest of which manifested itself just hours after cross-town rival Manchester United was parading through the streets with the trophy that used to call the Etihad Stadium home.

The club axed manager Roberto Mancini, the same man who guided City to its first English league title in 44 years a year ago to the day, and overcame a litany of personnel issues, injuries and limitless expectations to finish at worse third in the Premier League in 2012-13.

Sure, City failed to get out of the Champions League group stage again (perhaps its fate would have been different had it not been drawn into the Group of Death with Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax?), and with the club having an eye on Europe's biggest prize and gaining a bigger foothold on the continent, Mancini most assuredly fell short in that regard.

On the surface, it should not pertain all that much to American soccer fans, especially those who don't support City, whether the club's ownership made the right decision in firing its manager. That topic can be argued and debated on social media, in online forums, podcasts, radio shows and so on. The unpredictability, volatility and instability surrounding the club as a whole, though -- especially what has been exhibited in the last few weeks and appears to be the theme of the upcoming offseason -- may very well impact American fans in a much more tangible way in the coming weeks.

With widespread reports on both sides of the Atlantic that Manchester City is the favorite to land MLS's 20th franchise, the coveted second team in New York, the pros and cons of MLS establishing a professional link to the English club must be examined closely.

There are obvious positives in a link with an organization like Manchester City. MLS would bask in the added exposure in England and across the world while soaking in the millions upon millions of dollars that a deal with City owner Sheikh Mansour would undoubtedly bring. Financially, it's a no brainer.

As many have pointed out since the MLS player salary list was published by the league's players' union, the expected $100 million expansion fee for the rumored New York FC is more than what all MLS players make in a season combined.

MLS prides itself on achieving stability and keeping it, though. Attaching itself to a Manchester City outfit that does not exactly exude those qualities certainly feels like selling out to the highest bidder no matter the fallout.

For example, The Independent (UK) has reported that City sees a potential New York MLS franchise as a "nursery," a place to develop young talent and groom it for the Premier League club's first team as an alternative to its own reserve side. OK, that's fine for the eight international slots the team will be allotted from the start and perhaps the couple others the team could acquire via trade, but how much of an emphasis will there be on developing American talent with the rest of its roster? You know, like the kind MLS is supposed to be priding itself on and bringing along for the sake of soccer in North America? Will City truly make an effort to scout and identify talent in the United States that it could potentially bring overseas as well?

With City's freewheeling style and lack of a feel for the idiosyncratic MLS rule structure and salary cap ($2.95 million is, after all, about a quarter of what the club paid for the transfer of Scott Sinclair last summer), how will the club's brain-trust manage to stay within the strict limits? How much of City's potential presence in MLS is about each entity exposing its brand from a business standpoint, and how much of it is about a prudent way to help MLS continue its upward trajectory?

On an entirely different level, Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi royal family represent the United Arab Emirates, whose stance on homosexuality is vastly different and intolerant compared to the one that is firmly established and evolving in the United States. MLS and its Don't Cross The Line campaign would be making a serious concession to welcome those values to the owners' table.

This is still a hypothetical deal as of now, and MLS can absolutely benefit in a number of ways from a potential association with Manchester City, first and foremost financially. But what is the true cost of doing business on the MLS side? It might be more than any dollar figure can quantify.