Ajax: Ajax Amsterdam moved a step closer to winning a fourth successive Dutch league title with a comprehensive 3-0 home win over Twente Enschede yesterday to go eight points clear at the top of the standings with five matches remaining. Feyenoord moved into second place for the first time this season as they walloped Go Ahead Eagles 5-0, leapfrogging PSV Eindhoven and Vitesse Arnhem who both failed to win on Saturday.

Hamburg: Hamburg SV, the only ever-present club since the Bundesliga was founded in 1963, slipped back into the relegation zone after a 3-1 defeat at Borussia Moenchengladbach yesterday. Hamburg dropped below Stuttgart into 17th place on goal difference after slumping to their sixth consecutive away defeat despite taking the lead. Both teams have 24 points, two below Nuremberg, and six games each to play. Stuttgart are in the relegation play-off spot.

A-League: Adelaide United boosted their hopes of a top-two finish in the A-League after scraping past Wellington Phoenix 1-0. Marcelo Carrusca scored from the spot after 58 minutes to lift Adelaide two points behind Central Coast Mariners in the battle for an automatic final series place. Perth Glory continue to prop up the table but moved level on points with Melbourne Heart thanks to a late 2-1 victory over Newcastle Jets.

Benfica: Benfica edged closer to the Primeira Liga title by reopening a seven-point lead at the top with a 1-0 victory at Braga. Rodrigo Lima’s early goal ensured the 32-time Portuguese champions head into the final five games with a healthy advantage over Lisbon rivals Sporting, who beat Vitoria Guimaraes by the same scoreline on Saturday. Dropping off the pace are third-placed Porto. The Dragons have improved under interim boss Luis Castro but went down 2-1 at Nacional to stay eight points behind Sporting.

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