Top Italian teams draw a blank, Leverkusen lose

Italy's top three teams failed to score at the weekend as leaders Inter Milan drew 0-0 with Genoa and AC Milan and AS Roma, second and third, shared another goalless stalemate. 

Bayer Leverkusen lost for the first time in the Bundesliga this season, going down 3-2 at relegation candidates Nuremberg in their 25th match.

Italy                                           

Inter Milan were held 0-0 at home by Genoa and missed the chance to extend their Serie A lead after their closest rivals drew with each other.

AC Milan, four points behind in second spot, were held 0-0 at third-placed AS Roma despite dominating for long spells.

Palermo, in fourth, continued their drive for a Champions League slot with a 1-0 win over Livorno thanks to Fabrizio Miccoli''s shot from the edge of the box.

Juventus are two points behind the Sicilians in fifth after Diego and Fabio Grosso earned a 2-1 victory at Fiorentina.

France                                                                        

Alberto Costa and Victor Montano missed penalties for Montpellier but Costa scored an injury-time equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw at 10-man Girondins Bordeaux in a top-of-the-table clash.                                           

Cedric Carraso saved both first-half penalties while Bordeaux had Michael Ciani dismissed for the foul which led to the first spot kick.

Morocco forward Marouane Chamakh put Bordeaux ahead on 59 minutes but Costa levelled from a 30-metre free kick four minutes into stoppage time.

The teams stayed level on points at the top but Bordeaux lead on goal difference.

Germany                                     

Bayer Leverkusen lost for the first time in the Bundesliga this season, going down 3-2 at relegation candidates Nuremberg.                                           

Two goals from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and one by Mickael Tavares put Nuremberg 3-0 ahead before Stefan Kiessling and Patrick Helmes replied.

Bayern Munich stayed top with 53 points after drawing 1-1 at Cologne, Bastian Schweinsteiger earning a point for the Bavarians after Lukas Podolski had scored against his old club.

Schalke 04 won 4-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt to go second with 51 points, one ahead of fading Leverkusen.

England                                                         

Paul Scholes grabbed his 100th Premier League goal to give Manchester United a 1-0 win at struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers which took the champions to the top of the table.

United went two points clear of Chelsea who beat Stoke City 2-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Arsenal are level on points with Chelsea after a 3-1 win over Burnley, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin getting the goals.

Aston Villa set up a semi-final against Chelsea after coming from 2-0 down to win 4-2 at Reading with a John Carew hat-trick.

Spain                                           

Real Madrid stormed back from two goals down to beat Sevilla 3-2 with a last-minute winner and replace Barcelona at the top of La Liga on goal difference.

A Xabi Alonso own goal and an Ivica Dragutinovic free kick put Sevilla 2-0 up but the fightback started with strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.

Rafael van der Vaart scrambled the dramatic late decider.

Barcelona were held 2-2 in Almeria with Lionel Messi twice hauling his side back into the game, his second coming after Zlatan Ibrahimovic had been sent off.

Real and Barca are tied on 62 points from 25 games, 16 ahead of third-placed Valencia who host Racing Santander on Monday.                                                                                   

Netherlands                                          

A diving header from Kenneth Perez earned Twente Enschede a 1-0 win at RKC Waalwijk and sent them top following PSV Eindhoven's first league defeat in almost a year.

PSV, last beaten on March 15, 2009, went ahead with an Orlando Engelaar goal after 18 minutes but Donny Gorter equalised for NAC Breda 10 minutes before halftime and Robert Schilder grabbed the winner in the 72nd minute.

With eight matches remaining Twente have 67 points, two ahead of PSV who travel to third-placed Ajax Amsterdam (61) next Sunday.

Portugal                                           

Benfica stretched their lead to three points with a 3-1 home win over Pacos de Ferreira thanks to goals by midfielder Ruben Amorim, Argentine forward Javier Saviola and Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo.

Second-placed Braga drew 0-0 at Setubal. Porto, in third, were two goals down inside 16 minutes at home to Olhanense, Djalmir scoring both, but rallied to earn a 2-2 draw with late goals by Colombians Radamel Falcao and Freddy Guarin.

Bulgaria                                                       

Litex Lovech president Trifon Popov was furious after the league leaders lost 4-1 at Pirin Blagoevgrad.

"It was one of the most shameful defeats in our club's history," he told reporters. "It seems like some of our players just don''t have the quality to play in a big club.

"We'll wait and see but probably some of them will have to go after the end of the season."

Litex remained top on 38 points, three ahead of CSKA Sofia who were held to a goalless draw at Beroe Stara Zagora.

Scotland     

Rangers stayed 10 points clear of second-placed Celtic, and with a game in hand, after both teams won.

The Ibrox club beat St Mirren 3-1 despite going behind to a Graham Carey goal. Lee McCulloch replied for Rangers either side of the break and Nacho Novo added a third.

Robbie Keane scored twice to give Celtic a 2-0 win at Falkirk.

Greece               

Leaders Panathinaikos beat Levadiakos 3-0 to stay two points ahead of PAOK Salonika, who beat Panthrakikos by the same score.