Ibrahimovic dominates European football weekend

Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagging four goals, while Juventus and Bayern Munich preserved their leads and FA Cup holders Arsenal were dumped out of the competition

FRANCE

Paris St Germain clinched their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title with eight games to play after Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four goals in their 9-0 demolition of Troyes.

Ibrahimovic’s haul included a remarkable nine-minute hat-trick as PSG completed the biggest away victory in the division’s history to seal the fastest ever Ligue 1 title triumph, breaking the record set by Olympique Lyonnais in 2007.

Second-placed AS Monaco are now 25 points behind PSG after drawing 2-2 with Reims, while third-placed Nice won 2-0 at troubled Montpellier.

PSG have 77 points after 30 matches, with Monaco on 52.

ENGLAND

FA Cup holders Arsenal lost 2-1 to visiting Watford in the quarter-finals and missed the chance to become the first team since the 1880s to claim a third straight triumph in the competition.

Struggling Premier League champions Chelsea lost 2-0 in the Cup at Everton, while Manchester United and West Ham United must replay after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

Crystal Palace are the other semi-finalists after beating second-tier Reading 2-0 away.

In the league, second-placed Tottenham Hotspur closed the gap on Leicester City to two points with a 2-0 win at bottom side Aston Villa before the leaders host Newcastle United on Monday.

SPAIN

Barcelona's Lionel Messi scored and provided three assists as they equalled a club record of 12 consecutive league wins by thrashing struggling Getafe 6-0 at the Nou Camp.

Messi also missed a penalty but Neymar netted twice in the rout as Barca remain eight points clear of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid, who beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-0.

Real Madrid's Casemiro headed a last-gasp goal in a 2-1 victory at Las Palmas to keep them four points off Atletico and 10 points clear of fourth-placed Villarreal, who lost 4-2 at a Sevilla side now five points behind their opponents in fifth.

Athletic Bilbao joined the fight for a top-four finish by beating Real Betis 3-1 thanks to a double from Sabin Merino, and sit six points behind Villarreal, in sixth place.

GERMANY

Bayern Munich crushed Werder Bremen 5-0 to bounce back after two matches without a win in the Bundesliga and protect their five-point lead at the top as they chase a record fourth straight league crown.

Thomas Mueller and Thiago Alcantara scored twice each and Mario Goetze made his long-awaited comeback since his muscle injury in October as Bayern prepare to face Juventus for a spot in the Champions League last eight next week.

Borussia Dortmund eased past Mainz 05 2-0 with goals from Marco Reus and Shinji Kagawa, in a game that was overshadowed by the death of fan in the stands from an apparent heart attack.

Dortmund are second on 61, 16 points ahead of third-placed Hertha Berlin.

ITALY

Serie A leaders Juventus edged Sassuolo 1-0 and remain three points clear of second-placed Napoli, who beat struggling Palermo by the same scoreline.

Paulo Dybala scored the winner for Juve as they moved to 67 points after 29 matches, while league-leading scorer Gonzalo Higuain’s first-half penalty was enough to keep Napoli in touching distance of the defending champions.

AS Roma extended their winning streak to eight games with a 2-1 victory at Udinese, while Fiorentina drew 1-1 at home to Verona and Inter Milan defeated visiting Bologna 2-1.

Juventus have 67 points, ahead of Napoli (64), Roma (59),Fiorentina and Inter (both 54).

NETHERLANDS

Ajax Amsterdam blew a chance to top the Dutch league after NEC Nijmegen's Venezuelan winger Christian Santos scored a late equaliser for a 2-2 draw.

A home win would have sent Ajax clear of champions PSV Eindhoven, who instead lead by one point after 27 games.

PSV themselves had a setback when they were held 1-1 at home by Heerenveen, opening the door for Ajax to reclaim the lead they had enjoyed for much of the first half of the campaign.