The semi-finals of the three major European Cups are over, the three finals are all out, the Premier League teams are all out, and the Bundesliga and Serie A appear in the two finals and become the big winners. Bayer Leverkusen, who won the Bundesliga title for the first time, continued their magical performances and are expected to win the treble.
In the semi-finals of the Champions League, Dortmund defeated Paris Saint-Germain by one goal in both legs, reaching the final for the third time in team history, while Real Madrid reversed Bayern Munich with Joselu's last-minute brace and won the final, only one step away from the 15th Champions League trophy. This is also the first time in more than 20 years that the Champions League final will once again be a battle between the Bundesliga and La Liga, the last time was Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen. The two teams will compete at Wembley Stadium in London for the highest European honour of the season.
In the semi-finals of the Europa League, the two Serie A teams did not meet, but they could not achieve the final. After Atalanta drew away to Marseille in Ligue 1, they returned to their home stadium with a crisp three-goal victory and advanced to the final. Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen returned home with a two-goal away advantage, but Roma scored two goals in a row to equalise the aggregate score. However, at the end of the game, Roberto Mancini scored an own goal and Spears equalised for the home side in the 96th minute, and Bayer Leverkusen once again retained their unbeaten record, leaving the outside world in awe.
Bayer Leverkusen avoided a defeat by scoring late in stoppage time in successive games and seemed to be more adept at scoring late stages than Real Madrid, with Alonso also seen as another Zidane. In particular, Bayer Leverkusen also reached the final of the German Cup and are expected to become the only treble winners in the top five leagues this season. Atalanta are also in the Coppa Italia final, with both teams performing well in the cup and it is believed that the final will be a good one.
In the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, there were some surprises for fans. After Fiorentina defeated Belgium's Club Brugge at home, although they were tied on aggregate by their opponents away from home, a late goal ensured that Fiorentina could reach the final. The result of the upset came to Aston Villa, the fourth-placed team in the Premier League, who faced Greece's fourth-placed Olympiacos, who lost by two goals home and away, which seemed incomprehensible.
The final of the two leagues, which temporarily finished fourth, ended in a one-sided result, and it has to be said that this is a collective slump in the Premier League. This season, the Premier League has eight teams competing in the three major European cups, the same as La Liga, which is the most involved, but the performance has been a bit poor. Manchester United and Newcastle are at the bottom of the Champions League group, Brighton are out of the Europa League round of 16, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and West Ham are all out of the quarter-finals of both cup competitions, and the "lone seed" Aston Villa is also out of the semi-finals. None of the Premier League teams have made it to the final, which is somewhat inconsistent with the fact that the Premier League continues to sit first in Europe, and it also loses its fifth Champions League qualification.
Serie A and Bundesliga were the big winners, with two teams each reaching the final, Borussia Dortmund meeting Real Madrid in the Champions League, Fiorentina meeting Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa League, and the Europa League being a clash between the two leagues, with Bayer Leverkusen facing Atalanta. Last season, Serie A teams lost all three finals, will this season change, especially Fiorentina, who have reached the UEFA Europa League final for two consecutive seasons and are aiming for the title.