The second extra Champions League place for next season will go to La Liga.
Two additional spots are available to the two strongest leagues in Europe, and the Premier League secured one of those weeks ago. Indeed with representation in all the European finals this season, there is a case to be made that it should have had both of them.
In the event it came down to a fight between German and Spanish teams for that one extra spot.
Harry Kane’s goal, albeit in an ultimately losing cause for Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final with PSG, opened the door for the Bundesliga, especially if Freiburg could then capitalise by beating Portuguese side Braga to reach the final of the Europa League.
They duly did so, but, in the event, that did not matter, because in the other competition, Rayo Vallecano beat Strasbourg of Ligue 1 home and away to reach the final of the Europa Conference League. That gave the Spaniards an unassailable lead in terms of UEFA coefficient.
And that is especially good news for Real Betis, who currently sit fifth in La Liga, and, with a six point cushion over Celta de Vigo, and with four games to go, look set to qualify for Europe’s elite competition for the first time.
