Round up: Graz land Austrian title
VIENNA, Austria -- Graz AK have won the Austrian title for the first time thanks to a 1-1 draw against SV Pasching and the surprise away defeat of rivals Austria Vienna.
The home draw took GAK four points clear with just one round left to play. A 23rd-minute Roland Kollmann penalty was enough to secure the point that took GAK beyond Austria Vienna's reach.
The Viennese contenders suffered a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of seventh-ranked SV Mattersburg after a lacklustre performance.
"We were the best in all areas this year," said GAK coach Walter Schachner. When Mattersburg went 3-1 up, it was clear Austria Vienna would lose but we could still have lost the game," Schachner added. "The nerves were very frayed at that point."
HAJDUK CELEBRATE
Meanwhile, Hajduk Split clinched their fifth Croatian title thanks to a 2-0 home win against Varazdin.
Hajduk finished the season with 78 points, two ahead of arch-rivals Dinamo Zagreb who beat Osijek 3-1.
Defender Hrvoje Vejic put Hajduk ahead in the 34th minute with a superb volley from 12 meters. Zvonimir Deranja doubled the advantage 12 minutes from time with a classy solo effort.
Hajduk have topped the league for most of the season, although they blew a five-point lead and were briefly overtaken by Dinamo with three rounds remaining, leading to the sacking of coach Zoran Vulic.
Dinamo can still win the Croatian cup on Wednesday as they play the second leg against Varteks Varazdin in Zagreb with a UEFA Cup place up for grabs. The first leg ended 1-1.
PLOVDIV END WITH DRAW
Lokomotiv Plovdiv, who secured the Bulgarian title for the first time last week, rounded off their season with a 1-1 draw away to CSKA Sofia.
Martin Kamburov, the league's top scorer, netted his 25th goal of the season when he equalised for the champions three minutes from the final whistle, after CSKA had taken the lead through Hristo Yanev in the 62nd minute.
Lokomotiv secured the title for the first time in their 68-year history when they beat Slavia Sofia 3-2 last weekend.
They finished their league campaign with 75 points, three ahead of second-placed Levski Sofia. Third-placed CSKA Sofia were 10 points back.
Botev Plovdiv, Makedonska Slava Simitli and Chernomorets Bourgas were relegated. They will be replaced by Beroe Stara Zagora, Pirin Blagoevgrad and Nesebar, promoted from the Second Division.
