[WINNERS & LOSERS] "I cannot overestimate how much Cardiff City's appearance at the FA Cup final on 17 May is going to mean to Wales and Cardiff's profile all over the world," said Rhodri Morgan, the First Minister of Wales after the finalists in the world's oldest soccer competition were set last weekend.
Winners
CARDIFF reached the FA Cup final for the first time since 1927 thanks to a 1-0 win over Barnsley on Joe Ledley's ninth-minute goal in the clash of two second-tier clubs. The Welsh club will face the EPL's PORTSMOUTH, a 1-0 winner over second-tier West Bromwich Albion.
CRISTIANO RONALDO scored his 26th league goal in Manchester United's 2-2 tie at Middlesbrough. With five games left, Man U leads
Chelsea by three points and Arsenal by six.
INTER MILAN kept a four-point lead over Roma atop the Italian Serie A standings thanks to a 2-0 victory over Atalanta on goals by Patrick Vieira and Mario Balotelli.
Losers
In Mexico, CLUB AMERICA's winless streak hit nine games with a 3-1 home loss to Pachuca. Club America president Guillermo Canedo and Coach Ruben Omar Romano have both promised to resign at the end of the season.
A 0-0 tie with Getafe means BARCELONA has won just once in its last six games and trails La Liga leader Real Madrid by seven points. Barcelona hit the post three times as it wasted a chance to gain ground on Real Madrid, which tied, 1-1, with Mallorca. (Second-place Villarreal lost 2-0 at Sevilla.) There are seven games left in the La Liga season. Compounding Barcelona's woes is news that Ronaldino will be out for six weeks with a thigh muscle injury.
HAMBURG SV's chance to catch Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich faded when it lost, 1-0, to VfB Stuttgart while Bayern, despite playing a man-down for 63 minutes, beat VfL Bochum, 3-1, to extend its lead to nine points. Schalke 04, with a 1-0 win over Hansa Rostock, moved into second place.