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Bayern faces final test German champs hold No. 1 ahead of Valencia match
ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- On the same day it departs for Milan to contest the Champions League final, newly crowned German champion Bayern Munich retains the No. 1 rank on Monday in the new CNN/World Soccer Top 10. Bayern tops the rankings for the third consecutive week after taking home its third Bundesliga title in as many years in dramatic fashion. Patrik Andersson scored the equalizer three minutes and 45 seconds into stoppage time to allow Bayern to retain the title with a 1-1 draw at Hamburger SV. For the first time in the 46-year history of the European Cup, the losers of the two previous finals will meet each other when Bayern faces Valencia in this year's showpiece at the San Siro Stadium on Wednesday. Last year's Champions League winner, Real Madrid, stays at No. 2 after it drew nearer to the Spanish league title with a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano. Third place features a tie between a Champions League finalist and the UEFA Cup winner. Liverpool rises two spots into the tie after defeating Spain's Alaves 5-4 in a thrilling UEFA Cup finale. The Reds also took another step toward recapturing their past glory by defeating Charlton 4-0 to clinch a berth in next season's Champions League. Valencia rises one spot ahead of its second straight Champions League final, on the heels of an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish league. Defending Brazilian national and Copa Mercosur champion Vasco da Gama falls two ranks to fifth despite defeating Flamengo 2-1 in the first leg of the Carioca (Rio de Janeiro state) championship final. Vasco also advanced past Chile's Deportes Concepción into the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals. The final day of play in English soccer was an abysmal one for champion Manchester United, which has won seven of the last nine league titles under Alex Ferguson. No. 6 United fell 3-1 at Tottenham, but worse yet, 24 hours earlier Ferguson made the shocking announcement that he will leave the club after next season. Defending South American and Argentine champion Boca Juniors jumps from ninth to seventh after advancing past Colombian side Junior into the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals (where Vasco da Gama awaits) and defeating Los Andes 1-0 in domestic action. Italy's AS Roma remains unchanged at No. 8 after defeating Bari 4-1 to edge closer to the Serie A title. Deportivo rises one rank to ninth after a hat trick by Diego Tristan launched the side to a dramatic 3-2 win at Oviedo to keep the Spanish title race alive. Rounding out the list is Champions League semifinalist Leeds United, which finished the English season in fourth after a 3-1 win Sunday against Leicester City, just missing out on next season's Champions League. Other teams receiving votes include Schalke (Germany), Alaves (Spain), River Plate (Argentina), Lazio (Italy), Boavista (Portugal), PSV Eindhoven (the Netherlands), Nantes (France) and Juventus (Italy). The CNN/World Soccer Top 10 is a unique ranking of football clubs determined Mondays through voting by correspondents from CNN Sports and World Soccer magazine.
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