Open Mike Monday: Piermario Morosini, El Clasico, FA Cup, Borussia Dortmund

Football gave us some very bad and some very good this week.

With a miraculous close call still fresh on our minds, tragedy struck again—this time without the benefit of a happy ending. Serie B Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini, 25, collapsed on the pitch Saturday during a match and was pronounced dead later at a hospital.

Matches were postponed across Italy, but elsewhere, life kept moving.

In England, a grand old cup competition hit a dramatic peak. In Holland, an old champion reemerged. In Germany, a newer one reasserted its power.

And across Europe, the continent prepared for what promises to be a stirring week ahead.

Worst News

Morosini's tragic death halted all matches in Italy over the weekend.

Tributes poured in from across the world, with matches in Europe and farther afield held moments of silence to honor Morosini's memory.

Calls went out for better and more frequent medical testing for players.

And much like the immediate aftermath of the Fabrice Muamba situation, football showed its power to unite and heal.

Admittedly, a full recovery might not be possible in any amount of time. A young life has been cut short, and the shock may never go away.

But as we've seen before, football can bring people together like perhaps nothing else in the world.

Best Drama

In England, the world's oldest cup competition showed it can also be the most exciting—at times.

Two semifinals were held at Wembley. Two semifinals produced high drama.

On Saturday, Liverpool came from behind to defeat archrivals Everton 2-1. A late goal from frequently lampooned £35 million striker Andy Carroll secured the victory and a spot in next month's final.

But that was only the appetizer.

On Sunday, Chelsea benefited from a phantom goal call—you can't make this stuff up, really—and rode the momentum from it to a crushing 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

By Monday, of course, controversy was raging and the debate over goal-line technology had returned. Except that by now, it's almost impossible to call it a debate.

By now, it's more like a necessity.

Most Resurgent Euro Giant

How about Ajax?

On Saturday the famed Dutch club won for the 10th straight time in the Eredivisie, sweeping aside De Graafschap 3-1 behind Derk Boerrigter's brace and a Christian Eriksen strike.

During that 10-match winning streak, Ajax have outscored their opponents 33-6 and stormed to the top of a once-chaotic table.

The defending Dutch champs now lead by six points with four matches left. And make no mistake: This is a very good team. A young team, but a very good one.

That's a bit of a change for a club with such a rich history. But the four-time European champions are doing things differently these days, and their young squad, coached by Frank De Boer, is exciting to watch.

If you saw them play Manchester United in the Europa League (aggregate loss and all), you already knew that. If not, get ready to see them next season in the Champions League.

And if they can hold onto all of their young stars—especially Eriksen—get ready to see them do something memorable.

Most Definitely Champions

All hail the German champions. The back-to-back champions, that is.

Borussia Dortmund defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 on Wednesday to all but secure this season's Bundesliga title. After another win at the weekend, Dortmund now have an eight-point lead with just three matches left.

Against Bayern, the defending champs earned the victory with Robert Lewandowski's redirection in the 77th minute. Arjen Robben missed a penalty five minutes from time, and then missed an open net in stoppage time.

Watching the action as it happened, fate almost seemed to be with Dortmund.

But it's more than that. Jurgen Klopp's men have earned this.

Since Sept. 18, Dortmund have not lost in the Bundesliga—a club-record run of 24 matches. And though the Champions League was a bust this season, Dortmund have earned their spot among Europe's elite.

With Mario Götze set to stay, and Marco Reus set to join this summer, Dortmund could be a force next season.

Best Week Yet

The week ahead is one of the reasons we watch football.

On Tuesday and Thursday, we get the Champions League semifinals, which—for my money—are almost always more entertaining than finals.

And this year we get two really good ones.

On Tuesday, Real Madrid visit Bavaria to play the reeling Bayern Munich. The Germans lost an emotional title-decider to Borussia Dortmund midweek and then drew at home to Mainz on Saturday. They'll either be completely pumped or completely deflated for Real's visit.

Real, meanwhile, bring an offense that's already scored more than 100 league goals this season. Kaka is back in form—and Cristiano Ronaldo is always in form—so you know they'll bring the goods.

On Wednesday, Barcelona visit London to face Chelsea. There's history here, and while this matchup might not be as epic previous encounters, it will still be interesting to see how this rejuvenated version of Chelsea fares against the defending European champions.

Then, of course, we get El Clasico on Saturday. Real at Barca.

If Real win, La Liga is pretty much theirs. If Barca win—and they've won three of the five meetings between the two teams this season—the margin at the top of the table will be one point, with four matches left.

Like I said, weeks like this are the reason we watch football. I can't wait.