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European Roundup: Atletico Madrid soars, Bayern prevails, and PSG pulls ahead

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European Roundup: Atletico Madrid soars, Bayern prevails, and PSG pulls ahead
European Roundup: Atletico Madrid soars, Bayern prevails, and PSG pulls ahead

New Delhi: This weekend served up plenty of excitement across Europe’s top football leagues delivering decisive goals, stunning upsets, and critical moments in tightly contested title races. La Liga witnessed Atletico Madrid hold the top spot in the standings after a 1-0 win over Osasuna. Over in the Bundesliga, Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich keep their lead with four points. 

In Serie A, Napoli maintained their lead despite growing competition, and Ligue 1 witnessed Paris Saint-Germain assert their dominance while Brest and Montpellier impressed with standout displays. From last-gasp goals to pivotal moments that may shape the season, here is a detailed roundup of the major action that took place this weekend.

La Liga

 

Atletico Madrid continued their incredible run of form with a 1-0 win over Osasuna, setting a new club record of 14 consecutive victories across all competitions. Julian Alvarez was the match-winner, reacting quickest to a loose ball from a corner to score his sixth league goal of the season. The result moved Atletico Madrid to the top of the table with 47 points after 19 games, one point ahead of Real Madrid at the halfway stage of the season.

Elsewhere, Getafe secured their first away win of the campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Las Palmas. Coba Gomez da Costa opened the scoring with a header before assisting Borja Mayoral for the second goal late in the game. Adnan Januzaj’s superb consolation for Las Palmas came too late to salvage a point with Getafe moving further away from the relegation zone.

The bottom of the table saw drama unfold as Real Valladolid stunned Real Betis with a 1-0 home win. Veteran midfielder Kike Perez scored the decisive goal, giving new manager Diego Cocca his first win in Spanish football and lifting Valladolid’s spirits as they battle to escape the drop zone.

Sevilla and Valencia played out an enthralling 1-1 draw in Andalucia with late drama defining the clash. Luis Rioja fired Valencia ahead in the second half with a brilliant instinctive strike but Adri Pedrosa’s 94th-minute equalizer denied Carlos Corberan his first win as Valencia’s boss, forcing the visitors to settle for a single point.

In other fixtures, Girona secured a dramatic 1-0 win over Deportivo Alaves with a stoppage-time goal from substitute Jhon Solis. Espanyol and Leganes shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw that highlighted the relegation struggles of both teams. Leandro Cabrera gave Espanyol a dream start with a goal inside the opening 90 seconds but Seydouba Cisse equalized shortly after leaving both sides frustrated as they continued to hover near the bottom of the table.

With all teams now having played 19 matches, the La Liga title race remains tight. Atletico Madrid’s win puts them one point ahead of Real Madrid while Barcelona were involved in the Spanish Supercup this weekend, sits just behind. As the season progresses into its second half, the battle for the title and the fight for survival promises to deliver more drama.

Bundesliga

 

 

The Bundesliga resumed with thrilling action after a winter break. Champions Bayer Leverkusen secured a 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, cutting Bayern Munich’s lead to four points. Nathan Tella scored within 25 seconds, and Patrik Schick added two more for Leverkusen. Dortmund were without their key players like Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck due to injuries and illness, fought back but suffered their first home defeat of the season. Edmond Tapsoba and Piero Hincapie’s solid defence helped Leverkusen hold on to 35 points.

Bayern Munich retained their top spot with 39 points after a 1-0 victory at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Harry Kane’s penalty in the 68th minute marked his 15th league goal, keeping him the Bundesliga’s top scorer. Manuel Neuer returned from injury and had little to do as Bayern controlled the match.

Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt defeated St. Pauli 1-0 with Omar Marmoush scoring his 14th goal of the season, moving them to 30 points. RB Leipzig who are levelled with Frankfurt at 30 points also beat Werder Bremen 4-2 with a brace from Xavi Simons. Notably, Jürgen Klopp, Red Bull’s new global soccer adviser was also present in the stands. 

Mainz climbed to fourth place after Jonathan Burkardt’s double secured a 2-0 win over Bochum, who remain at the bottom of the table. With Bayern holding a slender lead, the Bundesliga title race is heating up, while Leverkusen’s impressive run keeps the pressure on the leaders.

Serie A

 

Napoli strengthened their grip at the top of Serie A with a commanding 2-0 victory over Hellas Verona. An early own goal by Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo gave Napoli the lead, and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa sealed the win with a powerful strike in the 61st minute. Napoli now sits on 47 points, four ahead of second-placed Inter Milan, who have two games in hand.

Inter maintained their title chase with a 1-0 victory against Venezia, courtesy of Matteo Darmian’s goal. Lautaro Martínez’s initial attempt forced a save from Venezia goalkeeper Filip Stankovic but Darmian capitalized on the rebound to secure the points.

Juventus were held to a fiery 1-1 draw in the Turin derby against Torino. Kenan Yildiz’s early goal for Juventus was cancelled out by Nikola Vlasic’s stunning strike before halftime. The heated encounter saw both coaches sent off for protests, marking Juve’s 12th draw in 19 games this season.

In another fixture, Atalanta missed the chance to close in on Napoli drawing 0-0 with Udinese. Marco Carnesecchi’s goalkeeping heroics and the woodwork kept Atalanta in the game, as Udinese came close on multiple occasions. Atalanta remains two points behind Napoli with their second consecutive draw.

AC Milan, under new manager Sergio Conceicao, drew 1-1 against Cagliari. Alvaro Morata scored for Milan but Nadir Zortea’s quick response from a counterattack earned Cagliari a crucial point. Milan stays eighth in the table while Cagliari drops into the relegation zone after Lecce’s 3-1 win over Empoli.

Ligue 1

 

Paris Saint-Germain continued their dominance in Ligue 1, securing a 2-1 victory over Saint-Etienne to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Ousmane Dembele was the star of the show as he scored a brace in the first half. His first goal came in the 13th minute followed by a penalty ten minutes later after a VAR decision deemed Leo Petrot’s handball on Achraf Hakimi’s cross. Although the penalty call seemed harsh PSG capitalized to stay seven points clear at the top. Saint-Etienne’s Zuriko Davitashvili pulled one back with a stunning free-kick in the second half but it wasn’t enough to derail PSG.

Olympique Marseille extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with a 2-1 comeback win over Rennes. After Arnaud Kalimuendo missed an early penalty but later scored to give Rennes the lead, Mason Greenwood and Adrien Rabiot turned the tide in Marseille’s favour. The victory moved Marseille to second spot in the standings, keeping the title race alive.

Monaco salvaged a 2-2 draw at Nantes after trailing 2-0. Goals from Wissam Ben Yedder and Aleksandr Golovin ensured the visitors shared the spoils. Meanwhile, Lille were held to a goalless draw at Auxerre despite Auxerre going down to 10 men early in the second half after Paul Joly was sent off.

In other action, Nice secured a 4-2 win at Reims with a brace from Gaetan Laborde while Lyon slipped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Brest, who struck early through Mahdi Camara and Ludovic Ajorque.

 Dive into the weekend’s thrilling European football action where Atletico Madrid kept pace at the top of La Liga, Harry Kane shined once again and Napoli continued their dominance in Serie A amidst intense competition.  Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today

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