European Weekend Rewind: Real Madrid conquers El Clasico, Chelsea-Manchester United end in stalemate, and more
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Gregory Caltabanis
3 Yrs Ago
Saturday’s clash of Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona was at the forefront of European soccer this weekend as Real Madrid prevailed in a fierce El Clasico, while Manchester United held Frank Lampard’s high-powered Chelsea to a draw at Old Trafford.
Real Madrid returned to winning ways following two consecutive defeats, delivering when it mattered against Barcelona. Sergio Ramos fired home the winner from the penalty spot, condemning the Catalan giants to their second defeat under Ronald Koeman. Atletico Madrid confirmed its title credentials, overcoming Real Betis, while Sevilla’s goalscoring woes continued in its defeat against Eibar.
In England, Chelsea was held scoreless for the second time this week, playing out to a stalemate against Manchester United. Everton fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a loss at Southampton. Liverpool claimed a gutsy win over Sheffield United coming from behind while fellow contenders, Manchester City, dropped points once more, tying West Ham United, and Leicester City beat Arsenal on Sunday to halt its two-match losing streak.
In Germany, Borussia Dortmund emerged victorious in the Revierderby, dispatching Schalke 3-0. League leader RB Leipzig continued its unbeaten run with a narrow win over Hertha Berlin while Bayern Munich claimed a comprehensive three points against Eintracht Frankfurt.
In Italy, Inter Milan overcame Genoa in a hotly-contested affair, eventually beating the hosts 2-0. Juventus continued its title defense without Cristiano Ronaldo, drawing against Hellas Verona, while Napoli claimed an important three points after stumbling early on against Benevento.
Here is a closer look at the biggest results from Europe’s top leagues:
England Premier League
Chelsea recorded its second consecutive 0-0 draw, playing out to a stalemate against Manchester United. England international Marcus Rashford came close to breaking the deadlock late, but Edouard Mendy proved to be up to the task, denying the 22-year-old diligently. Summer arrival Edinson Cavani made his debut for the club coming off the bench but failed to make an impact in his cameo appearance.
Everton suffered its first loss of the season, falling to Southampton, 2-0. Danny Ings helped set up a pair of first-half goals for the Saints on a day that saw Everton’s high-flying attack falter.
Liverpool was forced to come from behind against Sheffield United after Sander Berge slotted home from the spot to open the scoring. Roberto Firmino opened his account on the season, pouncing on a rebound to slot home into an empty net. Summer arrival Diogo Jota netted the crucial equalizer, heading home shortly after the hour mark. The Reds are now in first place, level on points with their crosstown rivals Everton.
Manchester City’s Premier League woes continued on Saturday as the Citizens were forced to share the spoils with the in-form West Ham United. The English giants have struggled this season, only winning two of their first five Premier League games. Michail Antonio opened the scoring with a wonderful bicycle kick for his third goal of the season. Manchester City dug deep and inevitably found the equalizer via Phil Foden, but ultimately could not find the winner. Pep Guardiola’s men will shift their attention to Marseille before being given a chance to return to winning ways in league play against Sheffield United.
Leicester City left it late, but ultimately found the winner against Arsenal, condemning the Gunners to their third defeat of the season. Brendan Rodgers’s men held a resolute shape for most of the game, reducing Arsenal to ineffective possession. Jamie Vardy started the game off the bench and made the most of his cameo appearance, firing his side ahead with 10 minutes to play.
Germany Bundesliga
Bayern Munich emerged comfortable winners over Eintracht Frankfurt, dispatching the hosts 5-0. Robert Lewandowski scored a perfect hat-trick, finding the back of the net with his right foot, left foot, and a header helping the Bavarian giants secure the three points. Leroy Sane returned from injury in impressive fashion, scoring his side’s fourth goal while Bayern prospect Jamal Musiala made yet another impactful super sub appearance, registering his second goal of the season off the bench.
RB Leipzig continued its impressive start to the season to remain in first place, overcoming Hertha Berlin thanks to a Marcel Sabitzer winner from the spot. Julian Nagelsmann’s men went down early, but Dayot Upamecano leveled the affairs shortly thereafter. The Frenchman did extremely well to carve an opening for himself, gliding past two defenders and firing home. RB Leipzig currently sits atop the Bundesliga, just one point over BVB and Bayern Munich.
Borussia Dortmund put its recent Champions League defeat behind them with a convincing win over Schalke in the Revierderby. The hosts were dominant throughout, with Manuel Akanji pouncing on a rebound to open the scoring. Erling Haaland doubled his side’s lead a mere five minutes later, expertly lobbing Frederik Rønnow. Mats Hummels added a late goal, condemning their rivals to a 3-0 defeat.
La Liga
The latest iteration of El Clásico was a fiery affair and was ultimately decided by a controversial penalty decision. Clement Lenglet was deemed the guilty party, grabbing a handful of Sergio Ramos’s jersey on a corner kick. Ramos slotted home from the spot with great aplomb, leading his side to a crucial 3-1 victory and propelling them temporarily into first place. Ansu Fati was on target once more for the hosts, canceling out Federico Valverde’s early opener. The win means Zinedine Zidane remains unbeaten at the Camp Nou after six games.
Atletico Madrid bounced back from its 4-0 defeat against Bayern Munich with a dominant performance over Real Betis. Marcos Llorente found the breakthrough directly after the restart, slotting home coolly past Claudio Bravo. Luis Suarez doubled his side’s lead in stoppage time, netting his fourth goal in five games. Atletico Madrid currently sits two points behind Real Madrid in second but have a game in hand on their fierce rivals.
Sevilla failed to score in its third consecutive game, falling at the hands of Eibar. The hosts dominated possession, but could not break down a resolute Eibar rearguard. Kike inevitably found the winner for Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men, firing home emphatically over an onrushing Tomas Vaclik on the stroke of halftime. Sevilla is now winless in its last four, ahead of their Champions League clash against Rennes on Wednesday.
Villarreal’s top four hopes took a hit on Sunday, after a draw against Cadiz. The newly-promoted outfit has not disappointed since making the step up, beating Real Madrid and holding the Yellow Submarine to a draw. Unai Emery’s men currently sit one point behind Real Madrid in second, albeit having played one more game than Los Blancos.
Serie A
The Andrea Pirlo era has not exactly gone as planned so far. Juventus dropped points for the third time this season, drawing 1-1 against Hellas Verona. The visitors opened the scoring, with Andrea Favilli breaking the deadlock, but their lead was short-lived. Dejan Kulusevski had an immediate impact off the bench, netting the crucial equalizer.
Romelu Lukaku’s hot-streak in front of goal continued against Genoa, leading Inter Milan to a comfortable 2-0 victory. The Belgian international has found the back of the net in every game this season, netting seven goals in six games in all competitions. Danilo D’Ambrosio added a safety goal with over ten minutes to play, taking Inter Milan within two points of their fierce rivals AC Milan in first place. The Rossoneri welcome Roma to the San Siro on Monday.
It was a family affair in Benevento on Sunday, as brothers Lorenzo and Roberto Insigne both got on the scoresheet for their respective sides. Napoli overturned a first-half deficit to overcome the newly-promoted outfit 2-1 and maintain the pace atop the table. Andrea Petagna fired the Partenopei ahead with little under 30 minutes to play, after a wonderful run by Matteo Politano.
France - Portugal
Paris Saint-Germain claimed its sixth victory in a row in Ligue 1, thanks to braces from Moise Kean and Kylian Mbappe. The Italian international opened the scoring within three minutes and doubled the host's lead shortly thereafter with a tap-in at the back post. Mbappe added two late goals, rounding off a convincing win and bringing his tally to six on the season. PSG now finds itself in first place, alongside Lille.
Lille maintained its eight-game unbeaten run in league play on Sunday with a hard-fought draw against OGC Nice. Christophe Galtier’s men opened the scoring thanks to Burak Yilmaz, but were unable to defend their lead. Former Ajax hitman Kasper Dolberg leveled the affair shortly after halftime, handing Lille its third draw of the season. Lille squandered its opportunity to leapfrog PSG in first and is now level on points with the French giants.
Porto returned to winning ways after losing to Manchester City in midweek, overcoming Gil Vicente 1-0. Evanilson was on target for the Portuguese giants, slotting home into an open net. Nigerian defender Zaidu Sanusi was sent off with over 20 minutes to play, but Porto did just enough to see out the result and maintain the pace atop the Liga Nos with Benfica, who take the field on Monday.
Sporting CP found a late winner to claim the three points against Santa Clara, after the hosts equalized shortly before halftime. Pedro Goncalves netted a well-taken brace for Ruben Amorim’s men, which has since propelled them within two points of the league-leading Benfica. Sporting CP remains unbeaten after four games this season, following its Europa League elimination against LASK.