Weekend European Football Review
In a whirlwind weekend across Europe's top football leagues, both triumph and disappointment unfolded as teams battled for supremacy and survival. From dramatic comebacks to historic victories, here's a roundup of the latest action in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1.
Premier League
Luton missed the opportunity to gain further ground on relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, drawing 1-a-piece with Everton at Kenilworth Road. Dominic Calvert-Lewin put the Toffees in front from the penalty spot, only for Elijah Adebayo to equalise with a smart finish 7 minutes later; the draw leaves the Hatters 3 points off safety.
Arsenal held on to top spot in the Premier League, defeating Bournemouth 3-0 in the early Kick off on Saturday. A Bukayo Saka penalty, as well as further strikes from Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice helped the Gunners maintain their 4 point lead over Manchester City.
In the West London derby, Brentford and Fulham finished scoreless. Brian Mbuemo came closest to opening the scoring for the Bee’s in the first half but could only hit the bar with his attempt. Raul Jimenez blazed over for Fulham’s best scoring opportunity somehow when it looked easier to score.
Burnley’s survival hopes were dealt a devastating blow when Vincent Kompany’s side were comprehensively beaten 4-1 by Newcastle at home on Saturday. Callum Wilson, Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, and Alexander Isak were all on target in the win; Dara O’Shea scored a late consolation goal for Burnley.
Already relegated Sheffield United succumbed to their 26th league defeat, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest. Ben Brereton Diaz had fired the Blades into a 17th minute lead from 12 yards, Callum Hudson-Odoi’s excellent curling effort 10 mins later leveled matters. Ryan Yates put Forest ahead drilling the ball home from inside the box, Hudson-Odoi got his second with a superb solo effort to keep Forest out of the relegation zone.
Manchester City kept the pressure on Arsenal in the race for the Premier League, thrashing Wolves 5-1 at the Etihad. Erling Haaland remarkably grabbed 4 goals - including 2 penalties - with Julien Alvarez also getting in on the act; Hwang Hee-chan scored for Wolves.
Aston Villa followed up Thursday night's defeat to Olympiakos with another loss to Brighton; Joao Pedro scored the only goal of the game, following up to tap in after seeing his initial penalty saved, making it 8 league goals for the season for the Brazilian.
Chelsea inflicted another heavy defeat on West Ham, winning 5-0 at Stamford Bridge, the Hammers have now conceded 10 goals in their last 2 away games. Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Noni Madueke, and a brace from Nicolas Jackson rounded off an excellent few days for the men in blue.
Liverpool got their first win in 3, winning 4-2 against Tottenham at Anfield. The Reds went 4-0 up before the hour mark thanks to goals from Mo Salah, Andrew Robertson, Cody Gakpo, and Harvey Elliott. Substitute Richarlison, and Son Heung-min pulled 2 goals back, but were unable to turn the game around. The defeat means Spurs are 7 points off the Champions League places.
Manchester United’s horrible season hit a new low on Monday night, the Red Devils were thumped 4-0 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Michael Olise was in sensational form, scoring twice, he was joined on the scoresheet by Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell. The result made it 13 defeats this season for United, an unwanted new Premier League record for Erik Ten Hag’s side.
La Liga
In a crazy game, Athletic Bilbao came away with a 2-0 win away at Getafe despite going down to 9 men as well as seeing manager Ernesto Valverde giving his marching orders. Inaki William’s double keeps Bilbao’s slim Champions League qualification hopes alive with 4 games left to play.
Real Sociedad’s hold on the final European spot in La Liga was further strengthened thanks to their 2-0 win over Las Palmas. A comical Alex Suarez own goal and a rocket from Sheraldo Becker helped Sociedad end a 3 game run without a win.
Girona completed a league double over Catalan rivals Barcelona, winning 4-2 on Saturday. Xavi’s side twice took the lead through Andreas Christensen and a Robert Lewandowski penalty, only to be pegged back each time by Artem Dovbyk and Portu. Miguel Gutierrez’s deflected strike put Girona in the lead before Portu scored a sensational volley to seal all 3 points, leapfrogging their opponents into 2nd place.
Real Madrid profited from Barcelona’s loss, defeating Cadiz in a routine 3-0 win to clinch their 36th league title. Brahim Diaz, Jude Bellingham, and Joselu were on the scoresheet, setting up Los Blancos perfectly for their Champions League Semi-final with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid maintained their 6 point lead over Bilbao, winning 1-0 away at Real Mallorca; Rodrigo Riquelme scored the only goal of the game to make it back-to-back wins for Atleti.
Real Betis’s 2-0 win over Osasuna keeps the hunt for Europa Conference League qualification interesting, restoring the 2 point gap to 6th place Real Sociedad; Ayoze Perez and Pablo Fornals scored the all important goals in the contest.
Celta Vigo and Villarreal played out a 5 goal thriller on Sunday, with the former edging the contest 3-2. Alberto Moreno opened the scoring with a powerful drive, Iago Aspas equalised from the spot 10 minutes later. Jorgan Strand Larsen then put the home side into the lead with a header, only for Gonçalo Guedes to level matters once more. Anastasios Douvikas would score the winner, also using his head to full advantage to give Celta the 3 points.
Alaves continued their recent good form, travelling to the Mestalla and coming away with a 1-0 win. Javi Lopez volleyed in at the back post from a Carlos Vicente corner on 68 minutes to secure a 3rd successive win for Luis Garcia’s side.
Basement side Almeria, already relegated to the Spanish 2nd division next season, won just their 2nd game of the season, defeating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 away in Madrid; Choco Lozano scored the goal to win a game that means nothing but gives a little pride to Almeria.
Sevilla extended their unbeaten run to 5 games, winning 3-0 at home to Granada. Dodi Lukebakio scored the pick of the goals, finishing off some excellent individual play inside the box, then curling the ball into the top corner; Marcos Acuna and Youssef En-Nesyri were also on the scoresheet.
Bundesliga
RB Leipzig conceded a late equaliser to take only a point away at Hoffenheim. Benjamin Sesko’s header opened the scoring for the East Germans, but goalkeeper Oliver Baumann did not cover himself in glory. On the stroke of 90, Andre Kramaric scored a header of his own to help Hoffenheim take a share of the spoils.
Bayern succumbed to a 7th league defeat of the season, losing 3-1 away at Stuttgart. Leonidas Stergiou opened the scoring for the home side, Harry Kane’s penalty on 37 minutes saw the sides go in level at the break. In the final 7 minutes Jeong Woo-yeong and Silas would score the goals to win the game for Stuttgart, cutting the gap to Bayern in the league to just 2 points.
FC Koln lost further ground in their battle with the drop, drawing 0-0 at home to Freiburg. The result leaves the Billy Goats 4 points off the relegation/promotion playoff place.
Wolfsburg had a comfortable win over basement side Darmstadt, running out 3-0 winners at the Volkswagen Arena. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side made it 3 wins on the spin for the first time this season; Patrick Wimmer, Jonas Wind, and Vaclav Cerny were on the scoresheet for the home team.
Werder Bremen and Borussia Monchengladbach treated the crowd at the Weser Stadium to an entertaining match, the game ending 2-2; Nick Woltemade hit the net twice for Bremen, Robin Hack and Florian Neuhaus were on the scoresheet for the away side with Monchengladbach relieved to take something from the contest as they continued their fight against relegation.
Borussia Dortmund’s excellent week continued as they followed up their win over PSG in the Champions League with an utterly ruthless performance, dismantling Augsburg 5-1. Youssoufa Moukoko scored a brace, he was joined on the scoresheet by Donyell Malen, Marco Reus, and Felix Nmecha; Ruben Vargas scored the only goal for the visitors.
Mainz missed the opportunity to lift themselves out of the relegation zone, only managing a 1-1 draw away at Heidenheim. They had taken the lead through a wonderful volley from Jonathan Burkardt, Tim Kleindienst’s second-half header would ultimately deny them a crucial victory; with 2 games remaining Mainz sit in the bottom 3, 1 point of Union Berlin.
New Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen continued their impressive season, battering Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 on Sunday. The win extends their unbeaten run to 48 games in all competitions, equalling Benfica’s record from 1963-1965. Granit Xhaka, Patrik Schick, Exequiel Palacios, Jeremie Frimpong, and Victor Boniface hit the net for Leverkusen; on-loan forward Hugo Ekitike hit the sole reply for Frankfurt.
Union Berlin suffered a demoralizing loss to relegation rivals Bochum, losing 4-3. Union shipped 3 goals before halftime with Maximilian Wittek scoring twice and Keven Schlotterbeck adding the other. Yorbe Vertessen and Chris Bedia strikes for the home side left just 1 goal between the teams, only for Philipp Hofmann to put Bochum 2 ahead on 70 minutes. Benedict Hollerbach scored four minutes later for Union to make 4-3 but they were unable to find an equaliser.
Serie A
Torino and Bologna played out a goalless draw at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on Friday night. The contest lacked any real clear cut chances or quality, the point keeps Bologna ticking along in their quest for Champions League football next season.
Milan Djuric scored a brace, including a 92nd equaliser in Monza’s 2-2 draw with Lazio. Ciro Immobile and Matias Vecino had put Igor Tudor’s side in the lead twice, only to be fought back; the result puts a massive dent in their pursuit of European football next season.
Sassuolo completed an unlikely double over new Serie A champions Inter Milan, winning 1-0 thanks to Armand Lauriente’s smart finish past goalkeeper Emil Audero. The victory helped the Neroverdi stay within touching distance of Serie A safety.
Cagliari and Lecce failed to be separated, their game finishing 1-a-piece at the Unipol Domus in Sardinia. Yerry Mina grabbed the opening goal for Claudio Ranieri’s side, Serbian Nikola Krstovic scored a late equaliser for Lecce; Gianluca Gaetano was sent off for Cagliari, receiving a straight red for a high tackle.
Verona took a massive step towards safety, grabbing an important win at home to Fiorentina. A comedy of errors from La Viola gifted Verona a penalty, which Darko Lazovic gratefully dispatched to make it 1-0. Gaetano Castrovilli got Fiorentina back into the game, making it 1-1 just before halftime. Tijani Noslin would ultimately win the game for the side from the Bentegodi, smashing the ball high into the net, the game finishing 2-1.
Going into the weekend Empoli and Frosinone were level on points in the lower end of Serie A, both sides in a relegation dogfight. Frosinone dominated the encounter despite being the away side, but could not make their superiority count, the game ultimately ending 0-0.
At the San Siro, supporters were treated to a superb game of football with AC Milan and Genoa drawing 3-a-piece. Mateo Retegui fired home from the spot to put Alberto Gilardino’s 1 nil up, Alessandro Florenzi’s header tied the game before halftime. Caleb Ekuban restored his team's lead just after the break, Matteo Gabia converted a corner to equalise once again. Olivier Giroud’s expert volley put Milan into the lead for the first time on 75 minutes, the unfortunate Malick Thiaw would put through his own net to ensure honours finished even between the sides.
In the capital, Roma and Juventus played out an entertaining 1-1 draw, the result denying Danielle De Rossi’s side the chance to close the gap on Bologna in 4th. Romelu Lukaku helped Roma burst out of the blocks, tapping in a rebound to put his side in front. The lead was to last just 16 minutes, Juve defender Bremer arrowing his header beyond Svilar in goal, with the Turin side the happier with the final score.
Atalanta recorded a come-from-behind victory away at Salernitana, going on to win 2-1. Loum Tchaouna opened the scoring with a superb individual goal on 18 minutes for the home side, La Dea would turn things around in the 2nd half thanks to goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Teun Koopmeiners; Atalanta go above Roma into 5th.
Udinese and Napoli finished 1-1 at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, the result all but ending any slim hopes the dethroned champions had of making it into Europe next season; Victor Osimhen’s header had put the Neapolitans a goal-up 6 minutes into the 2nd half, Isaac Success struck in stoppage time to ensure the points were shared.
Ligue 1
With PSG and Marseille in European action this midweek, both sides were given the weekend off to rest and prepare for their respective fixtures.
On Friday night Lens recorded a 2-0 home victory over Lorient, keeping their European aspirations alive for another week; Elye Wahi and David Pereira da Costa hit the net to give Les Sang et Or the 3 points.
Montpellier won 2-1 away at Toulouse to move into the top half of the Ligue 1 table. Tedy Savanier scored arguably the goal of the weekend, drilling his volley from just inside the penalty area into the top corner. Parity was restored just 7 minutes later when Dutchman Thijs Dalinga scored his 6th header of the season. Both teams were reduced to 10 men before the game was out, which was followed by Khalil Fayed striking inside the box to give Montpellier the win.
Monaco dispatched bottom side Clermont foot to tighten their grip on 2nd spot. Takumi Minamino, Breel Embolo, and a brace from Wissam Ben Yedder made it a comfortable afternoon for the principality outfit; Muhammed Saracevic struck what turned out to be a mere consolation goal for Clermont.
Brest could only muster a 0-0 draw with Nantes at home, allowing Monaco to extend their lead over Eric Roy’s side to 4 points in the battle for 2nd spot. Brest’s form has tailed off in recent weeks, they have only managed to win 1 of their last 4 games, with Lille breathing down their necks for the final Champions League place.
Rennes edged a 5 goal thriller with Metz, winning 3-2 at the Stade Saint Symphorien. Metz had led twice with first Georges Mikautadze, and then Papa Amadou Diallo hitting the back of the net. Each time they were pegged back with Amine Gouri and Benjamin Bourigeaud replying for the away side. Deep into injury time Arnaud Kalimuendo converted brilliantly from a slick counter attacking move to give Rennes a 12th straight win against their opponents.
Le Havre, courtesy of Metz’s defeat, moved 3 points clear of the relegation places thanks to a 3-1 win over Strasbourg. Yassine Kechta hit the net twice, and Andre Ayew scored a late goal to make sure of the 3 points, Frédéric Guilbert was on the scoresheet for Strasbourg but his goal meant little in the overall picture. With 2 games remaining Le Havre have their destiny in their own hands regarding survival.
On Monday night Lyon ended Lille’s 12 game unbeaten run at home, the game going down as one of the classic encounters in Ligue 1, ending 4-3 to the visitors. Lille had taken a 2-0 first half lead thanks to goals from Bafode Diakite and Edon Zhegrova, Lyon with 8 minutes remaining had levelled matters with Said Benrahma and Malick Fofana on target, but that was not the end of the late drama. Diakite would restore Lille’s lead 3 minutes later, only for Alexandre Lacazette to make it 3-3 on 88 minutes. The hosts' hearts would be broken as Mama Balde 2 minutes into stoppage time struck to give Lyon a vital win in their pursuit of European football next season; Pierre Sage’s men are now just 2 points off Lens with 2 games remaining.
