Bundesliga
Schalke came from 4-0 down to deny rivals Borussia Dortmund a much-needed victory as a dramatic Revierderby ended in a 4-4 draw.
The draw was not enough to keep Schalke in second however, as RB Leipzig beat Werder Bremen 2-0 and came out the big winners on the day as leaders Bayern Munich lost 2-1 at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored one and set up another as Dortmund raced into a four-goal lead inside 25 minutes, but his dismissal with 18 minutes left contributed to an epic collapse from Peter Bosz’s side, who have taken only two points from their past six league matches.
Schalke have goals from Guido Burgstaller, Amine Harit, Daniel Caligiuri and Naldo, in stoppage time, to thank for the thrilling comeback.
Naby Keïta fired Leipzig ahead in the 34th minute and Bernardo made sure three minutes from time, lifting them two points above Schalke and within three of leaders Bayern.
Thorgan Hazard scored Gladbach’s first from the penalty spot after a handball from Niklas Süle in the 39th minute, and five minutes later Matthias Ginter’s close-range finish doubled the advantage. Arturo Vidal pulled a goal back with quarter of an hour to go, but Bayern could not find an equaliser.
Eintracht Frankfurt missed the chance to move into the European places as they lost 1-0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen. Kevin Volland struck the 76th-minute winner for Leverkusen.
Augsburg came from behind against the 10 men of Wolfsburg for a 2-1 win. The away side took the lead when Daniel Didavi struck in the 40th minute, but Augsburg came back after the break with Michael Gregoritsch levelling in the 51st minute before Alfred Finnbogason hit the winner 14 minutes from time.
Struggling Freiburg picked up a much-needed 2-1 win over Mainz. Nils Petersen opened the scoring six minutes into the second half and they needed Florian Kath’s stoppage-time goal as Emil Berggreen replied seconds later in a frantic finish.
La Liga
Cristiano Ronaldo struck from the rebound after his penalty was saved by Roberto Jiménez to give Real Madrid a 3-2 victory over Málaga at the Bernabeu.
With leaders Barcelona set to play at second-placed Valencia on Sunday, Zinedine Zidane’s side were aiming to make the most of their opportunity to make up ground on the 10-point deficit.
All looked to be going to plan when Karim Benzema put the home side ahead after just nine minutes, only for Diego Rolán to equalise. Real Madrid were soon back in front when Casemiro headed in a corner from Toni Kroos after 21 minutes.
Gonzalo Castro levelled again early in the second half with a 30-yard effort, but Ronaldo had the final say when lashing home with 14 minutes left after his spot-kick had been stopped.
Atlético Madrid thrashed Levante 5-0, putting them back above Real into third place. Atlético went ahead after just five minutes following an own goal from Levante defender Roberto Suárez Pier.
Kevin Gameiro doubled the visitors’ lead with a close-range finish on 29 minutes. The French forward got his second of the night just before the hour. Striker Antoine Griezmann then claimed a double of his own, scoring twice in the space of three minutes in the second half.
Eibar moved away from the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at struggling Alavés.
In an ill-disciplined game in which eight players were booked and two were sent off, Joan Jordán put Eibar ahead in the 42nd minute. Christian Santos was sent off for Alavés on the stroke of half-time and Charles made him pay, adding a second in the 69th minute. Charles was then dismissed himself before Burgui’s stoppage-time consolation.
Real Betis snatched a 2-2 draw in a dramatic finish against Girona, where each team scored deep into stoppage time.
Serie A
Internazionale moved top of the table with a hard-fought 3-1 victory against a resurgent Cagliari.
The opening goal against the run of play after 29 minutes. Antonio Candreva’s cross was knocked back across goal by Ivan Perisic for Mauro Icardi to tap in. Marcelo Brozovic doubled the lead early in the second half as Inter closed in on a fifth straight league win at Cagliari.
However, Leonardo Pavoletti reduced the deficit midway through the second half and, with their tails up, López’s side attacked in waves. But it was to no avail as Icardi popped up with his 15th goal of the campaign seven minutes from time to restore the two-goal cushion and seal victory.
Bologna applied the brakes to Sampdoria’s surge up the table by winning 3-0 at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
Simone Verdi’s early goal from a tap-in meant Samp were in trouble from the get go. Ibrahima M’Baye headed home from a Verdi assist in the 23rd minute to further wound Samp. Orji Okwonkwo confirmed Bologna’s victory in the 73rd minute.
Hellas Verona snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Sassuolo 2-0 to win for only the second time this season.
Bruno Zuculini was well-placed to notch after Alessio Cerci’s ball into the box caused chaos in the 22nd minute and after the half-hour mark Daniele Verde controlled Rômulo’s assist to finish coolly.
Verona’s bid to escape the relegation zone received a further boost as promoted Spal were beaten 2-1 at Chievo, a result that leaves Spal stuck in 17th place.
Ligue 1
Amiens continued their run of good form with a 2-0 victory at bottom club Metz. Moussa Konaté scored his fifth goal since his summer arrival to give the visitors a 29th-minute lead and Bongani Zungu struck after 65 minutes to move Amiens up to 10th.
Rennes also remain upwardly mobile after a 2-1 home success against Nantes. Wahbi Khazri put Rennes in front after 51 minutes. However, Nantes rallied and Emiliano Sala equalised from the penalty spot midway through the second half. It looked like that would be enough for a point but Khazri struck again two minutes from time to seal a fourth win in five league matches for Rennes.
Bordeaux’s slide continued with a 1-0 loss at Caen. Ivan Santini’s first-half goal inflicted a fifth defeat of a seven-match winless run.
Montpellier are right behind the Normandy side after their good form was maintained with a comfortable 3-0 home win against struggling Lille.
It was also 3-0 at Stade de l’Aube where Troyes made it back-to-back home wins against Angers, who are now only above the relegation zone on goal difference.
Goals from Kwon Chang-hoon, Xeka and Wesley Saïd helped Dijon to a 3-1 victory over Toulouse.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion