Track Tickets
A busy September continues for three of Europe's biggest clubs. Real Madrid and Barcelona both won comfortably in LaLiga over the weekend to keep pace at the top of the table, whilst Bayern Munich struggled in the second half to secure all three points against newly promoted Elvesberg. With the first round of Champions League fixtures having been played midweek, the fixture list is starting to get tricky, meaning every match is becoming crucial for these teams who are always under pressure to win.
Madrid secure victory with a brace from Mbappé
Real Madrid needed to regain confidence in front of their home crowd,so they came out all guns blazing against a Rayo Vallecano side sitting near the bottom of the table. Having yet to create a single clear-cut chance, Madrid were awarded a penalty in the 14th minute, which Mbappé converted to make it 1-0. Three minutes later, Carreras doubled the lead after a pass from Vinicius. And that wasn’t to be the Brazilian’s only assist; in the midst of winning back the support of Madrid fans, he broke down the wing and, as he reached the box, spotted Bellingham making a run down the centre and laid the ball off for the Englishman to shoot from there. By the 35th minute, the match was as good as over, and the lead could have been even greater.
But in the second half, Rayo came out with nothing to lose, whilst the Merengues seemed to have taken their foot off the gas. Camello’s goal in the 51th minute brought the tension back, so much that the whistles started. Mourinho wasted no time in making substitutions, and it was Arda Güler who restored calm. The Turkish player took control of the ball and dictated the pace of the game, capping off his fine performance by setting Mbappé, who scored the final goal to make it 4-1, drawing level with Camello and Raphinha at the top of the goalscoring charts.
With no time to dwell on it, given the very tight calendar, it’s now time to focus on the match against Elche at the Martínez Valero. A fixture that, on paper, looks less challenging, but is of vital importance if they are to keep pace with Barcelona at the top of the table
Barcelona extend their perfect record
Barcelona visited Levante, where they had to survive a real scare to take home the three points with Anthony Gordon in the starting line-up. Barça scored the opener in the 5th minute, courtesy of Xavi Espart, and fifteen minutes later Lamine Yamal made it 2-0, suggesting a rout was on its way. As if that weren’t enough, straight after the break, Mandi conceded a penalty on Yamal, which resulted in a brace for the Blaugrana number 10, taking his tally to six goals so far this season. Thinking on midweek’s game against Racing de Santander, Flick made substitutions to rest certain players, including Gordon, who is likely to play this Wednesday. But plenty was still to come.
A poor pass from Espart caught Christensen off guard, and Romero took advantage to pull one back in the 78th minute, sparking a surge from the home side. Ten minutes later, Roger Brugué made it 2-0 with a stroke of luck, causing several tense minutes towards the end. However, Adeyemi sealed a 4-2 victory, and Barcelona are now clear leaders with a perfect start to the league campaign.
Hansi Flick's side are back in action on Wednesday, hosting Racing de Santander at Camp Nou. Racing have made a solid enough start to life back in the top flight, sitting mid-table with seven points from five matches, but a trip to face the league's in-form side is a different proposition altogether.
Bayern Munich
There was no surprise in the Bundesliga this time, as Bayern Munich beat SV Elverberg, although it was by no means an easy match. Bayern dominated the possession from the start, but turning that control into a lead was harder than expected. Elversberg even had their chances. Until Karl made it 0-1, but the game was not close to being decided yet. Campbell thought he had drawn level right before the break, only for VAR to step in and chalk the goal off.
For the second half, the gap between the two sides became more obvious, but Elversberg still managed to equalise with a superb goal from Krattenmacher. Kompany responded by turning to the bench, and it paid off. Kane settled the contest with a stunning finish in the 71st minute to restore Bayern's lead and seal a 1-2 win. That result leaves the reigning champions fourth on 7 points from three matches, two points off the top of the table. They return to the Allianz Arena on Friday to host Union Berlin, a fixture they will be expected to win comfortably to keep in touch with the pace-setters.
That result leaves the reigning champions fourth on 7 points from three matches, just two off the top of the table. They return to the Allianz Arena on Friday to host Union Berlin, a fixture they'll be expected to win comfortably to stay in touch with the pace-setters.
