Track Tickets
There was plenty of drama across Europe this weekend, with a six-goal rout at the Camp Nou, a missed penalty from the new Ballon d'Or winner, and a last-gasp equaliser in Der Klassiker. Here, we'll run you through the key results from the weekend.
Barcelona hit six as Real Madrid keep up the chase
Real Madrid kept the pressure on at the top of La Liga on Sunday, but not before Barcelona had responded to their Clásico defeat in emphatic fashion. Hansi Flick's side went into Saturday's game against Alavés on the back of two painful defeats, against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, but they wasted no time in putting those setbacks behind them. Fermín López, handed a start in the absence of the injured Dani Olmo, drove through the Alavés defence and laid on the opener for Raphinha after just eight minutes, before getting on the scoresheet himself midway through the first half, firing in from a tight angle after a pass from Lamine Yamal. Raphinha added his second four minutes before the break, and Yamal made it four in first-half stoppage time with a low strike from outside the area after a João Cancelo assist. The teenager grabbed his second just after the hour, chipping a finish from Gabriel Jesus' through ball, with the goal initially ruled out for offside before VAR stepped in to award it. Substitute Anthony Gordon, who replaced Yamal, added a sixth nine minutes from time, and Mariano Díaz's late strike was little more than a consolation for the visitors. The 6-1 win was Flick's 100th as Barcelona boss and kept his side top of the table, with Raphinha now leading the La Liga scoring charts and Yamal top of the assist rankings. Madrid answered back 24 hours later with a comfortable 3-0 win away at Racing Santander, the two sides' first meeting since 2012, when José Mourinho was also in charge at the Bernabéu. Mourinho's men had the game wrapped up before half-time. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring from the spot in the 11th minute after a hotly debated penalty decision, and Thibaut Courtois, back after missing El Clásico with flu, produced a fine save to protect the lead. Madrid doubled their advantage ten minutes later, when Jude Bellingham latched onto Arda Güler's pass on the counter, rounded goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala and rolled the ball into an empty net for his 50th goal for the club. Yan Diomande then made it three in the 36th minute, meeting a poor Racing clearance from a corner with a first-time strike from the edge of the box that flew into the top corner. Racing came out swinging after the restart, and top scorer Yassir Zabiri wasted two good chances to pull one back, while Mbappé hit the post after a fine run and Madrid survived a penalty appeal for handball against Aurélien Tchouaméni. With the points secure, Mourinho's side saw out the game comfortably. Mbappé's goal means he has now scored against every La Liga side he has faced, and the result ended Racing's unbeaten home record. It also made it six straight wins in all competitions for Madrid, who move back to within three points of Barcelona, and Mourinho was quick to point out that he is happy for his side to be labelled defensive if it brings results.
Kane misses from the spot as Dortmund snatch a Klassiker draw
Bayern Munich missed the chance to pull clear at the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday after a 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund. Playing without head coach Vincent Kompany, who was kept away from the game following his collapse in training, the champions went into Der Klassiker in a celebratory mood, with Harry Kane parading his Ballon d'Or in front of the Allianz Arena crowd before kick-off in his first match since winning the award. Dortmund thought they had taken the lead ten minutes before the break when Jobe Bellingham finished from close range, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside, and Bayern made them pay almost immediately. Konrad Laimer pounced on a poor Felix Nmecha pass, charged upfield and fired into the bottom corner to put the hosts ahead on 38 minutes. Bayern were the better side after the restart and had the chance to double their lead when Nmecha handled inside the area, but Kane, usually so reliable from 12 yards, rattled his spot-kick against the crossbar. Dortmund were level moments later, when captain Nico Schlotterbeck intercepted a Kane pass, thundered up the pitch and found Carney Chukwuemeka, who laid the ball off for Serhou Guirassy to score at the near post. Kane made amends in the 66th minute, setting up Dayot Upamecano, who was on the scoresheet for the second week running, to restore Bayern's advantage. Bayern struggled to put the game to bed, despite creating chance after chance, and they were made to pay a minute from time when substitutes Konstantinos Karetsas and Fábio Silva combined, with Silva firing into the bottom corner. There was still time for Lennart Karl to strike the crossbar deep into stoppage time, but Gregor Kobel and the Dortmund defence held firm. The result keeps Bayern's unbeaten start to the season intact, but it also preserves Dortmund's unbeaten record and leaves the two sides level at the top of the table on 18 points ahead of Bayern's Champions League trip to Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.
