Barca routs Real, Liverpool fights back and Inter-Juve play thrilling draw
Kick your Monday off with all the news from this past weekend
Good morning and happy Monday!
This weekend offered fans a clash of titans across several of Europe’s top leagues. In Spain, the much-anticipated El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona did not disappoint, while Serie A served up a thriller between Inter Milan and Juventus.
Across the Atlantic, the MLS Cup Playoffs rolled on as the opening round, a Best-of-three series, reach their climax next weekend.
Here were the biggest storylines from this past weekend:
La Liga: Barca routs Real Madrid to stay in first
Robert Lewandowski scored two goals and Lamine Yamal added another as Barcelona routed Real Madrid 4-0 on Saturday at the Estadio Bernabeu.
The victory ended Real’s unbeaten run in La Liga at 42 games, one shy of Barcelona’s record streak dating back to 2018. In addition, Carlo Ancelotti’s men suffered its first defeat since Sept. 23, 2023.
“We came here to do just this,” Yamal said. “We had lots of confidence and when we scored the second goal, we wanted to score a third, and then a fourth, as many goals as possible. To win 4-0 at this ground and beat Bayern 4-1, we showed that we are ready for anything.”
Raphinha scored Barcelona’s fourth goal in the 84th minute to cap off the lopsided win, the team’s 10th in La Liga in 11 games this season.
Barca remains in first place with 30 points, six ahead of Read Madrid.
Premier League: Liverpool salvages a draw and Manchester United lose again
Liverpool came from behind twice to draw Arsenal 2-2 on Sunday at Emirates Stadium.
Mohamed Salah’s nine minutes from time secured the draw and a lock on second place with 22 points, just one behind league leaders Manchester City.
Arsenal, meanwhile, remain third with 18 points, five points out of first. The draw, according to Gunners winger Bukayo Saka, left them a “bit disappointed.”
“We just felt we didn’t show our best selves for the 90 minutes,” said Saka, who opened the scoring in the ninth minute on his return from a hamstring injury.
Manchester United, meanwhile, continued to find new ways to disappoint following Sunday’s 2-1 loss to West Ham. The team is now in 14th place after suffering their fourth defeat of the season after just nine games.
Serie A: Inter and Milan draw, while Napoli win again
Teen sensation Kenan Yıldız came off the bench to help Juventus salvage a 4-4 draw at Inter Milan in a highly entertaining Derby d’Italia.
Yıldız, who is just 19, was brought on in the 61st minute with the score at 4-2 with Inter Milan seemingly headed for an important win.
“I want to thank the team, the coach and my family: it was not easy, but I am very happy,” Yildiz said. “You always have to stay together and play as a team; in soccer everything can change quickly.”
Inter Milan remained second with 18 points, four points behind Serie A leaders Napoli and just one point ahead of Juventus.
On Saturday, Napoli won for the seventh time this season with a 1-0 home victory against Lecce.
In other news: Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan scored in the second half to help the United States rally to defeat Iceland 3-1 on Sunday at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tenn. Striker Emma Sears made her debut for the USWNT as a second-half substitute and scored in stoppage time. … A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top flight division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match. Cruzeiro’s Rafa Silva left his team one man down in what ended as a 3-0 defeat at Athletico Paranaense. Silva hit Athletico’s Kaique Rocha slightly below his neck as they challenged for the ball shortly after kick off. Referee Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima duly sent the 32-year-old Cruzeiro player off for one of the earliest red cards in soccer history. … Herve Renard has again been hired to coach Saudi Arabia, just days after the departure of Roberto Mancini. The Frenchman most recently coached France’s women at the Paris Olympics this past summer. He was previously in charge of Saudi Arabia from 2019-23, a tenure that included a famous 2-1 win over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.