Mbappe's Madrid moment, unbeatable Inter and Messi returns for Miami
Kick your Monday off with all the news from this past weekend
Good morning and happy Monday!
The final weekend of March was highlighted by the return of league play across Europe following the international break.
Kylian Mbappe is having the season of his life at Real Madrid, while Inter Milan kept a three-point lead over Napoli. In MLS. Lionel Messi returned and did what he does best as Inter Miami continued its strong start to the season.
Here were the top storylines from this past weekend:
La Liga: Mbappe lifts Real Madrid to victory, breaks Ronaldo goals record
French star Kylian Mbappe scored twice to lift Real Madrid 3-2 on Saturday against Leganes.
The game between the defending league champions and a team trying to avoid relegation was supposed to be an easy three points for Real Madrid. Instead, it was anything but as Leganes put on a show at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After Mbappe put Real Madrid ahead from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute, Leganes stunned the home crowd by hitting right back after the restart. Left-back Valentin Rosier crossed a ball for Oscar RodrÃguez, whose poorly-hit shot was pushed home by Diego Garcia.
Leganes did it again in the 41st minute. This time, Rosier stole the ball from Brahim Diaz before he played RodrÃguez clear, who squared the ball for Dani Raba to take the lead.
In the second half, Jude Bellingham drew Madrid level in the 47th minute, before Mbappe scored his 22nd Liga goal in the 76th minute for the 3-2 win.
Mbappe’s brace also took him to 33 goals in 45 games in all competitions, drawing him level with the debut season of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Serie A: Inter maintain 3-point lead over Napoli
Defending league champions Inter Milan secured a 2-1 home win against Udinese on Sunday with first-half goals from Marko Arnautovic and Davide Frattesi as goalkeeper Yann Sommer made some key late saves.
Inter manager Simone Inzaghi was sent off late in the game for storming onto the field to argue a no-call by the referee.
Napoli followed that up with a 2-1 win of its own at home against AC Milan.
First-half goals from Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku ensured Napoli keep the title race open (just three points behind Inter), but a Santiago Gimenez failed penalty kick only added to AC Milan’s woes.
The kick, smothered by goalkeeper Alex Meret, was the fourth out of nine penalties this season that Milan had failed to convert acriss all competitions.
MLS: Messi’s goal proves decisive for Inter Miami
Lionel Messi made a spectacular return on Saturday night, delivering a game-winning performance for Inter Miami in a 2-1 home victory against the Philadelphia Union. The win propelled the Herons to the top of the Eastern Conference, solidifying their place as one of the league’s dominant teams.
Messi’s impact was immediate, scoring the decisive goal just moments after entering the game in the second half. Coming off the bench in the 50th minute, Messi wasted no time in showcasing his brilliance. In less than two minutes, he connected with Luis Suarez on the right side of the penalty box. With a swift move, Messi fired a right-footed shot past two defenders, finding the back of the net to give Miami a 2-0 lead.
The goal marked Messi’s second in just three MLS appearances this season, further cementing his reputation as one of the game’s greatest. Despite his injury concerns, Messi’s performance was a testament to his skill and determination. The Argentine superstar had been recovering from an adductor injury that kept him sidelined for several games, including two World Cup qualifiers for Argentina.
Messi was cleared to play earlier in the week and made an immediate impact in his return to action. Although he did not start the match, his late-game brilliance was all the team needed to secure the three points.
Philadelphia managed to pull one back in the 80th minute, with Daniel Gazdag scoring to narrow the lead. However, Inter Miami held strong defensively, keeping the Union at bay.
In other news: Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini won again in court and now lead 2-0 in trial verdicts against Swiss federal prosecutors. Once the game’s most powerful men, the former FIFA president and Platini were acquitted for a second time in a case now in its 10th year on charges of fraud, forgery, mismanagement and misappropriation of more than $2 million of FIFA money in 2011. … The winners of this summer’s 32-team Club World Cup to be held in the United States will earn up to $125 million. FIFA had announced earlier this month a total prize pot of $1 billion for the June 14-July 13 tournament. … German side Leipzig fired coach Marco Rose on Sunday with the team in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification. The club, sixth in the standings heading into this weekend, also dismissed Rose’s coaching team of Alexander Zickler, Marco Kurth and Frank Geideck, and the head of first team soccer Frank Aehlig, in a shakeup it hopes will prompt a reaction.