Real Madrid shared a pulsating 1-1 draw with Sevilla on Saturday, ensuring they will face Barcelona in the Clasico next weekend as leaders. Carlo Ancelotti’s side dropped two points in the title race but extended their lead to four points over bitter rivals Barcelona, third, who host Athletic Bilbao today.
David Alaba’s own goal sent the hosts ahead but Madrid quickly pulled level through Dani Carvajal. Madrid faced their legendary former captain Sergio Ramos, back at Sevilla, for the first time in 18 years, and he gave a typically all-action display to frustrate Los Blancos.
Sevilla impressed, giving as good as they got in new coach Diego Alonso’s first match in charge, ahead of their Champions League clash with Arsenal on Tuesday.
Despite Rodrygo’s struggles in front of goal, having failed to score in the previous 10 matches, Ancelotti paired him with Vinicius Junior up front. They faced off against Ramos, 37, who rejoined his boyhood club Sevilla in September and put in a heroic defensive display at the raucous Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium. Tempers frayed in the final stages as Vinicius pushed Nyland, who exaggerated by falling to the floor, sparking a shoving match between both sides, who could not be separated.
Kane scores as Bayern win at Mainz, Leverkusen go top
Harry Kane scored his ninth goal in eight league matches as Bayern Munich won 3-1 at Mainz on Saturday, after Bayer Leverkusen returned to the top of the table by winning at Wolfsburg.
Kane headed in from close range after Kingsley Coman had given Bayern an early lead, continuing his stunning form since leaving Tottenham in the summer. Mainz, who had won their previous three home league matches against the perennial German champions, pulled one back just before half-time when Anthony Caci blasted home. Bayern’s Leon Goretzka slammed in from outside the box for the visitors’ third to put the game to bed. Bayern, who have won the past 11 Bundesliga titles in a row, now sit two points behind Leverkusen with eight matches played. In Wolfsburg, a second-half goal from Alex Grimaldo took Leverkusen one point clear atop the table with a 2-1 win, replacing Borussia Dortmund who had taken top spot with a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen on Friday.
Surprise package Stuttgart sit one point behind Leverkusen in second after a 3-0 win at struggling Union Berlin, with red-hot striker Serhou Guirassy scoring again. Union, who host reigning Serie A champions Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday, have now lost eight matches in a row in all competitions.
Red-hot Martinez helps
move Inter top
Lautaro Martinez continued his red-hot scoring form in Inter Milan’s 3-0 win at Torino which moved his team top of Serie A while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s brace at Verona put Napoli’s title defence back on track.
Argentina striker Martinez nodded home his 11th league goal of the season in the 67th minute of a straight-forward win in Turin as Inter went one point ahead of AC Milan, who host third-placed Juventus on tonight. The 26-year-old is already five goals ahead of Victor Osimhen, his nearest rival at the top of the scoring charts, after just nine matches and has become the attacking focal point for Inter who are also the highest scorers in Italy’s top flight with 24. Strike partner Marcus Thuram had opened the scoring eight minutes before when he swept home Denzel Dumfries low pass to take his league tally to three, while Hakan Calhanoglu completed the scoring from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
Wing wizard Kvaratskhelia netted in each half of a 3-1 win at Verona after Matteo Politano’s 27th-minute opener as Napoli made light of the absence of injured star striker Osimhen. Rudi Garcia’s side are fifth, five points behind Inter, after a difficult start to the season but are level on 17 points with Fiorentina and Juve after a commanding display at the Stadio Bentegodi.