KAMPALA: Real Madrid continue to rule the roost in Liga Santander after the European champions overcame determined Sevilla 3-1 courtesy of late goals from Federico Valverde and Lucas Vasquez. Los Blancos are three points ahead of eternal rivals Barcelona. Xavi Hernandez’s Blaugrana kept in touch by pummeling Athletic Bilbao 4-0 courtesy of a goal and hat trick of assists from man of the match Ousmane Dembele. Atletico Madrid stayed third by successfully negotiating a potential banana skin at Real Betis 2-1 with Antoine Greizmann netting a brace.
Paris Saint Germain made hay of the absence through suspension of Neymar to move five points clear of the chasing pack via 3-0 victory at Ajaccio. Kylian Mbappe is now Ligue One’s top scorer with 10 goals whereas legend Lionel Messi scored his sixth goal and supplied a continent leading ninth assist of the campaign. Racing Lens are second thanks to their upset 1-0 win over Olympique Marseille at Stade Velodrome.
Erling Braut Haaland’s brace in champions Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Brighton Hove Albion moved the Norwegian behemoth to an astonishing 17 English Premier League goals from just 11 outings and moved the champions to within two points of leaders Arsenal after the Gunners were held to a one-all draw by Southampton. Deputy champions Liverpool fell 0-1 to Nottingham Forest in the most significant result of the match day.
Fast rising Newcastle United were surprise 2-1 winners at Tottenham Hotspur, allowing Eddie Howe’s Saudi Arabia backed moneybags to move into the Top Four, above Chelsea on goal difference, following the west Londoners’ 1-1 draw with Manchester United, who dropped to fifth. The Magpies have won 59 points during the calendar year; six more than Chelsea and twelve more than the Red Devils.
Nigerian speed demon Victor Osimhen bagged the lone goal to guide Napoli to a 1-0 win over AS Roma. Partenopei’s eleventh consecutive win propelled Luciano Spalletti’s side to a three point lead atop the Serie A standings. Atalanta’s 0-2 home setback at the hands of Lazio saw the Bergamo based outfit fall to fourth place behind their conquerors and champions AC Milan who moved into second place by whitewashing former owner Silvio Berlusconi’s Monza 4-1.
The upset of the weekend took place in Germany’s Bundesliga where Thomas Letsch’s Bochum moved off bottom place by subduing leaders Union Berlin 2-1. Urs Fischer’s capital based side retain a solitary point lead over ten-time defending champions Bayern Munich following the Bavarians’ 2-0 victory over Hoffenheim. Freiburg are third ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt, 3-1 winners at Gladbach, with Borussia Dortmund in fifth after the Black and Yellows eviscerated Stuttgart 5-0 courtesy of a brace by Jude Bellingham.