It’s another hectic weekend in European soccer, and there’s plenty of talk throughout Major League Baseball.
Atlético Madrid suffered a shocking defeat against Leganes, while Barcelona could only manage a draw against Getafe. With this, Real Madrid and Los Blancos have fulfilled their obligation. They beat Las Palmas in four games and moved to the top of La Liga in the process.
In England, Tottenham Hotspur’s season worsened, scoring three goals against a previously torpid Everton side, while Justin Kluivert inspired AFC Bournemouth to a surprise victory over Newcastle United. Ta.
There were other surprise goals from Tim Kleindienst and Javier Puado, and Romelu Lukaku ensured that Napoli’s Serie A title bid was not derailed by the departure of ‘Cuballadona’.
Sam Tye, Alex Kirkland and Konstantin Ekner cover what you may have missed this weekend.
Key takeaway: Bournemouth stakes to win the glorious Champions League
Thun fans have been at their best of late, with nine consecutive wins, Alexander Isak scoring in eight consecutive games, a dominant midfield combination and a number of clean sheets, until AFC Bournemouth dismantled Newcastle United on Saturday. As a result, they returned to their normal world at once. 4-1 at St James’ Park.
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It was an astonishing performance for the Cherries, who are still in the hot pursuit of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League despite being plagued by injuries. They are literally short of a right-back, forcing a central midfielder to take his place, with a bench consisting of six teenagers, a 20-year-old, a 21-year-old recalled from loan last week, and a goalkeeper. It was configured. It was amazing how they continued to play with such fluency, aggression and confidence. It was unbelievable that we could beat them in such a good manner in such a magnificent stadium.
Since then, several conversations have ensued about coach Andoni Iraola’s achievements and where that will lead him in the near future, i.e. a “big six” club or not. Europe’s top club? Of course, he will rightfully ignore such things and focus on the here and now, but it’s safe to say he (and his team) are starting to get the recognition they so richly deserve.
Best match: Everton 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur
To be frank, Everton’s attack has been so poor this season that it was quite shocking to see them take a three-goal lead by half-time against Spurs. Spurs hit back with two goals in the final 15 minutes, forcing the Toffees to hang on as they look to secure their first win under new manager David Moyes.
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Best goal: Dejan Kulusevski vs. Everton
The scene in front of Kulusevski’s goal against Everton was a carnage. There was a mad scramble in the box, the goalkeeper was off his line and the defender was on his line.
What do players usually do when the ball falls at their feet in that scenario? Slam it as hard as possible.
What did the Spurs winger do? Carefully, accurately and accurately guide the ball deftly into the top corner. A beautiful, calm moment of play amidst the maelstrom.
Weekend MVP: Justin Kluivert
There have been many top performances across the league, but none quite like a hat-trick of goals from open play. We distinguish it from “open play” because in December, Justin Kluivert scored a hat trick with only penalties, which some people dismiss. However, we cannot deny this initiative.
Three great goals, especially the last one, were the cutting edge that turned Bournemouth’s excellent performance into a fantastic overall victory. — Taigu
Justin Kluivert scores a hat trick with his belt. 💥🎩#NEWBOU pic.twitter.com/FdVrJ0MAne
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 18, 2025
Key points: Real Madrid have the advantage in a turbulent title race
It’s hard to know who is at stake in La Liga this season.
Was it Real Madrid, who defeated Barcelona 5-2 in the Supercopa final? No, they are currently in first place thanks to Sunday’s 4-1 win against Las Palmas.
It must have been Barça themselves who won the trophy so proudly. Now, they have dropped points in seven of their last eight league games, which is a historically poor result – the latest being Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Getafe. Ta.
As for Atlético Madrid, they had just achieved a club-record 15 consecutive wins, but star forward Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty and their advantage at the top of the table was wasted as they lost 1-0 to Leganes.
None of these teams are far from perfect, but that’s what makes this season’s La Liga title race so wonderfully unpredictable. Barcelona had 78% possession against Getafe but failed to score. Atlético created three big chances against Leganes and had an xG of 2.42, but clinically it wasn’t enough. And although Madrid were ultimately convincing against Las Palmas, they still conceded a goal after just 26 seconds, highlighting the defensive problems that have plagued them all season.
Final result: Madrid lead the table with a two-point difference, Atlético chasing second place, and Barcelona seven points behind. But there is no guarantee that everything will remain the same next week.
Best match: Real Madrid 4-1 Las Palmas
When Real Madrid fall behind early on at the Santiago Bernabéu, it tends to make for some very entertaining scenes, and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday. Fabio Silva put the visitors ahead in the first minute, but Madrid, led by the irrepressible Kylian Mbappe, hit back. Mbappe equalized with a penalty, Brahim Dias made it 2-1, Mbappe added his third and Rodrigo extended the lead to 4-1.
Mbappe had his hat-trick denied by VAR, while Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde also had late goals ruled out for offside.
Best Goal: Javier Puado vs. Real Valladolid
Perhaps the biggest result of the weekend in La Liga was relegation candidates Espanyol’s 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Real Valladolid on Friday. Espanyol’s first goal, scored by Javier Puado, was a masterpiece of perfect technique, as he controlled a difficult ball into the box with one touch and found the back of the net with his second left-footed volley. Espanyol will need more goals like Puado’s if they are to survive this season.
Weekend MVP: Quique Garcia
There is only one candidate for La Liga MVP this weekend: Alaves’ Quique García. He scored a stunning hat-trick in Saturday’s long-awaited 3-1 win against Real Betis.
Garcia, 35, is more of a talented journeyman than a star, scoring just three goals for Alaves all last season. Here he tied that record with three predatory finishes in one match. His first penalty is unstoppable. The second time is an instinctive one-touch attack. And the third one is the bullet header. — Kirkland
Main takeaway: Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt are worlds apart
The big topic heading into the first round of the Luckrunde (as the second half of the season is called) was the transfer of Frankfurt striker Omar Marmouche to Manchester City. It has been revealed that the 25-year-old Egyptian will not feature in Friday night’s game against Dortmund while he and his agent finalize his transfer. Meanwhile, the reputable German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung has reported that Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin could be sacked before Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League game against Bologna.
These two events made this match the perfect opportunity for Dortmund’s players to defeat a potentially disappointing Frankfurt side and save their manager’s job. Instead, they lost 2-0, losing their third consecutive league game since the end of the Christmas break, and laid the egg again.
Dortmund’s back five was poorly organized against a rebuilt Frankfurt attack in which Marmouche’s former front partner Hugo Etitike played as the sole striker, supported by the “double 10” of Mario Götze and Ansgar Knaf. It was in disarray. Dortmund could do little to stop Frankfurt’s effective passing plays from the wings and half-spaces.
While Schwarzgelben have shown promising signs in possession, they too often lag behind on the scoreboard, which prevents them from becoming a confident and dominant possession team. Sahin certainly has the right ideas on how to transform this Dortmund team and give it an identity, but being in the bottom half of the table is far from the club’s expectations and the 36-year-old manager has no time left. In a job that may not be long.
Best match: Bochum 3-3 RB Leipzig
Marco Rose’s side scored three goals in the first half against a struggling away side Bochum, before Myron Boadu and several others pulled off a memorable comeback with the help of substitute Gerrit Holtmann at half-time. , all seemed well for the visiting team. . Boadu shocked Leipzig with three goals within 13 minutes as the efforts of both teams paid off as they took home a point.
Best goal: Tim Kleindienst vs. Bayer Leverkusen
The goal, which came in stoppage time with the hosts leading 3-0, was essentially worthless, but beautiful nonetheless. Gladbach were trailing at the BayArena, but with just a few seconds left Luka Netz burst through the wings with a one-two and found Kleindienst with a sideways pass inside the penalty area. With one touch, the German international directed the ball towards the goal and hit the bottom edge of the bar.
Weekend MVP: Myron Boadu
Once upon a time, Boadu was poised to make the leap with his elite talent. After breaking out with AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie in the 2020-21 season, he signed for AS Monaco, where he only scored 10 goals in two and a half seasons. Even after spending last summer on loan at Bochum in search of more playing time, Boadu remained on the back burner. Bochum manager Dieter Hecking has not hesitated to criticize the 24-year-old for his performances in training, suggesting Boadu lacks the fitness to play in the Bundesliga.
“(Hecking) was a little angry and I was a little angry,” Boadu said after his three-goal performance against Leipzig on Saturday. Perhaps we have just witnessed a pivotal moment in the young striker’s career. — Ekner
What else did I miss this weekend?
Napoli secures tough victory without ‘Cuballadona’
Napoli could hardly have asked for a tougher match, just after star winger Hviča Kvaratscheria left the club for Paris Saint-Germain, but they beat Atalanta 3-2 away to take on their title rivals again. . .
No wonder Romelu Lukaku scored the winning goal for Napoli in the closing stages. Not only is he a symbol of coach Antonio Conte’s best football, he is now clearly the figurehead of this team. Even before “Kvara” left, much of the play was focused on the burly target man. This means he will play an even more important role in Napoli’s hopes of winning the Scudetto. (They lead Inter by 5 points with 17 games remaining.)
You probably know Mr. Conte. He will not relent, and it is clear that neither will his team, which passed a massive test in Bergamo on Saturday night. — Taigu
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Germany’s race for promotion to the Bundesliga is getting closer and closer
While former great clubs are desperately trying to get back into the Bundesliga, smaller clubs are hoping to pull off an upset. The above summarizes the current situation in Germany’s second division and Bundesliga second division.
The first match after a month-long break culminated in Saturday night’s match between FC Köln and Hamburg. However, what was supposed to be a showdown remained lackluster for most of the 90 minutes. Playing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at the Volksparkstadion, Hamburg created more chances than the previous leaders and ultimately scored the winning goal through Ransford Königsdorfer.
This puts Hamburg at the top of Germany’s second division, but there could be a close battle for promotion spots in the coming months. There are currently 12 teams within six points of each other, with the top two teams advancing directly to the Bundesliga, and the third-placed team qualifying for the promotion play-offs, where they will face the 16th-placed team in the Bundesliga. — Ekner
