It was a successful weekend for the biggest soccer teams across Europe, as the domestic season got back underway following a short international break.
Highlights included a remarkable performance from Barcelona’s wonderkid Lamine Yamal, another hat-trick from Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and a goal for Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé.
Here is everything you might have missed from across Europe’s top leagues this weekend.
If you hadn’t heard of Lamine Yamal before this year, then you definitely should have by now.
The 17-year-old is arguably the most exciting emerging talent in world soccer and continued his brilliant form in Barcelona’s 4-1 win against Girona on Sunday.
The teenager scored twice in the first-half – moving to three goals and four assists in La Liga this campaign – to set the Blaugrana on its way, before Dani Olmo and Pedri added to Girona’s misery.
Barcelona did receive some bad news following the match when it was confirmed that Olmo suffered a hamstring injury and will be out for four to five weeks.
Barça has won all five of its league games this season and sits four points clear of its nearest rivals.
Hot on Barcelona’s heels, though, is Real Madrid.
Los Blancos are one of three teams just four points behind the league leader and Carlo Ancelotti’s side maintained the pressure with a 2-0 win away at Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Madrid stars Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. shared penalty-taking responsibilities, converting a spot-kick each in the second half to wrap up the victory.
Madrid has not lost a league game this season but rode its luck at times against Sociedad, with the host hitting the woodwork three times during the match.
Elsewhere in Europe, former Tottenham star Kane continued his impressive start to the new campaign with yet another hat-trick in a Bayern Munich shirt.
The Englishman was in lethal form as Bayern thrashed Holstein Kiel 6-1 on Saturday to continue its perfect start to the league season.
The German giant’s first goal came after just 15 seconds, with Kane heading the ball into the path of Jamal Musiala who netted Bayern’s fastest away goal in Bundesliga history.
Kane then scored twice himself in a dominant first half before completing his hat-trick with a last-minute penalty. It was the 31-year-old’s fifth hat-trick in just 35 Bundesliga games.
Bayern now sits top of the Bundesliga, two points ahead of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig. Reigning league champion Bayer Leverkusen is down in fifth after losing one of its three games so far.
In Italy, Napoli has continued its fine start to the new campaign with a 4-0 win against Cagliari.
Goals from Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Romelu Lukaku and Alessandro Buongiorno ensured Napoli’s third straight win in the league, a run which sees Antonio Conte’s side sit top of Serie A.
Inter Milan and Juventus were both held to draws this weekend, results which see them slip below the Neapolitans in the table.
England’s Premier League
In England, Manchester City continued its 100% record with a comeback win against Brentford on Saturday.
The reigning champion went behind after just 23 seconds, but Erling Haaland scored two goals to secure the 2-1 win.
The Norwegian came agonizingly close to scoring another hat-trick for the club, but can still boast nine goals from the first four league games this season.
Meanwhile, Arsenal kept pace with a hard-fought 1-0 win against local rival Tottenham in the North London Derby on Sunday.
Defender Gabriel netted the winner with a powerful header as the Gunners move into second, just two points behind City.
Source link : https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/16/sport/lamine-yamal-european-soccer-wrap-spt-intl/index.html
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Publish date : 2024-09-16 07:00:00
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