A SECOND-HALF Harry Kane hat-trick took Bayern Munich back to the top of the Bundesliga, ahead of RB Leipzig, with a 4-0 home win over Stuttgart on Saturday.
Leipzig’s earlier 2-0 win at Mainz had allowed them to leapfrog Bayern into top spot, while Kane came into the match without a goal for club or country in four games — his longest drought since moving to Germany.
Stuttgart, who surprisingly finished one spot ahead of Bayern in second place last season, held the hosts at bay but the dam eventually broke in the 57th minute, when Kane’s long-range effort dribbled past goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel.
Kane added a second just three minutes later, clipping the ball through a crowded penalty box and past Nuebel to double Bayern’s lead.
The England captain pounced on a loose ball on the 80-minute mark to bring up his third, chalking up his sixth hat-trick in Bayern colours and his 57th goal for the German giants in all competitions.
France forward Kingsley Coman scored in the final minute to complete the win.
Earlier on Saturday, goals from Xavi Simons and captain Willi Orban took Leipzig past Mainz, just days out from their home Champions League clash with Liverpool.
Still unbeaten this season in Germany alongside Bayern, Leipzig took the lead after 20 minutes thanks to an excellent Simons solo goal.
Leipzig captain Orban tapped in a rebound from a Lois Openda cross to put his side 2-0 ahead.
Orban told Sky: “We could have finished things off earlier but we’re happy with the win.”
Victor Boniface’s 72nd-minute goal was the difference as Bayer Leverkusen beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 at home.
Leverkusen were given an early chance when Amine Adli was felled in the box, sending Boniface to the spot after a long VAR review. The Nigerian’s shot, too soft and central, was gobbled up by Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
Just five minutes later, the referee was sent to the video screen again, this time finding a penalty for Frankfurt, with Robert Andrich lightly touching Omar Marmoush’s foot.
Marmoush showed Boniface how it is done, blasting a low shot left to give the visitors the lead on 16 minutes. The Egyptian now has an incredible nine goals and five assists in just seven league games this season.
Andrich made good on his error soon afterwards, combining expertly with Adli and Martin Terrier to flit through the penalty area for a superb one-touch goal in the 25th minute.
Boniface would also redeem himself, giving Leverkusen the lead inside the final 20 minutes, heading in a deflected cross from substitute Florian Wirtz to put the hosts on course for victory.
Andrich told Sky Germany: “We were focussed and played good football.
“And there was a nice goal from me,” he added with a grin.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who made his Germany debut last season after a career largely spent in the lower divisions, said of his performance: “I always have fun playing football, but I maybe have to work a bit harder than the rest.”
Elsewhere, Freiburg continued their impressive start to the season with a 3-1 home win over Augsburg to go into outright third.
Freiburg were three goals up at half-time, with Vincenzo Grifo, Philipp Lienhart and Christian Guenter scoring, before Augsburg’s Phillip Tietz pulled one back in the second period.
Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Tim Kleindienst scored a double, days after making his Germany debut, in a 3-2 home win over former club Heidenheim.
Hoffenheim won their first game since their season opener, with Andrej Kramaric, Marius Buelter and Haris Tabakovic scoring in a 3-1 win over lowly Bochum, who sit last with just one point from seven games.
La Liga
Advertisement
Kylian Mbappé celebrates his goal against Celta Vigo. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior’s goals earned Real Madrid an entertaining 2-1 win at Celta Vigo on Saturday to pull them level with La Liga leaders Barcelona.
France striker Mbappé started and sent the Spanish champions ahead amid reports he is being investigated for an alleged rape during a visit to Sweden.
The 25-year-old was criticised in his homeland for not appearing in his country’s recent Nations League matches before the Swedish media reports emerged following his trip during the international break, which Mbappé labelled “fake news”.
Williot Swedberg levelled for Celta, who might have snatched a draw, but Vinicius tucked home what proved Madrid’s winner after 66 minutes.
Madrid, unbeaten in 42 La Liga matches, host Barcelona next weekend in the Clásico, after the Catalans welcome Sevilla on Sunday.
“I’m happy because we won after the international break which is not always easy,” Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told Real Madrid TV.
“When they equalised our changes gave new energy to the team and it was a very important win.
“(Mbappé and Vinicius) trained very well in the break, improved their conditions, and they started today’s game very well and they have to continue.”
With captain Dani Carvajal sidelined for months to come, Ancelotti replaced the Spanish right-back with Lucas Vazquez.
The Italian set up with a three centre-back system, breaking away from his favoured four-man defensive line to accomodate Vazquez as a wing-back.
Celta Vigo midfielder Swedberg missed a fine opening in the first half with Thibaut Courtois tipping his effort wide when the Swede ran through on goal.
Madrid’s new look defence gave Celta plenty of breathing room in attack but the visitors also looked dangerous at the other end, without carving out clear-cut chances.
Mbappé slammed Madrid ahead with a long-range effort, which flew into the top corner after Fran Beltran gave the ball away and Eduardo Camavinga laid it off to the striker.
It was the forward’s first strike from outside the area for Madrid, his sixth league goal and his eighth in 12 appearances across all competitions since joining from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
Celta striker Borja Iglesias rolled home from an offside position as Claudio Giraldez’s mid-table side searched for an equaliser.
It was a scrappy yet lively clash and Vinicius headed over Fede Valverde’s cross and fired a near post effort off-target before the break.
Swedberg pulled Celta level with a calm finish in the 51st minute after a fine move from the Galicians, with former Barcelona defender Oscar Mingueza curling in a low cross for the midfielder to stroke home.
Vinicius had a goal ruled out for offside against Mbappé in the build-up as the second half continued with the same openness as the first.
Javier Manquillo made a brave block to deny Mbappé before Ancelotti sent on veteran midfielder Luka Modric to try and regain control of the match.
The 39-year-old Croatian, who became Real Madrid’s oldest ever player ahead of 1950s and 1960s Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas, made an instant impact.
Less than three minutes after coming on, Modric produced a superb low pass to play in Vinicius, who slid Madrid in front past Vicente Guaita.
“It’s a pleasure to coach Modric, to work with him, everything he’s been able to achieve and is achieving, he deserves — he’s a top professional and a great guy,” said Ancelotti.
Courtois thwarted Jonathan Bamba after the midfielder darted in behind Antonio Rudiger and tried to prod home.
Celta substitute Anastasios Douvikas should have levelled in stoppage time but rolled wide with just Courtois to beat.
“It’s bittersweet because we went toe-to-toe with Real Madrid and we were better for much of the game, but we’re left with the feeling once more that for our mistakes we let in two goals,” said Celta midfielder Beltran.
“It would be easy to say ‘this is Real Madrid’, but (our) team was better… we lost three points, but I think we played a very good game.”
Earlier, Athletic Bilbao moved provisionally fourth by thumping Espanyol 4-1.
Serie A
Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic and teammates celebrate a Lazio own goal. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Juventus moved level on points with Serie A leaders Napoli on Saturday after squeezing past 10-man Lazio 1-0, while AC Milan overcame having to play for over an hour themselves with 10 men to beat Udinese by the same score.
Mario Gila’s own goal with five minutes remaining gave Juve the win in Turin, a crushing blow for Lazio who acquitted themselves well after Alessio Romagnoli was sent off in the 24th minute.
Thiago Motta’s Juve looked set to dominate when Romganoli was shown a straight red card for taking out Pierre Kalulu as he raced towards goal.
But Lazio had little trouble holding off Juve’s uninspired attacking and had to rely on Gila poking Juan Cabal’s low cross into his own goal in order to take the three points.
Juve have a better goal difference than Napoli but stay behind their rivals, coached by Antonio Conte, as they have played a game more.
Napoli can ensure they maintain their lead with a win at Empoli in Sunday’s lunctime match, while champions Inter Milan, who sit two points off the pace alongside their local rivals Milan, are at Roma.
Samuel Chukwueze’s 13th-minute strike looked like being the first of a comfortable win for Milan but ended up being the winning goal as the seven-time European champions held on for the points.
Their task was made difficult by Tijjani Reijnders being sent off in the 29th minute for a clumsy foul on Sandi Lovric who would have been clean through on goal had the Netherlands midfielder not clipped his heels.
“It was two matches in one. The first one finished after half an hour, 30 minutes of character, quality and the sort of play which is close to what I want,” said Fonseca.
The Portuguese has had to field questions about ill discipline in the dressing room, especially among star players like suspended Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao, who was left on the bench for the entire match.
“After the sending off it was all about the team spirit,” he added.
“If anyone doubted that were a united team today was the demonstration that we are.”
Tammy Abraham should have sealed the points for Milan with 15 minutes remaining when he somehow managed, moments after replacing Alvaro Morata, to both fluff a golden chance on the rebound and injure his right shoulder at the same time.
Milan later revealed that England international Abraham had not fractured the shoulder as previously feared.
The hosts looked to have been sucker-punched when Christian Kabasele bundled home for Udinese in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but a huge roar rang around the ground when, after a long VAR check, the goal was ruled out for Jurgen Ekkelenkamp’s toes straying offside.
Milan’s win came in front of a flat San Siro following the decision of Milan’s hardcore “ultras” supporters to stand in silence for most of the match in protest at what they claim is a law enforcement and Italian media campaign against them.
Leading ultras from both Milan and local rivals Inter were arrested last month and are accused of a variety of crimes raging from criminal conspiracy and extortion to assault.
Earlier this week Milan’s ultras groups refuted allegations by investigators of any involvement in ticket touting, control of parking and sales from concession stands near the San Siro.
In the meantime police banned the ultras’ large “Curva Sud Milano” from being hung out in that section, leading to supporters around the whole stadium, not just ultras, from leaving their own banners and flags at home.
Instead fans in the Curva Sud held a banner in support of their arrested allies which read, loosely translated, “Stay strong boys”.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
3 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Kane hat-trick moves Bayern top, Mbappé scores as Madrid move level with Barca
LAST UPDATE | 19 Oct
Bundesliga
A SECOND-HALF Harry Kane hat-trick took Bayern Munich back to the top of the Bundesliga, ahead of RB Leipzig, with a 4-0 home win over Stuttgart on Saturday.
Leipzig’s earlier 2-0 win at Mainz had allowed them to leapfrog Bayern into top spot, while Kane came into the match without a goal for club or country in four games — his longest drought since moving to Germany.
Stuttgart, who surprisingly finished one spot ahead of Bayern in second place last season, held the hosts at bay but the dam eventually broke in the 57th minute, when Kane’s long-range effort dribbled past goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel.
Kane added a second just three minutes later, clipping the ball through a crowded penalty box and past Nuebel to double Bayern’s lead.
The England captain pounced on a loose ball on the 80-minute mark to bring up his third, chalking up his sixth hat-trick in Bayern colours and his 57th goal for the German giants in all competitions.
France forward Kingsley Coman scored in the final minute to complete the win.
Earlier on Saturday, goals from Xavi Simons and captain Willi Orban took Leipzig past Mainz, just days out from their home Champions League clash with Liverpool.
Still unbeaten this season in Germany alongside Bayern, Leipzig took the lead after 20 minutes thanks to an excellent Simons solo goal.
Leipzig captain Orban tapped in a rebound from a Lois Openda cross to put his side 2-0 ahead.
Orban told Sky: “We could have finished things off earlier but we’re happy with the win.”
Victor Boniface’s 72nd-minute goal was the difference as Bayer Leverkusen beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 at home.
Leverkusen were given an early chance when Amine Adli was felled in the box, sending Boniface to the spot after a long VAR review. The Nigerian’s shot, too soft and central, was gobbled up by Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
Just five minutes later, the referee was sent to the video screen again, this time finding a penalty for Frankfurt, with Robert Andrich lightly touching Omar Marmoush’s foot.
Marmoush showed Boniface how it is done, blasting a low shot left to give the visitors the lead on 16 minutes. The Egyptian now has an incredible nine goals and five assists in just seven league games this season.
Andrich made good on his error soon afterwards, combining expertly with Adli and Martin Terrier to flit through the penalty area for a superb one-touch goal in the 25th minute.
Boniface would also redeem himself, giving Leverkusen the lead inside the final 20 minutes, heading in a deflected cross from substitute Florian Wirtz to put the hosts on course for victory.
Andrich told Sky Germany: “We were focussed and played good football.
“And there was a nice goal from me,” he added with a grin.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who made his Germany debut last season after a career largely spent in the lower divisions, said of his performance: “I always have fun playing football, but I maybe have to work a bit harder than the rest.”
Elsewhere, Freiburg continued their impressive start to the season with a 3-1 home win over Augsburg to go into outright third.
Freiburg were three goals up at half-time, with Vincenzo Grifo, Philipp Lienhart and Christian Guenter scoring, before Augsburg’s Phillip Tietz pulled one back in the second period.
Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Tim Kleindienst scored a double, days after making his Germany debut, in a 3-2 home win over former club Heidenheim.
Hoffenheim won their first game since their season opener, with Andrej Kramaric, Marius Buelter and Haris Tabakovic scoring in a 3-1 win over lowly Bochum, who sit last with just one point from seven games.
La Liga
Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior’s goals earned Real Madrid an entertaining 2-1 win at Celta Vigo on Saturday to pull them level with La Liga leaders Barcelona.
France striker Mbappé started and sent the Spanish champions ahead amid reports he is being investigated for an alleged rape during a visit to Sweden.
The 25-year-old was criticised in his homeland for not appearing in his country’s recent Nations League matches before the Swedish media reports emerged following his trip during the international break, which Mbappé labelled “fake news”.
Williot Swedberg levelled for Celta, who might have snatched a draw, but Vinicius tucked home what proved Madrid’s winner after 66 minutes.
Madrid, unbeaten in 42 La Liga matches, host Barcelona next weekend in the Clásico, after the Catalans welcome Sevilla on Sunday.
“I’m happy because we won after the international break which is not always easy,” Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told Real Madrid TV.
“When they equalised our changes gave new energy to the team and it was a very important win.
“(Mbappé and Vinicius) trained very well in the break, improved their conditions, and they started today’s game very well and they have to continue.”
With captain Dani Carvajal sidelined for months to come, Ancelotti replaced the Spanish right-back with Lucas Vazquez.
The Italian set up with a three centre-back system, breaking away from his favoured four-man defensive line to accomodate Vazquez as a wing-back.
Celta Vigo midfielder Swedberg missed a fine opening in the first half with Thibaut Courtois tipping his effort wide when the Swede ran through on goal.
Madrid’s new look defence gave Celta plenty of breathing room in attack but the visitors also looked dangerous at the other end, without carving out clear-cut chances.
Mbappé slammed Madrid ahead with a long-range effort, which flew into the top corner after Fran Beltran gave the ball away and Eduardo Camavinga laid it off to the striker.
It was the forward’s first strike from outside the area for Madrid, his sixth league goal and his eighth in 12 appearances across all competitions since joining from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
Celta striker Borja Iglesias rolled home from an offside position as Claudio Giraldez’s mid-table side searched for an equaliser.
It was a scrappy yet lively clash and Vinicius headed over Fede Valverde’s cross and fired a near post effort off-target before the break.
Swedberg pulled Celta level with a calm finish in the 51st minute after a fine move from the Galicians, with former Barcelona defender Oscar Mingueza curling in a low cross for the midfielder to stroke home.
Vinicius had a goal ruled out for offside against Mbappé in the build-up as the second half continued with the same openness as the first.
Javier Manquillo made a brave block to deny Mbappé before Ancelotti sent on veteran midfielder Luka Modric to try and regain control of the match.
The 39-year-old Croatian, who became Real Madrid’s oldest ever player ahead of 1950s and 1960s Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas, made an instant impact.
Less than three minutes after coming on, Modric produced a superb low pass to play in Vinicius, who slid Madrid in front past Vicente Guaita.
“It’s a pleasure to coach Modric, to work with him, everything he’s been able to achieve and is achieving, he deserves — he’s a top professional and a great guy,” said Ancelotti.
Courtois thwarted Jonathan Bamba after the midfielder darted in behind Antonio Rudiger and tried to prod home.
Celta substitute Anastasios Douvikas should have levelled in stoppage time but rolled wide with just Courtois to beat.
“It’s bittersweet because we went toe-to-toe with Real Madrid and we were better for much of the game, but we’re left with the feeling once more that for our mistakes we let in two goals,” said Celta midfielder Beltran.
“It would be easy to say ‘this is Real Madrid’, but (our) team was better… we lost three points, but I think we played a very good game.”
Earlier, Athletic Bilbao moved provisionally fourth by thumping Espanyol 4-1.
Serie A
Juventus moved level on points with Serie A leaders Napoli on Saturday after squeezing past 10-man Lazio 1-0, while AC Milan overcame having to play for over an hour themselves with 10 men to beat Udinese by the same score.
Mario Gila’s own goal with five minutes remaining gave Juve the win in Turin, a crushing blow for Lazio who acquitted themselves well after Alessio Romagnoli was sent off in the 24th minute.
Thiago Motta’s Juve looked set to dominate when Romganoli was shown a straight red card for taking out Pierre Kalulu as he raced towards goal.
But Lazio had little trouble holding off Juve’s uninspired attacking and had to rely on Gila poking Juan Cabal’s low cross into his own goal in order to take the three points.
Juve have a better goal difference than Napoli but stay behind their rivals, coached by Antonio Conte, as they have played a game more.
Napoli can ensure they maintain their lead with a win at Empoli in Sunday’s lunctime match, while champions Inter Milan, who sit two points off the pace alongside their local rivals Milan, are at Roma.
Samuel Chukwueze’s 13th-minute strike looked like being the first of a comfortable win for Milan but ended up being the winning goal as the seven-time European champions held on for the points.
Their task was made difficult by Tijjani Reijnders being sent off in the 29th minute for a clumsy foul on Sandi Lovric who would have been clean through on goal had the Netherlands midfielder not clipped his heels.
“It was two matches in one. The first one finished after half an hour, 30 minutes of character, quality and the sort of play which is close to what I want,” said Fonseca.
The Portuguese has had to field questions about ill discipline in the dressing room, especially among star players like suspended Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao, who was left on the bench for the entire match.
“After the sending off it was all about the team spirit,” he added.
“If anyone doubted that were a united team today was the demonstration that we are.”
Tammy Abraham should have sealed the points for Milan with 15 minutes remaining when he somehow managed, moments after replacing Alvaro Morata, to both fluff a golden chance on the rebound and injure his right shoulder at the same time.
Milan later revealed that England international Abraham had not fractured the shoulder as previously feared.
The hosts looked to have been sucker-punched when Christian Kabasele bundled home for Udinese in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but a huge roar rang around the ground when, after a long VAR check, the goal was ruled out for Jurgen Ekkelenkamp’s toes straying offside.
Milan’s win came in front of a flat San Siro following the decision of Milan’s hardcore “ultras” supporters to stand in silence for most of the match in protest at what they claim is a law enforcement and Italian media campaign against them.
Leading ultras from both Milan and local rivals Inter were arrested last month and are accused of a variety of crimes raging from criminal conspiracy and extortion to assault.
Earlier this week Milan’s ultras groups refuted allegations by investigators of any involvement in ticket touting, control of parking and sales from concession stands near the San Siro.
In the meantime police banned the ultras’ large “Curva Sud Milano” from being hung out in that section, leading to supporters around the whole stadium, not just ultras, from leaving their own banners and flags at home.
Instead fans in the Curva Sud held a banner in support of their arrested allies which read, loosely translated, “Stay strong boys”.
– © AFP 2024
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Bayern Munich Bundesliga European roundup Soccer Three and easy