A BELOW-PAR Real Madrid dropped points in the title race with a 1-1 draw at home against Girona on Sunday in La Liga, with Rodrygo having a goal ruled out late on.
Second-placed Barcelona, who snatched a late victory at Valencia on Saturday, are now just a point behind the leaders, who remain unbeaten in the top flight.
Reigning champions Madrid took the lead through Vinicius Junior in the 70th minute but Cristhian Stuani levelled with a penalty after Marco Asensio handled in the area.
Rodrygo bashed home what he thought was an 89th-minute winner, but the goal was disallowed as he kicked the ball out from under Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga’s hand — he had just about managed to get it under control after stopping a shot from the Brazilian.
Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos was sent off in stoppage time after earning a second yellow card for a foul from behind on Aleix Garcia to cap a frustrating afternoon for Carlo Ancelotti’s team at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid suffered their first defeat in all competitions against Leipzig on Tuesday in the Champions League, although their qualification for the last 16 was already assured.
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They were again without Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who was not 100% fit after a thigh problem, while Aurelien Tchouameni was a surprise late absence after initially being named on the squad list for the game.
Torino pulled off a shock 2-1 win over AC Milan on Sunday which extended Napoli’s Serie A lead to five points in their bid for a first league title in over three decades.
Reigning champions Milan were on a run of four straight league wins but defeat dropped them down to third, six points behind Napoli, after Koffi Djidji and Aleksei Miranchuk netted twice in two first-half minutes to claim the win for Torino.
Stefano Pioli’s side have been overtaken by Atalanta, who are one point ahead of Milan thanks to their 2-0 win at Empoli in Sunday’s early match.
But the weekend’s big winners are Napoli, who kicked off the action on Saturday with another avalanche of goals and look increasingly like a team that could bring the title to Naples for the first time since 1990.
Torino had scored just twice at home before this weekend but are up to ninth following their fifth win of the season, a match which nearly boiled completely over after Junior Messias pulled a goal back for the away side midway through the second half.
A dreadful mix-up between goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Alessandro Buongiorno — plus what looked like a clear push from Messias — allowed Milan’s Brazilian to clip in his second goal of the season.
Torino coach Ivan Juric was sent off for his furious protests at no foul being given, but he calmed down after his team held out for a big win.
Without injured Italy striker Ciro Immobile, Lazio looked set to claim their sixth win in seven league matches and provisional second place when Mattia Zaccagni rolled them ahead four minutes before half-time in Rome.
But Salernitana didn’t lose their heads and came away with their first ever win, a 3-1 victory, at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to a beautiful 51st-minute lob from former Lazio man Antonio Candreva and further second half strikes from ex-Roma defender Federico Fazio and Boulaye Dia.
Ademola Lookman continued his good recent form by netting his fourth goal in five league matches in Atalanta’s comfortable win at Empoli.
Hans Hateboer netted the other in an eighth win in 12 matches for Atalanta, who would have run out even more convincing winners had Teun Koopmeiners’ penalty not been saved by Guglielmo Vicario just before the break.
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Real Madrid drop points to Girona, Milan stunned by Torino to hand Napoli advantage
LAST UPDATE | 30 Oct 2022
A BELOW-PAR Real Madrid dropped points in the title race with a 1-1 draw at home against Girona on Sunday in La Liga, with Rodrygo having a goal ruled out late on.
Second-placed Barcelona, who snatched a late victory at Valencia on Saturday, are now just a point behind the leaders, who remain unbeaten in the top flight.
Reigning champions Madrid took the lead through Vinicius Junior in the 70th minute but Cristhian Stuani levelled with a penalty after Marco Asensio handled in the area.
Rodrygo bashed home what he thought was an 89th-minute winner, but the goal was disallowed as he kicked the ball out from under Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga’s hand — he had just about managed to get it under control after stopping a shot from the Brazilian.
Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos was sent off in stoppage time after earning a second yellow card for a foul from behind on Aleix Garcia to cap a frustrating afternoon for Carlo Ancelotti’s team at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid suffered their first defeat in all competitions against Leipzig on Tuesday in the Champions League, although their qualification for the last 16 was already assured.
They were again without Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who was not 100% fit after a thigh problem, while Aurelien Tchouameni was a surprise late absence after initially being named on the squad list for the game.
Torino pulled off a shock 2-1 win over AC Milan on Sunday which extended Napoli’s Serie A lead to five points in their bid for a first league title in over three decades.
Reigning champions Milan were on a run of four straight league wins but defeat dropped them down to third, six points behind Napoli, after Koffi Djidji and Aleksei Miranchuk netted twice in two first-half minutes to claim the win for Torino.
Stefano Pioli’s side have been overtaken by Atalanta, who are one point ahead of Milan thanks to their 2-0 win at Empoli in Sunday’s early match.
But the weekend’s big winners are Napoli, who kicked off the action on Saturday with another avalanche of goals and look increasingly like a team that could bring the title to Naples for the first time since 1990.
Torino had scored just twice at home before this weekend but are up to ninth following their fifth win of the season, a match which nearly boiled completely over after Junior Messias pulled a goal back for the away side midway through the second half.
A dreadful mix-up between goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Alessandro Buongiorno — plus what looked like a clear push from Messias — allowed Milan’s Brazilian to clip in his second goal of the season.
Torino coach Ivan Juric was sent off for his furious protests at no foul being given, but he calmed down after his team held out for a big win.
Without injured Italy striker Ciro Immobile, Lazio looked set to claim their sixth win in seven league matches and provisional second place when Mattia Zaccagni rolled them ahead four minutes before half-time in Rome.
But Salernitana didn’t lose their heads and came away with their first ever win, a 3-1 victory, at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to a beautiful 51st-minute lob from former Lazio man Antonio Candreva and further second half strikes from ex-Roma defender Federico Fazio and Boulaye Dia.
Ademola Lookman continued his good recent form by netting his fourth goal in five league matches in Atalanta’s comfortable win at Empoli.
Hans Hateboer netted the other in an eighth win in 12 matches for Atalanta, who would have run out even more convincing winners had Teun Koopmeiners’ penalty not been saved by Guglielmo Vicario just before the break.
– © AFP 2022
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