The latest situation in the race for the championship of the 5 major leagues in Europe
The back-to-back loss of points to leaders Arsenal in the English Premier League created a new wave of excitement in Manchester City’s championship fight.
Matches continued over the weekend in England (Premier League), Spain (La Liga), Italy (Serie A), Germany (Bundesliga) and France (Ligue 1), considered the top 5 soccer leagues in Europe.
Arsenal from England, Barcelona from Spain, Napoli from Italy, Bayern Munich from Germany and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) from France continued at the top of the scoreboard.
MANCHESTER CITY MELT THE DIFFERENCE
Despite leading Liverpool 2-0 in the league last week, leaders Arsenal, who left the field with a 2-2 draw, experienced a similar scenario this week. With Gabriel Jesus in the 7th minute and Martin Odegaard in the 10th minute making the nets shake against West Ham United, the London team could not avoid goals from Said Benrahma from a penalty in the 33rd minute and Jarrod Bowen in the 54th minute and equalized. to 2. -2 from left field.
Manchester City, the champion of the last 2 years, defeated Leicester City, which is on the relegation line, 3-1 with goals from John Stones and Norwegian star Erling Haaland (2). The Manchester team, which extended its winning streak to 6 games in the league, was once again assertive in the race for the top.
Erling Haland. Photo: Reuters.
RECORD TIME FOR HAALAND
Haaland increased the number of league goals to 32, breaking the record for most goals scored by Egyptian star Mohammed Salah (2017-18) in a 38-game Premier League season.
Manchester United, one of the teams fighting to participate in the UEFA Champions League, defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0. Competing for the same quota, Newcastle United and Tottenham lost their matches. Newcastle United lost 3-0 to Aston Villa. Tottenham also lost 3-2 to Bournemouth at home.
Despite their high-budget transfers, Chelsea, who fell far short of expectations this season, lost 2-1 to Brighton, which they hosted. The England team has only added 2 points in the last 5 games.
At the end of matchday 31 of the Premier League, Arsenal continued to lead with 74 points, while the difference between them and second-place Manchester City, with one game remaining, was reduced to 4. Manchester United with 59 points, Newcastle United with 56 points and Tottenham with 53 points were the other teams in the top five.
Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski. Photo: Reuters.
THE FALL CONTINUES IN BARCELONA
Leaders Barcelona, who drew 0-0 with Girona last week, returned to the same scoreline this week away from Getafe and continued to lose points. Real Madrid, last year’s champion, beat Cádiz 2-0 at home with goals from Nacho in ’72 and Marco Asensio in ’76.
Playing a friendly match with Beşiktaş midweek to help those affected by the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Atlético Madrid defeated Almería 2-1. Real Sociedad lost 2-0 against Athletic Bilbao. After matchday 29 of LaLiga, Barcelona with 73 points follows behind Real Madrid with 11, Atlético de Madrid with 13 and Real Sociedad with 22 points.
NAPOLI CLEARLY DEPENDING ON LOSSES…
Leading the race to the top by far, Napoli drew 0-0 with Verona and were able to score 4 points in the last 3 league games. Lazio beat Spezia 3-0 and Roma beat Udinese by the same score.
Famous clubs from Italy ended the week with lost points. While Milan drew 1-1 with Bologna away, Inter hosted Monza; Juventus lost 1-0 to Sassuolo, where they were invited. Napoli, who passed Serie A matchday 30 with 75 points, was followed by Lazio with 61 points, Roma with 56 points, Milan with 53 points and Inter with 51 points.
Former Fenerbahce defender Kim Min Jae, who plays for Napoli. Photo: Reuters.
TOP IS INJURED IN BUNDESLIGA
The champions of the last 10 years, Bayern Munich, one of the teams vying for the top of the league, drew 1-1 with Hoffenheim, Borussia Dortmund drew 3-3 with Stuttgart on the road, and Union Berlin drew 1-1. with Bochum, who were hosts.
Leipzig narrowed the points gap with their higher-ranked rivals by beating Augsburg 3-2. At the close of the 28th round of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich with 59 points was followed by Borussia Dortmund with 57 points, Union Berlin with 52 points and Leipzig with 51 points.
MBAPPE GOES INTO HISTORY
In Ligue 1, the leader PSG beat Lens, one of its champions, 3-1, with Kylian Mbappé in the 31st minute, Vitinha in the 37th and Lionel Messi in the 40th, and achieved a great advantage on the way to the championship. . With Abdul Samed receiving a red card in the 19th minute, Lens’ only goal was scored by Przemyslaw Frankowski from the penalty spot in the 60th minute.
Hitting the net for the 139th time in his 169th league game for PSG, French star Mbappé surpassed former Uruguayan teammate Edinson Cavani to become the league’s all-time top scorer.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Photo: Reuters.
Olympic Marseille defeated Troyes 3-1 in the match where the national football player Cengiz Ünder scored a goal. Monaco defeated Lorient with the same score.
PSG continued to lead with 72 points after week 31. Olympic Marseille trailed the Paris team with 64 points, Lens 63 and Monaco 61 points. (AA)