Harry Kane laid on both goals as Bayern Munich beat Mainz 2-1 to stay top of the Bundesliga, while Barcelona won at Atletico Madrid to open a five-point lead in LaLiga. Paris Saint-Germain made it 11 wins in a row in all competitions. Here are the key stories from across the continent.
Bundesliga: Kane is the assist king
Four games without a goal is a rare drought for Harry Kane. It has only happened once before in his Bayern Munich career, and in that sequence he went off at half-time in one match and came on as a second-half substitute in another. The England captain, however, has found another way to influence games. His square pass set up the first goal for Joshua Kimmich, and his lay-off gave Lennart Karl the simplest of finishes for the second.
Those two assists take Kane to eight this season, more than anyone else in the Bundesliga. Only Lamine Yamal can match that across Europe’s major leagues. Following his lofted pass for Konrad Laimer against Atletico Madrid in midweek, it is clear that creating chances is a growing part of his game. He has already matched his best-ever Bundesliga season for assists, and his mere presence creates space for team-mates. It also helps explain why Bayern were confident enough to give him a long-term deal.
Borussia Dortmund kept pace with Bayern at the top with a 2-1 win over Elversberg. Without top scorer Serhou Guirassy, who was absent for the first time in the Bundesliga this season, Felix Nmecha stepped up and scored twice in the second half. Brajan Gruda provided two assists as RB Leipzig beat Augsburg 5-2. Niclas Fullkrug‘s eight-game scoring streak came to an end at Stuttgart, but Patrik Schick was on target again, scoring Leverkusen’s winner in the derby at Cologne.
Bundesliga results: Hamburg 3-1 Borussia Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Elversberg, Mainz 1-2 Bayern Munich, Paderborn 2-2 Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig 5-2 Augsburg, Stuttgart 1-1 Werder Bremen, Cologne 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg 2-0 Union Berlin, Hoffenheim 2-1 Schalke.
LaLiga: A big moment in the title race
Atletico Madrid were heading to the top of LaLiga when Julian Alvarez set up Giuliano Simeone for the opening goal against leaders Barcelona at the Metropolitano on Sunday evening. Two goals from Fermin Lopez then turned the game around and secured a big win for the visitors.
It was a typically competitive start from Diego Simeone‘s side, and it fuelled the argument that Hansi Flick‘s Barca struggle to assert themselves against the strongest teams after back-to-back defeats to Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Flick will be encouraged by the response, though. The winner, wonderfully set up by Lamine Yamal, was impressive, but the control with which Barcelona saw out the game was even more significant. Rather than Atletico leapfrogging them, Barca now sit five points clear.
Real Madrid moved up to second and back ahead of their city rivals after a convincing 3-0 win away to Valencia, whose struggles continue. Kylian Mbappe scored again despite being booed by the home fans, but Arda Guler was the standout performer. He scored one and assisted Mbappe’s goal. Guler has taken over from Yan Diomande in a wide role since Vinicius Junior has been out, and his ability to cut inside brings real balance to the attack. With Fede Valverde also scoring one of his trademark stunners from right-back, there are promising signs for Jose Mourinho.
Newly-promoted Racing Santander deserve a mention too. They won 2-1 at Malaga and might be the most fun team in LaLiga. They have conceded more goals than anyone else, yet they remain in the top half for possession and, crucially, points. Their positivity is paying off.
LaLiga results: Sevilla 0-0 Alaves, Malaga 1-2 Racing Santander, Espanyol 0-0 Deportivo A Coruna, Osasuna 1-1 Athletic Club, Valencia 0-3 Real Madrid, Elche 0-2 Real Betis, Real Sociedad 1-0 Rayo Vallecano, Celta Vigo 0-0 Levante, Villarreal 2-0 Getafe, Atletico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona.
Serie A: Inter close the gap on Lazio
Lazio’s run of six consecutive Serie A wins came to an end with a draw away to Napoli. It was still a good result for Gennaro Gattuso‘s surprise leaders, given that Kevin De Bruyne came closest to winning it for the hosts.
Inter, meanwhile, cut the gap to just one point with a 2-0 win over Como at San Siro. Cesc Fabregas‘s side enjoyed plenty of possession but lacked the cutting edge of the reigning champions, who scored twice early on to control the game.
Roma also moved closer, extending their unbeaten record with a 3-0 win over Sassuolo. Rodrigo Mora, who was substituted when Roma were two goals up at Old Trafford on Tuesday, was involved in all three goals, scoring the last himself. The Portuguese teenager is a tremendous talent. “Inter are best placed to win,” said coach Gian Piero Gasperini afterwards. “For the rest, all of us are in the mix, us included.” The title race is beautifully poised.
Elsewhere, Torino and Lecce traded own goals in a 1-1 draw, while Milan picked up three points at Genoa to put their alarming European defeat to Ferencvaros behind them. Juventus came from behind twice to draw 2-2 at Fiorentina but remain six points adrift of the top four.
Serie A results: Venezia 2-1 Udinese, Cagliari 1-0 Frosinone, Torino 1-1 Lecce, Parma 1-2 Bologna, Roma 3-0 Sassuolo, Napoli 1-1 Lazio, Genoa 1-2 Milan, Monza 0-1 Atalanta, Inter 2-0 Como, Fiorentina 2-2 Juventus.
Ligue 1: Eleven in a row for PSG
Paris Saint-Germain followed up their six-goal demolition of Villarreal in the Champions League with a less convincing 1-0 home win over Troyes. The run continues, though, as Luis Enrique‘s side have now won 11 games in a row in all competitions. The European champions stay two points clear at the top, because Lille and Paris FC both earned away wins. Lassine Sinayoko scored the only goal away to Auxerre, taking his Ligue 1 tally for the season to nine, two clear of anyone else.
Elsewhere, Monaco dropped points late on at Le Mans, while Lyon, who are between coaches with Carlos Vicens set to replace Paulo Fonseca, lost at Brest. That has allowed Marseille to climb to fourth. They have now won five consecutive domestic matches under Bruno Genesio, and they are much improved since the transfer window closed.
Marseille were far from their best in their recent results, but the team has recorded a series of wins: Troyes 0-2 Marseille, Angers 2-5 Marseille, Marseille 4-3 Le Havre, Marseille 2-0 Toulouse and Lens 1-2 Marseille. It helped that Lens were the opposition. Their second-place finish under Pierre Sage already feels a long time ago. Sage’s successor, Dino Toppmoller, has long gone, and Yannick Cahuzac oversaw a 9-1 defeat by Como in midweek. A response was required, but Lens gifted Marseille the opener after 90 seconds through an awful defensive mix-up. Even when they levelled, they contrived to lose late on.
Ligue 1 results: Toulouse 3-1 Strasbourg, Auxerre 0-1 Paris FC, Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Troyes, Rennes 1-2 Lille, Angers 0-2 Nice, Brest 2-0 Lyon, Le Havre 0-2 Lorient, Le Mans 1-1 Monaco, Lens 1-2 Marseille.
Elsewhere: Weghorst denies Ajax
It was a strange Sunday in the Eredivisie. The big three all had different results away from home and each spent time at the top of the table. By the end, reigning champions PSV, who had started the day in third, were back on top after a 5-2 win over Cambuur.
Feyenoord had been two goals up at Heerenveen but lost 5-3, giving Ajax the chance to move top and confirm their improvement under Michel. Instead, Twente came from two goals down to snatch a point, thanks to Wout Weghorst‘s 95th-minute penalty. Weghorst left Ajax in the summer, and his replacement, Tolu Arokodare, who opened the scoring for Twente, has done well. He now has nine goals in 12 appearances.
In Portugal, Benfica also scored in the 95th minute through Vangelis Pavlidis, but Marco Silva‘s side remain five points behind unbeaten Porto, who won late again to make it 11 wins from 11.