There was plenty of drama around Europe’s top leagues this weekend with mouthwatering fixtures in Germany, Spain and Italy.
As ever, TIBS News provides a lowdown on what happened across the continent.
Bayern win Bundesliga blockbuster
Two of the world’s deadliest strikers put on a show as Bayern Munich beat rivals Borussia Dortmund 4-2 in the Der Klassiker.
Dortmund found themselves 2-0 up early on after Erling Haaland found the net twice in nine minutes.
Despite their early heroics, Edin Terzic’s side found themselves going into half-time 2-2 after Robert Lewandowski was able to equal Haaland’s brace with two goals of his own.
Early in the second half things got worse for Dortmund after Haaland was forced off with an injury which left the visitors light in attack.
Bayern dominated much of the second half, but it took until the 88th minute before Leon Goretzka was able to rifle a beautiful volley into the bottom corner to give the hosts the lead.
In stoppage-time Hans-Dieter Flick’s side were able to secure the three points after Lewandowski completed his hat-trick which saw him on to 31 goals for the season.
Honours even in the Madrid derby
Atletico Madrid remain five points clear of rivals Real Madrid after a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
A draw sees Diego Simeone’s side edge closer to their first title since 2014.
Luis Suarez gave Atletico the lead in the 15th minute, slotting home an excellent run and pass from Marcos Llorente.
Both sides continued to create chances which forced their keepers to make several saves.
But it was Real Madrid that struck late on with Karim Benzema tapping into an empty net after Casemiro’s pass took Atletico Keeper Jan Oblak out of the game.
Atletico Madrid will be the happier side with the point as they stay clear of Real Madrid and Barcelona. They also have a game in hand which if they win can see them six points clear of second place.
Juventus beat top-four rivals Lazio
Alvaro Morata’s brace saw Juventus survive an early scare as the Old Lady beat Lazio 3-1.
Lazio took an early lead after Dejan Kulusevski’s misplaced pass found Joaquin Correa, who wrong-footed Wojciech Szczesny to score his third goal of the season.
Simone Inzaghi’s side continued to look for that second goal before Adrien Rabiot was put through and levelled the game with an emphatic finish at Pepe Reina’s near post.
Early in the second half the game was turned on its head as Morata scored two goals in three minutes to give Andrea Pirlo’s side a comfortable lead.
Lazio continued to push on but couldn’t find a way back into the contest – despite having more than double Juve’s shots. Victory keeps Juventus within reach of league leaders Inter Milan. However, defeat for Lazio has seen them fall seven points behind the Champions League qualification spots.
By Bryce Densham
