Isco double hands Real first home win
MADRID: Isco scored twice as Real Madrid reduced the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to seven points courtesy of a 2-0 win over Espanyol on a day where football was dragged into violent political clashes in Catalonia. On the field there was far less conflict as Real eased to an 11th consecutive win over Barcelona-based Espanyol for their first home league win of the season. “We have to be happy. The important thing was the three points after three games without winning here,” said Zinedine Zidane.
KLOPP LAMENTS DRAW
NEWCASTLE: Jurgen Klopp assessed Liverpool’s latest failure to win a League game after a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United by saying: “Football is not fair.”
“I thought we were the better side and created more clear chances. I think we should have won,” Klopp said. Klopp remains confident, however, that Liverpool, yet to win the English title in the Premier League era, are equipped to mount a challenge at the top of the table. “I cannot talk about our football and the gap between us and other teams. We are having our hard moment and other teams will have their hard moment,” he added.
NAPOLI WIN, JUVE HELD
MILAN: Napoli continued their 100 percent start to the season and stretched their lead at the top of Serie A to two points with a 3-0 win over Cagliari on Sunday.
Marek Hamsik handed the hosts an early lead by scoring with a low, angled shot in the fourth minute. Dries Mertens then netted his ninth before Kalidou Koulibaly added a third.
Second-placed Juventus had started the day on the same number of points as Napoli but lost their perfect Serie A record when they were held to a 2-2 draw away at Atalanta. Federico Bernardeschi and Gonzalo Higuain put the juve 2-0 up , but Mattia Caldara and Bryan Cristante scored either side of the interval to earn the hosts a point.