REAL DEFY CRISIS TALK
Zidane’s side hammer Deportivo, Barcelona extend lead
REAL Madrid moved back into the top four of La Liga by thumping lowly Deportivo La Coruna 7-1 on Sunday, with Cristiano Ronaldo ending a miserable run of league form with a late double.
But Barcelona still extended their lead to 11 points — and 19 ahead of Real — as Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both hit a brace in a 5-0 romp at Real Betis.
Ronaldo had only scored four league goals before Sunday’s clash with third-from-bottom Deportivo, but the Portuguese added Real’s fifth and sixth with a smart volley and a diving header as they moved back above Villarreal and into the Champions League places.
Villarreal had temporarily taken fourth with a 2-1 win over Levante on Saturday after beating Real at the Bernabeu for the first time ever last week.
Gareth Bale and Nacho also bagged braces each side of halftime and Luka Modric curled home a 68th-minute beauty as Real came back from a shock early deficit, a 23rd-minute tap-in from Adrian, to romp to an emphatic victory and ease the pressure on coach Zinedine Zidane.
“We needed that. In any case, it’s what we were missing in the sense that scoring seven goals at home this season, it’s hugely staisfying, and a relief,” said Zidane.
The win leaves Real five points behind Valencia in third, after Marcelino’s side had two players sent off in a shock 2-1 loss at lowly Las Palmas on Saturday.
Real had come into Sunday’s match in crisis following some dismal performances that culminated in last week’s defeat to Villarreal.
Second-placed Atletico Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Girona on Saturday meant Barca extended their lead with victory, leaving coach Ernesto Valverde waxing lyrical about Messi.
“You have to enjoy what Messi does — I’ve suffered against him as an opposing player and I know what it is,” he said. “What we saw tonight was spectacular. He’s the best player ever.”
PARIS: Memphis Depay struck a dramatic late winner as Lyon beat 10-man Paris Saint Germain 2-1 on Sunday to move within eight points of the Ligue 1 leaders.
Nabil Fekir gave the hosts a shock second-minute lead at Groupama Stadium with a brilliant free-kick, but PSG snatched an equaliser on the stroke of halftime as Layvin Kurzawa hammered home a stunning volley.
PSG full-back Dani Alves was given a straight red card for dissent, and Lyon made their man advantage count deep into injury-time as substitute Depay picked out the top corner.
“At the start, I wanted to cross, but I saw that the keeper was on the side of the goal,” Fekir told Canal+. “It’s going to be difficult (to catch PSG), and the goal of the club is to take a Champions League place.”
PSG centre-back Marquinhos added: “Football is like that, they manage to shoot and score two goals.”
Lyon retook second place from Marseille after inflicting only a second league defeat of the season on PSG, but Bruno Genesio’s men would still need an unlikely collapse from the capital club to launch a title challenge.
“We’re happy with the result, especially with beating the leaders when we’re aiming for second or third place,” said coach Genesio.
Fekir has now scored 16 league goals this season from 19 appearances, while it was also the earliest PSG had conceded in a Ligue 1 game since May 2007.
MILAN: Inter Milan fell further behind in the Serie A title race on Sunday after a scrappy 1-1 home draw with Champions League-chasing Roma left them 11 points behind leaders Napoli.
Matias Vecino equalised with a late header for Inter after Stephan El Shaarawy had capitalised on awful defending to clip home goalkeeper Alisson’s huge clearance in the 32nd minute to open the scoring.
The draw kept Luciano Spalletti’s side in the top four, level on 43 points with third-placed Lazio and three ahead of Roma.
Roma, who stay fifth on 40 points, have fallen even further behind after picking up just ten points from a possible 24 since beating Lazio in mid-November.
Eusebio Di Francesco’s side are now 12 points behind Napoli, who extended their lead at the top to four points when Dries Mertens ended a long goal drought to give his team a 1-0 win at Atalanta.
Atalanta are down to eighth after the loss and AC Milan’s 2-1 win at Cagliari, which came thanks to Franck Kessie scoring twice to drag his team back from a goal down in Sardinia.
Lazio took third thanks to a thumping 5-1 win over Chievo.
“The boys are enjoying themselves, when we manage to go ahead we often score a lot of goals and that is a great hallmark,” said Simone Inzaghi, whose exciting team are now Serie A’s top scorers with 53 goals.
BERLIN: Bayern Munich finished the weekend 16 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller both claimed goal-scoring milestones in Sunday’s dramatic 4-2 win over Werder Bremen, while Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey capped a dazzling display at Hoffenheim by scoring back-heeled goal.
The constant speculation about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s possible departure to Arsenal is annoying his Borussia Dortmund teammates.
Aubameyang was dropped for Friday’s 1-1 draw at Hertha Berlin as Dortmund confirmed they are in talks with Arsenal, with Arsenal’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis in Dortmund on Sunday according to Bild to discuss a move for last season’s Bundesliga top scorer.
“It’s just creating unrest and leaves the whole team shaking their head,” said Andre Schuerrle. “It’s not easy to turn it all off and focus on football, because off-field there is only one topic.
“It would be nice for everyone if things happen quickly.”
Bailey showed why Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly chasing him with an audacious back-heel that opened the scoring in Leverkusen’s 4-1 rout of Hoffenheim.
“I knew that I was standing in front of the goal — and the goal wasn’t going to move,” said Bailey when asked about the goal, his seventh in the league this season. “It was instinctive, it was my only chance.
“For me personally, it’s crazy what I have already achieved in a year at Leverkusen.” Agencies