Hard-fought win takes Atletico eight points clear at top
ATLETICO MADRID dug deep for a 2-1 win over GRANADA at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes, which takes them eight points clear at the top of La Liga.
Marcos Llorente put them ahead with a low drive from 20 yards on 63 minutes, but Yangel Herrera equalised not long after as Atletico failed to clear their lines at a corner. Angel Correa scored the winning goal with a deflected strike which went up and over the head of the goalkeeper. This win takes Atletico eight points clear of defending champions Real Madrid – with a game in hand on Zinedine Zidane’s side. BARCELONA, who handed a La Liga debut to 18-year-old central midfielder Ilaix Moriba, leapfrogged Real, who host Valencia today, into second spot after their 5-1 home win over ALAVES. Machado Trincao opened on 29 minutes with a shot through a defender’s leg and, in firsthalf time-added, Lionel Messi’s 25-yarder made it 2-0.
Sub Luis Rioja pulled one back on 57 minutes, holding off a couple of defenders before shooting home, but, around quarter-of-an-hour on, Trincao and Messi both netted again within a minute of each other for the Catalan side. Junior Firpo made it five on 80 minutes.
JUVENTUS lost the chance to put pressure on the two Milan sides at the top of Serie A. NAPOLI scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot on 31 minutes at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium when Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini fouled Amir Rrahmani in the penalty area. Lorenzo
Insigne duly converted with a right-foot shot to the top left corner.
Napoli are in fourth position, two points behind third-placed Juve.
And what might have been for Juve came true in the evening game as leaders AC MILAN surprisingly fell 2-0 at SPEZIA. After a goalless first half at the Stadio Alberto Picco, Giulio Maggiore scored from closerangein56minutes, with Simone Bastoni’s 18-yarder making it 2-0 just 11 minutes later.
Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland netted for BORUSSIA DORTMUND as they drew 2-2 with HOFFENHEIM in the Bundesliga.
England cap Sancho ran on to a through ball to put the home side in front at the Signal Iduna Park, but Munas Dabbur produced a first-time finish to level.
The visitors then went in front through Ihlas Bebou’s header, capitalising on a poor goalkeeping punch.
Haaland previously had two goals disallowed for offside, but was finally rewarded when he latched on to a poor defensive pass before racing away to fire home an equaliser.
Dortmund, who sit sixth in the Bundesliga table, have won just one of their past six league games.
In France, PARIS ST GERMAIN sit top of Ligue 1 on goal difference after a 1-0 win over NICE at the Parc des Princes.
Julian Draxler opened their account on 22 minutes with a right-foot shot from six yards.
However, they were shocked five minutes after the interval as the visitors levelled with a right-foot shot from Rony Lopes.
A close-in header from Moise Kean on 76 minutes then clinched full points for PSG.