Lewandowski nets hat-trick as Barcelona beat Alaves 3-0
Robert Lewandowski's first-half hat-trick guided LaLiga leaders Barcelona to a 3-0 win away at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday as the Polish striker extended his lead at the top of the league's scoring charts.
Lewandowski's treble made him the first player to net 10 goals in LaLiga this season and the second in Europe's top leagues after Manchester City's Erling Haaland.
The victory moved Barcelona to 24 points, three points clear of rivals Real Madrid, while Alaves are 12th with 10 points.
Barcelona dominated possession and skipper Raphinha had the ball in the net inside four minutes but the goal was ruled out for offside, a minute before the visitors lost Ferran Torres to an injury with Eric Garcia taking his place.
But Barcelona wasted no time in taking the lead when Lewandowski scored from a Raphinha free kick in the seventh minute, heading home an inch-perfect cross from the edge of the six-yard box.
Lewandowski has showed no signs of slowing down at 36 and he grabbed his second on a counter-attack when he checked his run to latch on to Raphinha's pass to score.
He completed his hat-trick in the 32nd minute when Garcia slipped a ball through to him and the Polish striker stretched to fire his shot past Antonio Sivera in the Alaves goal to net his 12th goal in 11 games in all competitions.
Alaves thought they had got on the board when Toni Martinez scored with a towering header towards the end of the first half but VAR ruled it out for offside.
The two goalkeepers were kept busy in the second half which saw some end-to-end action, with Barcelona's Inaki Pena ensuring they went home with a clean sheet while Sivera limited the damage for Alaves with six saves.
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal had a quiet game by his standards and he was taken off in the 67th minute. The 17-year-old winger, who has gone two games without a goal or assist, looked upset as he sat on the bench and threw his shin guard aside.
But as much as they tried, Barcelona could not get a fourth goal while fatigue also played a factor.
Gazzaniga proves Girona's penalty hero in chaotic 2-1 win over Bilbao
Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga saved two penalties, including one that had to be retaken, before striker Cristhian Stuani scored from the spot deep in stoppage time as they beat visitors Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in LaLiga on Sunday.
Girona sit a provisional 11th in the standings with 12 points from nine matches, while Bilbao are sixth with 14 points.
Alex Berenguer's penalty was saved in the first half and Bilbao's luck from the spot got worse after the break as Inaki Williams' effort was also stopped but had to be retaken as Gazzaniga's feet were off the line.
Ander Herrera stepped up for the retake, but his effort was also saved by the Argentine keeper.
"I'm happy for the three points the team got. I don't remember another match like this," Gazzaniga said.
"Again, I would like to highlight the work of the team because without them it wouldn't have been possible.
"We were studying the penalties with the goalkeeping coach and this time it worked out well."
Girona defender Arnau Martinez tripped Berenguer inside the box in the 26th minute. Berenguer stepped up to take the penalty but the Spanish winger's tame effort was saved by Gazzaniga.
Bilbao were immediately punished when Colombian midfielder Yaser Asprilla put Girona ahead in the 39th minute, sending a dangerous left-foot cross from outside the box into the bottom corner past goalkeeper Alex Padilla.
But the home side's lead lasted only two minutes before Oihan Sancet equalised with a close-range shot after picking up Berenguer's through ball to beat Gazzaniga. However, Sancet was forced off soon after scoring due to an injury.
Just as the game seemed headed for a draw, Bilbao defender Aitor Paredes fouled Ladislav Krejci, giving away a penalty which Stuani converted in the 99th minute to seal all three points for the hosts and end a four-match LaLiga winless run.
Paredes was also sent off for a second yellow card.
Last-gasp Marmoush goal earns Frankfurt 3-3 draw against leaders Bayern
Eintracht Frankfurt's Bundesliga top scorer Omar Marmoush scored twice, with his stoppage time equaliser snatching a 3-3 home draw against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Sunday.
Marmoush, who had brought the sides level at 1-1 in the first half, completed a quick break in added time to bag the last-gasp goal that salvaged a point and made it three matches without a win in all competitions for the Bavarians.
Bayern now have 14 points and lead the standings on goal difference ahead of RB Leipzig, who were 1-0 winners at Heidenheim earlier on Sunday. Eintracht are third on 13.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany will be relieved to go into the international break still top but must quickly figure out how his team got caught three times on the break, with Eintracht's late equaliser being their best chance in the second half.
The result also piles pressure on Kompany in his first season at Bayern following their slip-ups in Europe and the Bundesliga in the past week.
Bayern, desperate to bounce back from their midweek Champions League loss at Aston Villa and last week's Bundesliga draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen, went ahead when Kim Min-jae slotted in after a quarter of an hour following a strong start.
They should have had at least a couple of goals in that period but their joy was short lived, with Marmoush completing a lightning-quick break with a fine low shot past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to level seven minutes later.
The Egypt forward, who has eight goals in six league games so far, then delivered a perfectly timed 35th minute assist in another counter-attack for Hugo Ekitike to score.
Bayern launched their own comeback three minutes later and levelled through Dayot Upamecano's shot from close range after a goalmouth scramble.
The visitors went back in front through Michael Olise's superb left-footed strike in the 53rd and should have scored again with substitute Kingsley Coman late in the game.
Marmoush, however, outsmarted the Bayern defence once more in stoppage time to race through and grab the equaliser, with Bayern's Thomas Mueller hitting the post with the last kick of the game.
PSG lose top spot after 1-1 draw at Nice
Paris St Germain lost out on first place in Ligue 1 after a dramatic 1-1 draw at Nice on Sunday, with Luis Enrique's side now two points behind leaders AS Monaco.
Nice started brightly and created several chances as PSG struggled to find their rhythm. Home defender Ali Al-Abdi opened the scoring six minutes before halftime with a powerful shot after a Jonathan Clauss corner that beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The visitors found their stride when Ousmane Dembele, who returned to the side after being dropped for PSG's Champions League defeat at Arsenal in midweek, crossed for Nuno Mendes to equalise seven minutes after the break.
However, the capital side failed to find a winner as Nice held firm despite coming under late pressure, with efforts from Vitinha and Dembele kept out by goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.
"We didn't really get going in the first half, then we woke up in the second. It's a shame we didn't take our chances," said striker Bradley Barcola.
"What's missing? I don't know, more desire maybe... There are games like this, it's always difficult to play here. We should have played like we did in the second half and it would have been a lot better."
Defending champions PSG remain unbeaten with 17 points from seven games, while Monaco moved to the top on 19 points after a 2-1 win over Stade Rennais on Saturday.
Missed penalties haunt Milan as De Gea helps Fiorentina seal 2-1 win
AC Milan suffered a 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina in Serie A on Sunday after goals from Yacine Adli and Albert Gudmundsson sealed the points in a clash with three missed penalties as David de Gea twice saved spot kicks to help the hosts.
In a pulsating encounter of near-misses and tense moments, De Gea and Milan keeper Mike Maignan pulled off breathtaking penalty saves. De Gea kept out spot kicks from Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham, while Maignan denied Moise Kean.
Milan start the international break in sixth place with 11 points, five behind leaders Napoli, while Fiorentina are 11th on 10 after two wins and a draw in their last three league games.
"Today's win is crucial. Finally, the work we've put in over the past few weeks is starting to pay off. Beating Milan can set the stage for a different season," De Gea told DAZN.
"It was an incredible night. I want to focus not on the penalties, but on the work the team is doing to give the fans a night like this."
The drama began after 22 minutes when Fiore striker Kean's frustrating night took shape as Frenchman Maignan saved his penalty, which was awarded after Hernandez fouled Dodo.
Minutes later, Kean did find the back of the net but his effort was disallowed as he was clearly offside.
Adli eventually broke the deadlock 10 minutes before halftime with a low shot from the edge of the box that went in off the post but the on-loan Milan midfielder did not celebrate the goal out of respect for his parent club.
DOUBLE SAVE
Milan earned a penalty themselves just before the break when Tijjani Reijnders was tripped by defender Luca Ranieri, but Hernandez's attempt was saved by Spaniard De Gea, who made a stunning one-handed stop in the bottom corner.
Kean’s difficult night continued after the break when he had another effort ruled offside before De Gea kept out Abraham’s penalty nine minutes into the second half with a brilliant diving save after Kean fouled Matteo Gabbia.
It was the first time two penalties had been saved by one goalkeeper in a Serie A match since May 2016.
Milan finally scored on the hour mark when Christian Pulisic equalised with a perfect volley from a cross before Gudmundsson's 73rd-minute strike put Fiorentina back in front.
Emotions ran high in the final moments as Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino was sent off for protesting, while Kean was again denied when his superb shot hit the underside of the bar and bounced out in the dying minutes.
Milan's France striker Hernandez was celebrating his 27th birthday but received an unwelcome card when he was sent off at the end of the match for arguing with the referee.
Atletico let early lead slip in Sociedad draw
Atletico Madrid let their first-minute lead slip as they were held to a 1-1 LaLiga draw at Real Sociedad on Sunday after midfielder Luka Sucic cancelled out visitors' opener by striker Julian Alvarez.
Atletico's Alvarez found the net with just 51 seconds gone before Sucic equalised with a stunning first-time shot from a distance that sailed inside a top corner in the 84th minute.
Atletico, who were demolished 4-0 by Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, moved one place up to third on 17 points, level with fourth-placed Villarreal.
Diego Simeone's side are now four points behind champions Real Madrid, in second, and seven off leaders Barcelona.
The visitors started on the front foot when Alvarez struck low inside the far post after Antoine Griezmann teed him up from inside the box with a back-heel.
The Argentine's goal, his third for Atletico, was club's fifth fastest goal in LaLiga in the 21st century.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak made two sensational saves shortly after to prevent an equaliser, denying Martin Zubimendi's header and a follow-up strike by Nayef Aguerd.
Sociedad tested the seasoned goalkeeper more times in the first half but Oblak made no mistakes as he saved attempts by defender Jon Aramburu and Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal.
He then kept out a fine strike by Takefusa Kubo, who struck from the edge of the box just before the break.
Sociedad, however, continued to seek their chances as they dominated the possession after the restart and Sucic found the well-deserved leveller six minutes from full-time.
Atletico substitute Rodrigo De Paul's misplaced pass saw the visitors lose the ball near their own box and Oyarzabal found Sucic, who made no mistake slotting home.
Atletico's goal remained their only attempt on target on the night.
Sociedad, who finished sixth last season to qualify for the Europa League, are 15th with nine points.
They have won only one of their last nine games in all competitions.
Atletico next host lowly Leganes after the international break while Sociedad travel to 11th-placed Girona.
