Spain: Barça surprised at home by Las Palmas
FC Barcelona once again experienced disappointment in La Liga by being beaten 2-1 at home by poorly ranked Las Palmas on Saturday during the 15e day of the Spanish championship.
Winner of Brest on Tuesday (3-0) and third in the Champions League standings, Barça, on the other hand, continues a third match without a victory in the league.
With this setback, the Barcelona leader celebrated his 125th anniversary badly.e anniversary and above all offered Real Madrid the possibility of returning to a point in the event of success against Getafe on Sunday, with still one game less to play.
Flick: “A big disappointment”
“We have to play like we played at the start of the season. It’s a big disappointment,” reacted Barça coach Hansi Flick after the match. “We had 70% possession, but we weren't able to score, maybe we need to change one or two things. We made mistakes, but it's not the fault of the four defenders, it starts with the players up front. We need to talk about all of this.”
Transparent in the first period, Barça was surprised by a goal from Sandro Ramirez (49e) upon returning from the locker room. Barcelona captain Raphinha tied the two teams (61e), but Fabio Silva quickly gave the Canarians back the lead (67e).
Yamal returns, Baldé goes out on a stretcher
Back after two weeks of absence due to muscular problems, Lamine Yamal came on after the break. The young nugget created a few situations but was unable to change the course of the match, any more than Robert Lewandowski, who was very discreet after his double against Brest.
Hit during a duel, Barça full-back Alejandro Baldé had to leave the pitch on a stretcher from the 23rde minute.
Germany: Leipzig sinks at home against Wolfsburg (5-1)
RB Leipzig sank on home soil against Wolfsburg on Saturday, losing 5 to 1 during the 12th day of the German championship, a third consecutive defeat which further weakens the position of coach Marco Rose.
In contact with Bayern on the evening of the 8e day at the top of the Bundesliga (20 points each out of 24 possible), Leipzig took only one point in the last four days, beaten at Dortmund (2-1), at Hoffenheim (4-3) and against Wolfsburg ( 5-1).
Three goals conceded in the first quarter of an hour
On Saturday, Leipzig sank in the space of a quarter of an hour, conceding three goals from Mohamed Amoura (4e et 16e) et Tiago Tomas (5e).
This is Leipzig's sixth match without a victory, if we add the setbacks in Glasgow against Celtic (3-1) and in Milan against Inter (1-0) in the Champions League, where the club Eastern Germany is almost eliminated with five losses in as many matches.
A series which complicates the future of Marco Rose, who arrived on the Leipzig bench in the fall of 2022 (he replaced the German Domenico Tedesco).
Leverkusen returns to form
In the German championship standings, Willi Orban's teammates are overtaken by Bayer Leverkusen, winner on Saturday in Berlin on the Union pitch (2-1) thanks to a goal from Czech Patrik Schick in the last 20 minutes.
With three consecutive successes in all competitions, Leverkusen is perfectly preparing for its round of 16 of the Cup on Tuesday in Munich against Bayern.
England: Leicester sinks before the arrival of van Nistelrooy
Promoted Leicester suffered a fourth defeat in five Premier League matches on Saturday at Brentford (4-1), on the eve of Ruud van Nistelrooy, its new coach, taking office.
THE Foxes led 1-0 in the 21ste minute but they then lost their footing because of their defense, a real Achilles heel which never ceases to weigh them down.
Schade sees triple
They conceded three goals before halftime, then a fourth in the second half. Brentford's young German winger Kevin Schade scored a hat-trick despite having yet to score this season.
Faced with these defensive concerns, the appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy, a former prolific scorer with a thin coaching CV, has raised some eyebrows in England.
The 48-year-old Dutchman will lead the team for the first time on Tuesday against West Ham.
Leicester, sixteenth with ten points, is followed by three teams with nine points each: Ipwich (19e), beaten 1-0 by Nottingham, Wolverhampton (18e), defeated 4-2 by Bournemouth, and Crystal Palace (17e), who managed to equalize at 1-1 against Newcastle in added time. Southampton (20e), who snatched a draw on Friday at Brighton (1-1), brings up the rear with 5 points.
