Robert Lewandowski and Pablo Torre each scored twice to help leaders Barcelona thrash visitors Sevilla 5-1 in La Liga on Sunday.
Barça were dominant throughout the encounter at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium and effectively killed off the game with three goals in 15 first-half minutes starting with a Lewandowski penalty after Raphinha was fouled in the 24th minute. Pedri fired a bullet strike from the edge of the box into the top corner to double their lead and Lewandowski slotted a first-time effort from close range to net the third for the Catalan side.
Torre climbed off the bench to score the fourth with a shot from inside the box in the 82nd minute and, right after Stanis Idumbo netted a consolation for Sevilla in the 87th, he wrapped up the scoring with a free kick into the far corner. Barcelona are on top of the table on 27 points, three ahead Real Madrid in second and seven clear of Atlético Madrid, who beat Leganes 3-1 earlier in the day, in third.
Alexander Sørloth scored twice in the second half as Atléti, winless in their previous three games in all competitions, fought back to win. Yvan Neyou gave Leganes the lead in the 34th minute with a superb strike into the top corner. Sørloth equalised with a cheeky back-heel in the 69th minute before Antoine Griezmann cleverly chipped a cross past the goalkeeper into the back of the net 11 minutes later, with Sørloth wrapping up the win with a close-range strike from a rebound deep in added time.
In Italy, Napoli came away from Empoli with all three points on Sunday, but the Serie A leaders struggled against stubborn opponents, and the manager, Antonio Conte, was content to get the win after a disappointing opening 45 minutes.
A second-half penalty by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia earned a 1-0 win, but Napoli could easily have trailed at the break as they failed to get going. “In the first half we were spectators, I didn’t see what we had prepared and I saw a lot of nervousness,” Conte told reporters.
Inter secured a 1-0 victory at Roma, courtesy of a second-half goal from Lautaro Martínez in a tightly contested match. Despite several opportunities to break the deadlock in the first half, Inter suffered injury setbacks as both Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi were forced to leave the field early on. Martínez made the breakthrough on the hour mark, controlling the ball on the edge of the area before firing it into the net. Inter are second in the table with 17 points, two behind leaders Napoli, while Roma are 10th.
The French league has condemned homophobic chants by some Paris Saint-Germain fans during the club’s home win against Strasbourg on Saturday.
PSG are playing their bitter rivals next Sunday in Marseille and the offensive slurs were made about the club and the midfielder Adrien Rabiot. He is a former PSG player who made more than 200 appearances for the club from 2012-19 and his move to Marseille is regarded as a betrayal.
“These latest discriminatory chants made by Paris Saint-Germain supporters are unacceptable when, at the same time, the whole of professional football has been working to ban homophobic behaviour and chants from stadiums,” the league, known as LFP, said in a statement.
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While the chanting was happening, the stadium announcer at Parc des Princes twice asked for the chants to stop and was jeered. The LFP said its disciplinary committee would look into evidence.
PSG fans are banned from attending next Sunday’s game for security reasons, with a history of clashes between rival supporters.
A Stockholm derby that could decide the Swedish league’s title race was suspended in the second half Sunday after Djurgården supporters threw multiple fireworks on to the field. The game between Hammarby and Djurgården is set to resume on Monday afternoon without fans after police ruled that the game organisers could not guarantee public safety if play was restarted. Hammarby is second in the league table and was leading 2-0 in a game where a draw would hand rival Malmö the title with three rounds to spare. Djurgården is tied on points with Hammarby but behind on goal difference, and a win would give either team a mathematical chance to overtake Malmö.
Source: theguardian.com
