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Oops: Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. Michel Spingler/AP/Press Association Images
Round-Up

Eurostar: Mandanda throws away Marseille's perfect start

Join us for our weekly whistle-stop tour of the most important action from Europe’s top leagues. All aboard!

La Liga

THERE WAS LATE drama in Seville on Saturday night as Barcelona struck twice in the final minutes to rescue their 100% league record with a smash-and-grab 3-2 win.

Goals from Piotr Trochowski and Alvaro Negredo in either half gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before Cesc Fabregas got Barcelona back into the match in the 53rd minute.

Fabregas then found himself at the heart of controversy, first clashing with Gary Medel who was sent off in the 72nd minute and then popping up to equalise in the 89th minute.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, David Villa snatched a winner to temporarily open up an 11-point advantage over Real Madrid ahead of this weekend’s first clasico of the league season.

The double-digit margin was shortlived though as Madrid came from behind to beat Deportivo La Coruna 5-1. Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick, including a pair of penalties, with Angel di Maria and Pepe completing the haul.

Elsewhere it’s as you were for the league’s other unbeaten sides. Raul Garcia headed home the only goal of Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 win away to Espanyol while Malaga took full advantage of goalkeeper Casto’s early red card to beat Real Betis 4-0.

Goal of the week Alvaro Negredo gets the nod for this tidy dink to put Sevilla 2-0 up at home to Barcelona.

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Serie A

JUVENTUS WASTED NO time in continuing their high-flying start in Serie A, scoring three times in the opening 20 minutes of their 4-1 win at home to Roma on Saturday.

The champions are now unbeaten in the last 45 games in the league thanks to early goals from Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Alessandro Matri. Pablo Osvaldo gave Roma a lifeline from the penalty spot with 21 minutes to play but substitute Sebastian Giovinco put the game beyond any doubt with Juve’s fourth in stoppage time.

At the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Napoli checked the early-season momentum of Sampdoria with a 1-0 win. Edinson Cavani scored the game’s only goal, a penalty in the 67th minute, as the Azzurri rejoined Juventus on 16 points at the top of the table.

Goals from Diego Milito and Antonio Cassano gave Inter Milan a 2-1 win against Fiorentina in the San Siro, the first home win of the season for Andrea Stramaccioni’s side who have bounced back from a slow start to move up to third. They’re joined on 12 points by Lazio who beat Siena 2-1 thanks to goals from Ederson and Cristian Ledesma.

Goal of the week You may have seen it before but it’s definitely worth watching again. Fabrizio Miccoli scored a hat-trick in Palermo’s 4-1 win against Chievo with the third goal — a 50 yard volley — the pick of the bunch.

YouTube Credit: ShivDes710

Bundesliga

BAYERN MUNICH LEFT it late before shrugging off Werder Bremen 2-0 to continue their perfect start to the season. Luis Gustavo put the visitors in front in the 81st minute with a beautifully placed shot from the edge of the box before Croatian international Mario Mandzukic sealed the points with his sixth league goal of the season two minutes later.

Alexander Maier was the hero as Eintracht Frankfurt extended a remarkable start to their first season back in the top flight with a 2-1 win at home to Freiburg. Max Kruse threatened Frankfurt’s first defeat of the season when he put the visitors in front five minutes after the break but Maier struck twice in the space of five second-half minutes to make it five wins from six games.

At Signal Iduna Park, defending champions Borussia Dortmund put their patchy recent form behind them with a 5-0 thumping against Borussia Monchengladbach. Marco Reus scored twice against his former club with Neven Subotic, Ilkay Gundogan and Jakub Blaszczykowski adding the extras.

Goal of the week It took something special from Luis Gustavo to break the deadlock against Bremen and continue Bayern’s winning start to the season. Watch it here (from 3:10).

Ligue 1

LEAGUE LEADERS MARSEILLE cracked for the first time this season, going down 4-1 to mid-table Valenciennes. Elie Baup’s men had raced to the top of the table with six wins from six but came unstuck at the Stade Nungesser as goals from Gael Danic, Foued Kadir and a brace from familiar Premier League face Anthony Le Tallec gave the hosts an afternoon to remember.

On Saturday, Kevin Gameiro’s double gave Paris Saint-Germain an important 2-0 win at home to Sochaux, closing the gap on Marseille to three points ahead of the rivals’ meeting next weekend.

But there was disappointment for Lyon who suffered their first defeat of the season against another of the unbeaten sides, losing 2-0 at home to Bordeaux. Benoit Tremoulinas and Cheick Diabate scored in the second half as Bordeaux moved up to fifth in the table.

Goal of the week Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda wins this week’s award — but not in a good way. What on earth was he thinking?

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(All tables via ESPN)

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