Antoine Griezmann apologies to Atletico fans after his late penalty miss. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
BARCELONA COULD ONLY muster a 1-1 draw at Getafe on Saturday in La Liga as they were unable to recover ground on the top two in the Spanish title race.
Jules Kounde sent the visitors ahead early on but Mauro Arambarri levelled for Getafe in the first half and Barcelona could not break down Jose Bordalas’ well-drilled side.
The draw leaves the Catalans five points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who lost 1-0 at Leganes earlier in the day, but Hansi Flick’s side could not take advantage of it.
After a slump in the final weeks of 2024, Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup last week and then thumped Real Betis in the Copa del Rey, indicating they were back to their best.
However they dropped two points on the road in their first league match of 2025 as Getafe, 16th, scrapped their way to a hard-fought point.
Flick selected what has proven his strongest side in recent weeks to try and get a result at Getafe, against whom the Catalans failed to score on their previous four away visits.
The Blaugrana did not have to wait long to end that run, with Kounde finding the net in the ninth minute.
The French defender, who also scored in the Copa del Rey win against Real Betis in midweek, was cleverly fed by Pedri.
Although David Soria saved Kounde’s first effort, he was able to turn the rebound home.
However after that Barcelona came up against the same old struggles they have often faced at the Coliseum.
Getafe dug deep and did not allow striker Robert Lewandowski, La Liga’s top scorer, room to breathe.
The hosts pulled level after 34 minutes when Coba’s effort was parried by Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena, but Arambarri pounced to nudge home.
Barcelona had a chance to go back ahead before the break but Lewandowski headed Alejandro Balde’s ball across the face of goal, with Kounde and Ronald Araujo close to reaching it but unable to convert.
Getafe maintained their typically tight set-up after the break and Flick brought on Dani Olmo to try and unpick the lock.
Substitute Frenkie de Jong forced a diving save from Soria with a long-range effort as the Catalan giants pushed for victory.
Raphinha should have struck for Barcelona in the final minutes but hit the side netting from close range after Lamine Yamal found him with a swirling cross.
On Sunday Spanish and European champions Real Madrid, second, host Las Palmas, aiming to move top of La Liga.
Antoine Griezmann missed a late penalty as leaders Atletico stumbled to a shock 1-0 defeat at Leganes, ending a club record run of 15 consecutive victories.
Matija Nastasic nodded Leganes ahead early in the second half, with Griezmann dragging a poor penalty wide in the final stages to consign Atletico to a second defeat of the league season.
Diego Simeone’s side’s superb form towards the end of 2024 took them above rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona at the halfway point, but their poor display against Leganes opened the door to Spain’s big two.
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Real Madrid have the chance to move top of the table on Sunday when they host Las Palmas, while Barcelona can cut down the six-point gap on Atletico later Saturday at Getafe.
Madrid minnows Leganes, 15th, battled well in defence to keep Atletico at bay in the first half.
Rojiblancos striker Julian Alvarez hit the woodwork and had another effort blocked, while Griezmann struck the post.
At the other end, Juan Cruz threatened on a rare foray forward for the hosts but Jan Oblak reacted well to keep out his cross-shot.
Early in the second half, Serbian defender Nastasic nodded Leganes ahead and they protected their advantage without much stress until controversially conceding a penalty for a debatable handball by Sergio Gonzalez.
Griezmann took responsibility from the penalty spot but rolled his effort wide of the goal.
Substitute Angel Correa had a final chance to level for Atletico but Marko Dmitrovic bravely blocked his effort from close range to secure Leganes’ victory.
Napoli six points clear at the top of Serie A with the decisive goal in Saturday’s thrilling 3-2 win at title rivals Atalanta, as Juventus beat AC Milan 2-0 to move into the Champions League spots.
Belgium striker Lukaku nodded home his eighth Napoli goal from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s perfect cross in the 78th minute to give Antonio Conte’s team a statement win in Bergamo.
Matteo Politano and Scott McTominay also scored for Napoli who have 50 points and have made it clear that they are now the team to beat in this year’s title race.
Napoli are gunning for a second Scudetto in three seasons and await the response from champions and closest challengers Inter Milan — who also have a game in hand — against struggling Empoli on Sunday.
Lukaku also dealt a blow to Atalanta’s unprecedented title bid, as the provincial upstarts fell to their first defeat in Italy’s top flight since late September.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s team took the lead through Serie A’s leading scorer Mateo Retegui and looked on the way to a huge win once Ademola Lookman levelled the scores nine minutes after half-time.
But Atalanta are now seven points off the title pace in third after failing to win in four matches, with their previous three all drawn.
Atalanta also have Champions League football to contend with and face Sturm Graz and Barcelona in the next 10 days, while Napoli have no European distractions due to their disastrous title defence last season.
Goals in five second-half minutes from Samuel Mbangula and Timothy Weah gave Juventus a deserved win in Turin which pushed Thiago Motta’s side up to fourth, a point ahead of Lazio who are at Verona on Sunday.
Unbeaten Juve snapped a run of three straight draws which had taken their tally of league stalemates to 13, with Saturday’s win just their eighth in 21 fixtures in Italy’s top flight.
Substitute Weah emulated his father in the 64th minute by netting in a Juventus match with Milan 25 years after Ballon d’Or-winner George Weah did the same — for Milan against Juve.
“The boys are growing, match after match, and getting to the point that they can put in a performance like the one they did tonight,” said Motta.
“That’s because they all work really hard every day… today’s win is the reward.”
Milan stay eighth and are now six points from the top four, albeit with a game in hand at Bologna which was postponed due to flooding in October and is yet to be rescheduled.
Sergio Conceicao’s team had chances to open the scoring through Tijjani Reijnders and Rafael Leao in an entertaining first half but didn’t show up for the second period of a match full of incident.
The Portuguese called Milan’s collapse after the break “unjustifiable” and said that “when there’s no desire it’s very difficult for me”.
“I’m the one that has to turn this situation around,” added Conceicao.
Bundesliga
Leon Goretzka of Bayern celebrates his first goal. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
In Germany, Florian Wirtz scored twice as Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 on Saturday to stay four points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
Bayern had gone seven clear with a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg earlier on in the day, throwing down the gauntlet but Leverkusen were dominant and controlled, notching their 11th straight win in all competitions.
“We’re right in the middle of a title fight again — you can dream a little bit,” Wirtz told Sky Germany.
With 32 minutes gone, Leverkusen enforcer Granit Xhaka won the ball in midfield and fed Wirtz, who beat a defender and slotted calmly home.
When Leverkusen won a penalty for handball midway through the second half, the 21-year-old Wirtz stepped up and converted.
Patrik Schick latched onto a Wirtz pass to score Leverkusen’s third, his 12th goal in his past eight league games.
“I love playing against Gladbach,” said Wirtz who also scored a brace against Gladbach in August.
He now has nine goals and eight assists in 18 league games this season.
Gladbach’s Tim Kliendienst scored a consolation goal in stoppage time.
Having broken Bayern’s 11-year title streak last campaign, Leverkusen eliminated the Bavarians from the German Cup this season. The two sides meet in Leverkusen in mid-February.
The only negative for Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who travel to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League midweek, was the loss of Martin Terrier, who was taken from the field with what looked like a serious ankle injury.
Earlier on Saturday, Leon Goretzka scored twice in Bayern’s home win over Wolfsburg.
Goretzka, who has been revived under Bayern coach Vincent Kompany this season, cut a superb low shot across the goal to open the scoring 20 minutes in.
Wolfsburg hit back against the run of play with a simple Mohammed Amoura goal shortly afterwards.
The Bavarian giants wrestled back control of the game before half-time as Michael Olise, in the starting XI ahead of the recovering Jamal Musiala, finished off a fluent team move.
Goretzka then added his second on the 62-minute mark, heading in an Olise free-kick.
Amoura scored with two minutes left to give Wolfsburg hope, but the visitors were unable to break through and remain winless in 32 games against Bayern in Munich, 30 of which have been defeats.
“Leon worked hard and showed us in training that he’s hungry,” Kompany said. “That he’s playing well is a good story not just for Leon but for the team and the younger guys, who might be going through a difficult phase.”
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Napoli edge title thriller at Atalanta; leaders Atlético and Barca both slip up
LAST UPDATE | 18 Jan
La Liga
BARCELONA COULD ONLY muster a 1-1 draw at Getafe on Saturday in La Liga as they were unable to recover ground on the top two in the Spanish title race.
Jules Kounde sent the visitors ahead early on but Mauro Arambarri levelled for Getafe in the first half and Barcelona could not break down Jose Bordalas’ well-drilled side.
The draw leaves the Catalans five points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who lost 1-0 at Leganes earlier in the day, but Hansi Flick’s side could not take advantage of it.
After a slump in the final weeks of 2024, Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup last week and then thumped Real Betis in the Copa del Rey, indicating they were back to their best.
However they dropped two points on the road in their first league match of 2025 as Getafe, 16th, scrapped their way to a hard-fought point.
Flick selected what has proven his strongest side in recent weeks to try and get a result at Getafe, against whom the Catalans failed to score on their previous four away visits.
The Blaugrana did not have to wait long to end that run, with Kounde finding the net in the ninth minute.
The French defender, who also scored in the Copa del Rey win against Real Betis in midweek, was cleverly fed by Pedri.
Although David Soria saved Kounde’s first effort, he was able to turn the rebound home.
However after that Barcelona came up against the same old struggles they have often faced at the Coliseum.
Getafe dug deep and did not allow striker Robert Lewandowski, La Liga’s top scorer, room to breathe.
The hosts pulled level after 34 minutes when Coba’s effort was parried by Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena, but Arambarri pounced to nudge home.
Barcelona had a chance to go back ahead before the break but Lewandowski headed Alejandro Balde’s ball across the face of goal, with Kounde and Ronald Araujo close to reaching it but unable to convert.
Getafe maintained their typically tight set-up after the break and Flick brought on Dani Olmo to try and unpick the lock.
Substitute Frenkie de Jong forced a diving save from Soria with a long-range effort as the Catalan giants pushed for victory.
Raphinha should have struck for Barcelona in the final minutes but hit the side netting from close range after Lamine Yamal found him with a swirling cross.
On Sunday Spanish and European champions Real Madrid, second, host Las Palmas, aiming to move top of La Liga.
Antoine Griezmann missed a late penalty as leaders Atletico stumbled to a shock 1-0 defeat at Leganes, ending a club record run of 15 consecutive victories.
Matija Nastasic nodded Leganes ahead early in the second half, with Griezmann dragging a poor penalty wide in the final stages to consign Atletico to a second defeat of the league season.
Diego Simeone’s side’s superb form towards the end of 2024 took them above rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona at the halfway point, but their poor display against Leganes opened the door to Spain’s big two.
Real Madrid have the chance to move top of the table on Sunday when they host Las Palmas, while Barcelona can cut down the six-point gap on Atletico later Saturday at Getafe.
Madrid minnows Leganes, 15th, battled well in defence to keep Atletico at bay in the first half.
Rojiblancos striker Julian Alvarez hit the woodwork and had another effort blocked, while Griezmann struck the post.
At the other end, Juan Cruz threatened on a rare foray forward for the hosts but Jan Oblak reacted well to keep out his cross-shot.
Early in the second half, Serbian defender Nastasic nodded Leganes ahead and they protected their advantage without much stress until controversially conceding a penalty for a debatable handball by Sergio Gonzalez.
Griezmann took responsibility from the penalty spot but rolled his effort wide of the goal.
Substitute Angel Correa had a final chance to level for Atletico but Marko Dmitrovic bravely blocked his effort from close range to secure Leganes’ victory.
Serie A
Napoli six points clear at the top of Serie A with the decisive goal in Saturday’s thrilling 3-2 win at title rivals Atalanta, as Juventus beat AC Milan 2-0 to move into the Champions League spots.
Belgium striker Lukaku nodded home his eighth Napoli goal from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s perfect cross in the 78th minute to give Antonio Conte’s team a statement win in Bergamo.
Matteo Politano and Scott McTominay also scored for Napoli who have 50 points and have made it clear that they are now the team to beat in this year’s title race.
Napoli are gunning for a second Scudetto in three seasons and await the response from champions and closest challengers Inter Milan — who also have a game in hand — against struggling Empoli on Sunday.
Lukaku also dealt a blow to Atalanta’s unprecedented title bid, as the provincial upstarts fell to their first defeat in Italy’s top flight since late September.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s team took the lead through Serie A’s leading scorer Mateo Retegui and looked on the way to a huge win once Ademola Lookman levelled the scores nine minutes after half-time.
But Atalanta are now seven points off the title pace in third after failing to win in four matches, with their previous three all drawn.
Atalanta also have Champions League football to contend with and face Sturm Graz and Barcelona in the next 10 days, while Napoli have no European distractions due to their disastrous title defence last season.
Goals in five second-half minutes from Samuel Mbangula and Timothy Weah gave Juventus a deserved win in Turin which pushed Thiago Motta’s side up to fourth, a point ahead of Lazio who are at Verona on Sunday.
Unbeaten Juve snapped a run of three straight draws which had taken their tally of league stalemates to 13, with Saturday’s win just their eighth in 21 fixtures in Italy’s top flight.
Substitute Weah emulated his father in the 64th minute by netting in a Juventus match with Milan 25 years after Ballon d’Or-winner George Weah did the same — for Milan against Juve.
“The boys are growing, match after match, and getting to the point that they can put in a performance like the one they did tonight,” said Motta.
“That’s because they all work really hard every day… today’s win is the reward.”
Milan stay eighth and are now six points from the top four, albeit with a game in hand at Bologna which was postponed due to flooding in October and is yet to be rescheduled.
Sergio Conceicao’s team had chances to open the scoring through Tijjani Reijnders and Rafael Leao in an entertaining first half but didn’t show up for the second period of a match full of incident.
The Portuguese called Milan’s collapse after the break “unjustifiable” and said that “when there’s no desire it’s very difficult for me”.
“I’m the one that has to turn this situation around,” added Conceicao.
Bundesliga
In Germany, Florian Wirtz scored twice as Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 on Saturday to stay four points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
Bayern had gone seven clear with a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg earlier on in the day, throwing down the gauntlet but Leverkusen were dominant and controlled, notching their 11th straight win in all competitions.
“We’re right in the middle of a title fight again — you can dream a little bit,” Wirtz told Sky Germany.
With 32 minutes gone, Leverkusen enforcer Granit Xhaka won the ball in midfield and fed Wirtz, who beat a defender and slotted calmly home.
When Leverkusen won a penalty for handball midway through the second half, the 21-year-old Wirtz stepped up and converted.
Patrik Schick latched onto a Wirtz pass to score Leverkusen’s third, his 12th goal in his past eight league games.
“I love playing against Gladbach,” said Wirtz who also scored a brace against Gladbach in August.
He now has nine goals and eight assists in 18 league games this season.
Gladbach’s Tim Kliendienst scored a consolation goal in stoppage time.
Having broken Bayern’s 11-year title streak last campaign, Leverkusen eliminated the Bavarians from the German Cup this season. The two sides meet in Leverkusen in mid-February.
The only negative for Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who travel to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League midweek, was the loss of Martin Terrier, who was taken from the field with what looked like a serious ankle injury.
Earlier on Saturday, Leon Goretzka scored twice in Bayern’s home win over Wolfsburg.
Goretzka, who has been revived under Bayern coach Vincent Kompany this season, cut a superb low shot across the goal to open the scoring 20 minutes in.
Wolfsburg hit back against the run of play with a simple Mohammed Amoura goal shortly afterwards.
The Bavarian giants wrestled back control of the game before half-time as Michael Olise, in the starting XI ahead of the recovering Jamal Musiala, finished off a fluent team move.
Goretzka then added his second on the 62-minute mark, heading in an Olise free-kick.
Amoura scored with two minutes left to give Wolfsburg hope, but the visitors were unable to break through and remain winless in 32 games against Bayern in Munich, 30 of which have been defeats.
“Leon worked hard and showed us in training that he’s hungry,” Kompany said. “That he’s playing well is a good story not just for Leon but for the team and the younger guys, who might be going through a difficult phase.”
– © AFP 2025
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