Lionel Messi is banging in shape in the new year, Schalke avoided matching Bundesliga records for the biggest games in a row and there was no big loss for Bayern Munich.
AFP Sport covers some of the main talking points from across the continent:
– Messi means business –
Lionel Messi looks like a man on a mission in early 2021 and what could be his last six months as a player in Barcelona. On Saturday he scored twice – including straight from a free kick, one of his late specialists – in a 4-0 win at Granada. That followed a double blow and two blows off the post in Athletic Bilbao’s 3-2 midweek victory.
By then he had provided support for Huesca’s Frenkie de Jong winner, and Barcelona have won three out of three since the start of the year, and Messi is now La Liga’s top scorer. It may not be too late for Ronald Koeman ‘s side to challenge for the title: they are in third place, four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, although they have played three more games.
– New hoppe for Schalke –
Matthew Hoppe is the latest young American to break through in the Bundesliga and is already a hero to Schalke fans. The 19-year-old, who was born in California and made his debut in November, had never scored a high goal before completing a hat-trick – the first ever for an American in the world. ‘Bundesliga – in a 4-0 loss to Hoffenheim which saved the Royal Blues from drawing an unwanted record.
Their first win since January 17 last year, after 30 games without a draw, prevented them from matching Tasmania Berlin’s prestigious German record of 31 games without a win established in 1965/66. Hoppe has given hope to an entire club, and suddenly Schalke has a new reason for hope as they try to beat the relegation. They’re off the bottom, above Mainz, but they’re still in the relegation zone.
– Live title race as Bayern comes non – stop
Bayern Munich had started to look a little more careless on a run of eight straight Bundesliga games in which they had accepted the opening goal. But they had won five and drawn three of those games. Then on Friday they were 2-0 up away to Borussia Moenchengladbach only to lose 3-2, just their second loss in the Bundesliga since losing at the same ground in December 2019.
This is a result that keeps the Bundesliga title race very much alive, although the Hansi Flick team has a series of games available and they are still at the top, two clear points from RB Leipzig, who lost 3-1 at home to Borussia Dortmund, for whom they beat Erling Braut Haaland twice. Bayer Leverkusen are in third place four points off the top after a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen.
– Milan unbeaten by Juve loss –
Three days after a 3-1 home loss to the managing champions Juventus that ended a 27-game unbeaten run in Serie A stretching back to June, AC Milan kicked back to beat Torino 2-0 at San Siro. With city rivals in second place Inter draw at Roma, Milan are now three points clear at the top of the table, and are seven ahead of Juventus, who are in fourth place but have a game in hand. .
Further good news for Milan came when veteran top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned as a late substitute for his first appearance from November 22 after an injury. The Swede came on for Rafael Leao, who had scored his third goal in five games. Can Zlatan fire the Rossoneri to their first Scudetto since 2011?
– Lyon’s premier route in France –
Mauricio Pochettino made his debut as Paris Saint-Germain coach, a 3-0 loss to Brest, but Lyon led halfway through the Ligue 1 season. They claimed the symbolic title of autumn champions from after returning from a 2-0 down to a 2-2 draw at Rennes on Saturday with Memphis Depay scoring one good goal before establishing a Jason Denayer draw.
Rudi Garcia’s side are unbeaten in 16 games although both PSG and Lille are just a point behind, and there is a long way to go. It’s critical that Depay stays to see out the rest of his contract rather than leave this month.