European Football Wrap: Let the madness begin, The Ultimate killjoy

City keep title hopes alive with incredible comeback at Anfield

I thought the frenetic match had been largely disappointing, reflective of two sides struggling to rediscover their recent glory days. It had no chance of turning into a Premier League classic. Did it? Few could have anticipated the insanity of those last 15 minutes or so. Wait, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. City travelled to Anfield knowing that nothing less than a victory would really suffice as they attempted to reel Arsenal in (the Gunners had extended their Premier League lead to nine points with a routine 3-0 win at home to Sunderland). City probably had the better of a dour first half. But Liverpool’s press started to make some real inroads in the 2nd stanza, catching a visibly tiring City side out on a few occasions.

Let the madness begin

But we had to wait till the 74th minute for the breakthrough to come. But what a breakthrough it was. Dominic Szoboszlai, working off a minimal runup, hit one of the sweetest free-kicks you are ever likely to see. People like to throw the word ‘unsavable’ around: Spiderman couldn’t save that shot. It was eerily reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic free-kick against Portsmouth. The game then went into stasis as City struggled to mount a serious comeback. But City created something out of nothing, as Erling Haaland expertly headed the ball into the path of Bernardo Silva to equalize in the 84th minute. Cue utter pandemonium. Both sides went in search of a winner in some of the most gung-ho, end-to-end football you can imagine. Allison had a major rush of blood to the head, bringing down Mattheus Nunez in the box to give City a chance to take the lead. Haaland- who has been uncharacteristically erratic from the spot of late,- made no mistake this time, prompting scenes of pure bedlam. But the fun was just getting started. Alexis McAllister forced Donnarumma into a wordie of a save while Alt-Nouri blew a 1-on-1 opportunity.

The ultimate killjoy

But it’s the last few moments that will live in the footballing consciousness for some time to come. Allison went walkabouts in Liverpool’s desperate attempt to get back into the match. City dispossessed the Reds and launched the ball forward, creating a footrace between Erling Haaland and Szoboszlai. There was only ever going to be one winner and the Hungarian was forced to foul Haaland. Haaland then fouled Szoboszlai back before Cherki came in and touched the ball into the net. City felt like they had put the game beyond doubt, but VAR had other ideas, disallowing the goal due to Haaland’s infringement (even though Haaland would have certainly scored were it not for Szoboszlai’s involvement). It feels like one of those moments where VAR became the overly officious prefect that ruined everybody’s fun. Szoboszlai was sent off, but City had to survive one more Liverpool attack to secure all three points. And they did, completing their first league double over the Reds since the 1936/1937 season.

Bayern bounce back in emphatic style against Hoffenheim

For the first time in this year’s Bundesliga campaign, Bayern were under a bit of pressure. They looked nigh on invincible about a month ago, with many projecting them to threaten the record for biggest winning margin. But they blinked, dropping points in successive games while Niko Kovac’s Dortmund side dutifully took advantage. Dortmund turned the heat on once again this weekend, with in-form Guinean striker Serhou Guirassy grabbing a crucial late winner at Wolfsburg. The result meant that defeat against a resurgent Hoffenheim side would leave Dortmund (miraculously) just three points behind them. But Vincent Kompany’s side turned what was meant to be a nailbiter into a bit of a damp squib, romping home to an emphatic 5-1 victory. Harry Kane was Johnny-from-the-spot, converting two penalties won by Diaz theatrics. The Colombian winger was instrumental in every aspect of the game, netting his first Bundesliga treble to complement Kane’s brace.

Barcelona stroll to another comfy home victory

Barcelona had a chance to put some real pressure on Real Madrid with a Saturday home fixture against a struggling Real Mallorca side. Hansi Flick’s side duly obliged, sauntering to a 3-0 victory without getting out of first gear. Marcus Rashford- enjoying a rarified start- linked up well with Balde down that left-hand side and clearly intimidated Mallorca with his turn of pace. His excellent work led to Barca’s opener, which was slotted home with unerring coolness by Robert Lewandowski. Barca had a few nervy moments, with Kounde exposed for pace on a few occasions. But Joan Garcia dealt calmy with every situation, showing why he has been arguably the most transformational signing in La Liga this season. Lamine Yamal would finally nab Barca’s 2nd, scoring a long-range peach to register his 5th goal in five matches. 18-year-old Marc Bernal enjoyed an eye-catching late cameo, silkily finishing off another Barca move to make it 3-0 in the 83rd minute.

Real Madrid show commendable resolve to keep within striking distance of Barca

Los Blancos kept their La Liga dreams alive with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium. It marked Real’s 7th successive league win, pulling them back within one point of their storied rivals. And something about this win felt substantial. Real had some major selection issues going into this match, with Vini Jr (suspended) and Rodrygo and Bellingham (injured) joining a long list of absentees. Real dominated possession in the first half but struggled to create meaningful opportunities against Corberan’s well-oiled defence. And an inspired Stole Dimitrievski was there to bail Valencia out on the rare occasion where Real broke through. Los Blancos started to find more space in the 2nd stanza and would open the scoring through an unlikely source, as Alvaro Carreras managed to bulldoze his way past a few defenders before firing his right-footed shot into the net. Valencia threw caution to the wind in the closing stages of the match, pushing men into the box while making plenty of bold substitutions. Real held firm in the face of the Valenica avalanche and even had time to sew things up in stoppage time, as Brahim Diaz sneakily slipped Mbappe through to score his 38th goal of the season! Cup farce aside, Alvaro Arbreloa appears to be getting a tune out of this occasionally unruly Real mob.

Inter win in swaggering fashion

Cristian Chivu’s Inter were in sparkling form yesterday, thrashing Sassuolo 5-0 to temporarily move eight points clear of city rivals AC Milan (who still have a game in hand). Inter’s victory was a stunning advertisement for Chivu’s reinvention of the club, with ferocious high pressing and quick transitions the order of the day. Yann Bisseck gave Inter the lead in just the 11th minute, latching onto yet another exquisite Federico Dimarco delivery (the marauding left back would end the match with a hat-trick of assists). Marcus Thuram was the beneficiary of the 2nd of those assists, finishing from close range after a positively wicked Dimarco delivery. Lautaro Martinez then created history, squeezing the ball home with his left foot to become the joint 3rd highest goal scorer in the history of the club. Akanji put the finishing touches to some more Dimarco wizardry before Luis Henrique rounded up the scoring. It was a vicious statement of intent from a club moving in the right direction.

Napoli not going down without a fight

Elsewhere, Antonio Conte’s Napoli kept their flailing title defence alive with a dramatic 3-2 victory at Genoa. Danielle De Rossi’s resurgent side came out aggressively, taking the early lead through a Malinovskyi penalty. But Conte’s makeshift side showed plenty of character to swing the pendulum back in their favour, as Rasmus Hojlund equalized emphatically with his left foot in the 20th minute. Man for all seasons Scott McTominay completed the first-half comeback, catching Biljow unawares with a ferocious long-range effort. But Genoa refused to submit. The hosts, willed on by a rowdy Massari crowd, equalized in the 57th minute through a well-taken goal by Lorenzo Colombo. Napoli then lost the plot, as Juan Jesus was given a 2nd yellow to compound Napoli’s misery. But the Partenopei showed laudable grit and were awarded a penalty in the dying embers of the game. Hojlund stepped up and made no mistake, pulling Conte’s injury-ravaged side to within nine points of Chivu’s high-flying Inter.

Player of the Week- Luiz Diaz

Luiz Diaz, often overshadowed by Kane’s goal-scoring feats and Olise’s playmaking virtuosity, has been Bayern’s unsung attacking hero. He has been a force of nature since his arrival from Anfield, terrifying German defences with his no-nonsense, direct running. He was exceptional this weekend, netting his first Bundesliga hat-trick while earning both spot-kicks. Sure, you could accuse him of some amateur theatrics for the spot-kicks (particularly that 2nd one). But either way, Hoffenheim couldn’t live with him.