There are few better ways to spend a Saturday than with a spread of football across Europe’s premier leagues, and this weekend delivers exactly that.
The standout fixture of the day comes from the Bundesliga, where Bayer Leverkusen welcome Bayern Munich to the BayArena in a clash that could have significant implications in the title race.
Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, host Augsburg as Niko Kovac’s side look to maintain their pressure on the Bavarians.
Italian football provides the evening’s bookends. Inter Milan took on an Atalanta side who have made a habit of disrupting the established order this season. And in Naples, Antonio Conte’s Napoli – among the Scudetto contenders – face a Lecce side for whom every point between now and May could prove vital in the battle to beat the drop.
Catch up with the best of the action right here on 101GreatGoals.
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Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Bayern Munich
A fiery Bundesliga encounter between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich ended all square, with drama the overwhelming theme of the afternoon in Germany.
Leverkusen drew first blood in the sixth minute when Aleix Garcia smashed a deflected effort past Sven Ulreich after Montrell Culbreath dispossessed Luis Diaz deep in Bayern’s half.
The visitors struggled to find a response, with a Jonathan Tah effort chalked off for handball by VAR shortly before the break – the same review system that also sent Nicolas Jackson off for a reckless challenge on Martin Terrier.
Harry Kane was introduced at the hour mark and Bayern’s fortunes quickly shifted. Diaz, who had earlier missed a glorious chance, made amends on 69 minutes, slotting coolly past Blaswich.
However, the Colombian was then dismissed for simulation, and a third disallowed goal in stoppage time condemned both sides to a share of the spoils.
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Augsburg
Borussia Dortmund made light work of Augsburg at Signal Iduna Park, with a controlled performance yielding a comfortable three points.
Karim Adeyemi broke the deadlock on 13 minutes, finishing smartly into the top left corner from the centre of the box. Dortmund were dominant throughout the first half, hitting the woodwork twice through Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier in quick succession, and Finn Dahmen in the Augsburg goal was kept busy with a string of corners and saves.
The second goal arrived on 59 minutes, when defender Luca Reggiani got on the end of a Julian Ryerson cross from a corner to head home at the back post and put the result beyond doubt. Augsburg offered little in response, with Rodrigo Ribeiro caught offside on multiple occasions and their efforts from range failing to seriously trouble Gregor Kobel.
Inter Milan 1-1 Atalanta
Inter Milan dropped two costly points in the Serie A title race as a late Nikola Krstovic equaliser earned Atalanta a share of the spoils at the San Siro.
The hosts had looked on course for a comfortable afternoon when Francesco Pio Esposito finished coolly after being found by Nicolo Barella inside the area on 26 minutes.
Inter dominated thereafter but were wasteful in front of goal, with Marcus Thuram spurning a string of chances, most notably when Marco Carnesecchi raced from his line to deny the Frenchman one-on-one with the goal gaping.
That profligacy proved expensive. Eight minutes from time, substitute Krstovic pounced on a rebound after Yann Sommer had saved from Kamaldeen Sulemana to level the scores.
Inter were furious, claiming Denzel Dumfries had been fouled in the build-up, but VAR allowed the goal to stand. Manager Cristian Chivu’s protests earned him a red card from the touchline.
Napoli 2-1 Lecce
Napoli came from behind to claim all three points, though Antonio Conte’s side were made to work hard by a resolute Lecce outfit.
The visitors stunned the Maradona Stadium inside three minutes, Jamil Siebert glancing Antonino Gallo’s corner into the top right corner. Lecce were good value for their lead, with Napoli failing to register a single shot on target before the break.
The hosts were transformed after the interval. Seconds into the second half, Billy Gilmour split the Lecce defence to release Matteo Politano, whose cross was tapped home by Rasmus Hojlund from close range.
Napoli’s momentum carried them in front on 67 minutes. Kevin De Bruyne’s corner was flicked on and fell perfectly for Politano at the back post, who volleyed past Falcone with his left foot.
Lecce were reduced to ten men late on when Banda was carried off injured, and Napoli held on to move within a point of second-placed Milan.
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Getafe
Nahuel Molina’s stunning early strike was enough to give Atletico Madrid a narrow win over stubborn Getafe at the Metropolitano.
The Argentine fired into the top right corner from outside the box on eight minutes, an effort with an xG of just 0.01. Alexander Sorloth came close to doubling the lead shortly before half-time, rattling the right post from a Baena cross.
Getafe were reduced to ten men on 54 minutes when Abdel Abqar was shown a red card for violent conduct following a VAR review, which should have made life easier for the hosts.
Diego Simeone’s side piled on the pressure but could not find a second, with David Soria making a string of saves to keep the score respectable.
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