Mandzukic secured another win for Atletico against Getafe 1-0

Result: Mario Mandzukic goal enough for Atletico Madrid to beat Getafe

Tweet By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter Filed: Sunday, October 26, 2014 at 21:51 UK Last Updated: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at 13:29 UK 

A solitary Mario Mandzukic goal has proved enough for Atletico Madrid to secure a 1-0 away win at Getafe in this evening's La Liga game at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, the Colchoneros moving to within two points of leaders Barcelona and Sevilla. 

The game began in untidy fashion, with the first chance coming in the ninth minute when Juanfran's cross into the box was teed up by Mandzukic for Mario Suarez, but the shot flew wide of the target. 

Moments later, Medhi Lacen met a loose ball on the edge of the Atletico box, but the Getafe man's effort also whistled wide of the post. Both sides continued trading half-chances throughout most of the first half, with the hosts performing admirably against the Spanish champions. 

 However, just when it seemed like it would be level at the break, Atletico broke the deadlock when Arda Turan's saved effort was met on the rebound by Mandzukic. 

Getafe were quick out of the starting blocks in the second half, with Sergio Escudero and Angel Lafita forcing saves out of Miguel Moya in quick succession. Alexis was then sent off for the home side after clashing with Mandzukic just before the hour, which prompted a scuffle on the pitch between the players.

 Lafita then came close again for the hosts in the 65th minute when his effort was palmed away by Moya, with the game becoming increasingly scrappy and foul-laden. For all of Getafe's endeavours, Diego Simeone's charges were able to repel the multitude of attacks that came their way and hold on for all three valuable points in the title race.

Gourcuff goal lifts Lyon, ends Marseille winning streak 1-0

Lyon victory ends Marseille's eight-match winning streak

Lyon ended Marseille's eight-match winning run in Ligue 1 with a 1-0 triumph at the Stade de Gerland on Sunday night.

Yoann Gourcuff's 64th-minute strike against the run of play was enough to steer Les Gones to victory over the league leaders.

l'OM, who have won eight of their first 11 matches, are four points clear of second-placed Paris St Germain at the top but Lyon are now up to third and five points off first place themselves.

Lyon made a positive start and Gourcuff looked to test the Marseille defence early on with a couple of dangerous deliveries from free-kicks, but Marcelo Bielsa's team stood firm before Christophe Jallet found himself in a shooting position only to fire over.

However, it was Marseille who went closest to scoring early on with their first real chance but Andre Ayew's curling effort from the edge of the area was matched by Anthony Lopes' diving save.

Then, Benjamin Mendy found himself free on the right but Florian Thauvin was unable to capitalise on his delivery to the back post, volleying wide of Lopes' goal.

Despite dominating possession, Lyon were struggling to create chances and it was l'OM who went close again after the restart but Andre-Pierre Gignac saw his stinging effort turned away once again by Lopes.

The visitors continued to knock on the door and next up Mendy went even closer to beating Lopes but his side-footed effort from 16 yards came back off the post before Gignac fired wide of the target on the follow up.

Lopes was called upon again, this time pulling off his best save of the evening to deny Ayew after Thauvin had superbly picked out the Ghanaian before Lyon took the lead against the run of play.

Alexandre Lacazette was the provider and his pass found Gourcuff who burst into the box before coming back on to his left foot and powering an emphatic shot beyond a sea of bodies to give the host an undeserved advantage on 64 minutes.

Bielsa's men tried to offer an instant response but, when Thauvin picked out Ayew from a corner the latter could only fire wide with a first-time header.

As the clock ticked away it was Lyon who looked the more likely to get a second, with Lacazette going close after a powerful run but his shot was gathered low down by Steve Mandanda at the second attempt.

Substitute Clinton N'Jie was the next to test Mandanda, this time in stoppage time, but in the end it was the hosts who secured all three points.

Counter attacking Real Madrid dominates Barcelona in El Clasico 3-1

Real boss Barça to take Clásico

The first Clásicoof the 2014-15 La Liga season belongs to Real Madrid as Los Blancos earned a scintillating comeback 3-1 victoryover Barcelonaon Saturday evening at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.

Neymar tallied early for the visitors but a first half penalty conversion from Cristiano Ronaldo and second half goals by Pepe and Karim Benzema handed Barcelona their first league defeat of the season. It was also the first time since 1988 that Barcelona failed to defeat Real after having scored the first goal.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti reverted back to his 4-4-2 in light of Gareth Bale's injury so it was Benzema and Ronaldo up top with James and Isco flanked out wide and Luka Modric and Toni Kroos slotted into the midfield. In defense goalkeeper Iker Casillas was protected by a back four of Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Pepe and Marcelo.

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique caught many by surprise by putting new arrival Luis Suárez into his starting XI. The Uruguayan, who had yet to even play an official match this season due to his ban, started up top with Lionel Messi and Neymar. It was a familiar trio in the center of the pitch with Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets and in the back Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué, Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu lined up in front of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Barcelona quieted the Bernabéu crowd early on as Neymar struck in the fourth minute to give the Catalonians a 1-0 lead. Suárez showed no rust in catapulting a perfect ball across to Neymar on the left and the Brazilian took the ball back across the middle and was left enough room to fire off a shot that beat Casillas.

Undeterred, Real started applying the pressure as Los Blancos started peppering the Barcelona area, including a stupefying 10 second sequence in the 11th minute when Benzema hit the crossbar with a header and then his follow up effort rang off the post. Yet Barcelona were able to sustain Real's heavy punches without being breached and then came inches away from making it a two-goal lead in the 23rd minute, only for Messi's close-range shot to be tipped wide by Casillas off another stellar Suárez pass.

For the first time this season Barcelona allowed a goal as Ronaldo converted a penalty in the 34th minute after Piqué was whistled for a handball while sliding to block a Marcelo pass in the area. The Portuguese superstar easily converted the spot kick to level the score at 1-1 in what was the first goal allowed by Bravo in 754 minutes.

While defending set pieces have been Real's bugaboo in recent seasons, the same could be said for Barcelona and it was from a deal ball situation where Real took a 2-1 lead in the 50th minute. A Kroos corner kick was curled in and Pepe peeled away just enough to thump a header between Bravo and the near post to put Ancelotti's men ahead.

An atrocious error from Barcelona led to Real striking for a third goal just after the hour mark as miscommunication at the touch line between Iniesta and Mascherano allowed Isco to swoop in to steal the ball and start a Real break. It eventually ended with James feeding Benzema and the Frenchman rocketed a shot past Bravo and suddenly Real were ahead 3-1.

Meanwhile, it was tough going in attack for Luis Enrique's men as Messi and Neymar were virtually nonexistent in the second stanza and Suárez lacked a finishing touch on any ball played into him. Barcelona had the bulk of possession, but did very little with it, to the credit of the Real defense, especially fullbacks Carvajal and Marcelo who were tremendous. 

Their efforts allowed Real to sit back and then play their lethal counter, which posed a threat every time down the field.

Real did well to close out the game in full control by staying tight and compact in defense and allowing Barcelona few looks at goal. The victory pushes Real up the table to second and just a single point behind Barcelona.

Real return to action on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey versus Cornella while Barcelona will face Celta in league action next Saturday.

SC Paderborn wins again, scores a come from behind win over Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1

PADERBORN COMEBACK TO SNATCH VICTORY OVER FRANKFURT

Paderborn - SC Paderborn 07 came from a goal behind to pick up their third win of the season, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 at the Benteler Arena in Matchday 8’s final encounter.

Following a quiet first half, Alexander Meier struck first for the Eagles, who failed to seize on the chance to move into the top three as late goals from Marvin Ducksch, captain Uwe Hünemeier and Stefan Kutschke saw plucky Paderborn snatch all three points.

Slow out of the blocks

Keen to assert themselves in the opening exchanges of the encounter, Paderborn were quick to establish their punishing pressing game against a Frankfurt line-up who seemed flat-footed in the face of their hosts’ approach. Chances were few and far between though, with only an unfortunate bobble preventing Elias Kachunga tapping home from Süleyman Koc’s drilled cross. 

It was the only chance of note in a turgid first half hour of proceedings. Eintracht were offering little or no threat in the final third - Takashi Inui’s wayward shot from range their only effort on goal before the break - while Paderborn couldn’t produce the all-important delivery to unlock the visitors’ rigid backline. 

Alexander the great

Patrick Ziegler’s curling effort from the edge of the area on the cusp of half-time came closest to flipping the script, but with the sides locked in a stalemate following a less than enterprising first 45 minutes, both will have been grateful for a chance to regroup.

Though neither outfit entered the fray with renewed vigour after the restart, Frankfurt’s tactical tweaks soon began exposing Paderborn’s vulnerability on the counter. The improvement in performance duly delivered the opening goal as Inui’s drilled cross picked out Meier, whose side-footed effort cannoned in off the post shortly before the stroke of the hour. 

Paderborn punish Eagles

It was the moment that sparked the game into life as Andre Breitenreiter’s charges threw caution to the wind on the back of the Paderborn head coach making two attacking changes, which produced immediate results. Stefan Kutschke and Ducksch combined to great effect moments after coming off the bench, as the latter smashed a superb volley across goal and inside the far post.

Though Inui and Haris Seferovic both came within a whisker of restoring Frankfurt’s lead, the momentum had well and truly shifted in favour of the hosts, who were unrelenting in cranking up the pressure. As a result, Hünemeier swept home Mario Vrancic’s clever delivery with just over ten minutes left to play, before Kutschke rounded Felix Wiedwald to complete the comeback, moving Paderborn above their opponents in the Bundesliga standings. 

Giancarlo Gonzales saves the day for Palermo against Cesena 2-1

Palermo 2-1 Cesena

Palermo picked up their first win back in Serie A to ease the pressure on their coach Giuseppe Iachini, although they left it late to beat 10-man Cesena 2-1.

Pauli Dybala put the Rosaneri in front after 33 minutes, but substitute Alejandro Rodriguez levelled from the penalty spot on the hour mark.

Manuel Coppola was given his marching orders for a second yellow card with 10 minutes to go and Cesena were unable to hold on to a point as Costa Rica defender Giancarlo Gonzalez headed in Palermo's winner in the second minute of stoppage time.

Dybala showed his threat early on with a free-kick which he curled onto the top of the crossbar and it was no surprise that he put the Sicilian side in front with a powerful shot on the turn in the 33rd minute, beating Nicola Leali.

Dybala continued to keep the Cesena defence busy, leading to their coach Pierpaolo Bisoli making a bold change early in the second half with Rodriguez brought on to replace defender Gabriele Perico.

Within minutes, Rodriguez came close to bringing an attack-minded Cesena level but Stefano Sorrentino denied him, giving away a corner.

From the cross into the area, a foul was spotted among a group of players by the referee, who awarded the visitors a penalty.

Rodriguez beat Sorrentino from the spot to bring Cesena level.

Franco Vazquez hit the post minutes later with Leali well beaten before Coppola picked up his second yellow card, having already been warned a few times by the referee.

Not only did Cesena have 10 minutes of normal time to survive, they also had to hold firm for the three minutes of stoppage time - but the latter proved too difficult for them.

It was Dybala who sent in a corner from the right which Gonzalez rose to meet with a header from five yards out, beating Leali and sending the Stadio Renzo Barbera wild with joy at Palermo's first win of the season.

Cagliari came from behind to draw with Sampdoria

Cagliari 2-2 Sampdoria

Cagliari came from two goals behind to grab a point against Sampdoria, who ended the game with only 10 men.

Manolo Gabbiadini and Pedro Obiang had Sampdoria on course for their fifth win of the season, but a red card to Fabrizio Cacciatore and a penalty just shy of the hour mark proved to be the turning point in the game.

Danilo Avelar converted from the spot before Marco Sau earned Zdenek Zeman's men a point.

In spite of the perhaps controversial way in which Cagliari got back into the game, they were worthy of the point if only for the performance of Victor Ibarbo.

The Colombian giant proved to be a constant thorn in the side of the Samp defenders, heading just wide in the 26th minute.

Minutes later, Gabbiadini met Angelo Palombo's chipped free-kick with his outstretched leg to turn the ball past Michael Agazzi and put Samp in front against the run of play.

Obiang then doubled their lead, holding off his marker before shooting to the right of Agazzi from just over 20 yards out.

Zeman clearly found some harsh words for his team during the interval as the lethargic Cagliari side from the first half made way for a more passionate one in the second.

They might have had no chance to recover had Gabbiadini's effort gone in rather than hit the post in the 50th minute, but they were given a helping hand seven minutes later when Ibarbo burst into the penalty area and went to ground.

Cacciatore appeared to have made contact with the ball but the tackle was from behind and the referee pointed to the spot, producing a second yellow card for the Samp defender.

Avelar lifted his spot-kick high into the top right-hand corner to give the Sardinians hope.

Francesco Pisano had a shot saved well by Sergio Romero, in goal for the injured Emiliano Viviano, as Cagliari launched attack after attack, finding an equaliser in the 77th minute when Sau shifted Avelar's pass onto his right foot before sweeping the ball low past Romero.

Cagliari had a late goal disallowed for a foul as Samp just managed to hold on to a point.

Olympique Marseille continues its winning run, beats Toulouse 2-0

Gignac nets again as Marseille beats Toulouse 2-0

PARIS (AP) — Striker Andre-Pierre Gignac scored his 10th league goal in as many games as league leader Marseille beat Toulouse 2-0 on Sunday to secure an eighth straight win and stay seven points ahead of bitter rival Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux.

Gignac, who struggled with weight problems when he joined Marseille four years ago, is thriving under new coach Marcelo Bielsa's strict, disciplinarian approach.After center half Nicolas Nkoulou put Marseille ahead in the 21st minute with an effort that appeared to come off the top of his shoulder, Gignac made it 11 in 11 for club and country when he finished off a fine one-touch passing move in the 36th.

"We worked ferociously hard for four days during the week and the efforts paid off," said Gignac, who says he is five kilograms lighter than he was last season, when Marseille was regularly jeered by its home fans and finished in sixth place — a massive 29 points behind champion PSG.

"Everyone knows that last year we suffered and so we're savoring things this season," Gignac said. "Everything's in place for us to have a good season, we're sticking together, the team's playing well. But we musn't get carried away."

Bordeaux missed the chance to leapfrog PSG and move into outright second place when it drew 1-1 at home to lowly Caen.

Marseille has 25 points after 10 rounds, with PSG leading Bordeaux on goal difference.Mali forward Cheick Diabate put Bordeaux ahead from the penalty spot midway through the first half, but striker Herve Bazile equalized in the 77th.

Meanwhile, midfielder Yoann Gourcuff scored twice as Lyon beat Montpellier 5-1 to make it six games unbeaten and climb up to fourth place, one point behind PSG and Bordeaux.

Midfielders Nabil Fekir and Steed Malbranque and striker Alexandre Lacazette also scored, while defender Siaka Tiene pulled a goal back for mid-table Montpellier.

The Argentine coach Bielsa has transformed Marseille, which equaled its record for successive wins in front of a club record 62,000 home fans at Stade Velodrome.

The only tricky moment for Bielsa came when, as he went to sit down on a drinks cooler near the touchline, he inadvertently sat on a small cup of coffee that one of his assistants had placed there seconds earlier."Equaling this record makes me very proud," Bielsa said. "We were excellent in the first half and the second half was more even. I'm very happy with the job we did and most of the team played at a very high level.

"I couldn't even drink it, which is a pity," Bielsa joked after the game.

Marseille, however, was indebted to goalkeeper Steve Mandanda early on, after he made a superb reflex save to tip forward Denis Braithwaite's shot onto the crossbar.

Nkoulou settled the nerves when he turned in a free kick from Dimitri Payet who, like Gignac, returned to the France team last week for a match away at Armenia in which Gignac scored one and set up two in a 3-0 win.

"Marseille deserved to win," Toulouse coach Alain Casanova said. "Unfortunately we couldn't take our chances."After a flowing Marseille move, Gignac timed his run well to turn a cross from Benjamin Mendy past goalkeeper Zacharie Boucher.

Marseille will try and set a new club record for consecutive wins when it travels to play Lyon next Sunday.

"Lyon is very good at home," Gignac said. "But I'm sure the coach will put a plan into place."

PSG beat Lens 3-1 on Friday.

Atletico back to winning ways, beat Espanyol 2-0

Atletico Madrid 2-0 Espanyol: Diego Simeone's side back on track after Valencia defeat

A first half Tiago header set up Atletico Madrid's 2-0 victory over Espanyol as they seek to get back on track following a stuttering start to the La Liga season.

The Portuguese leapt well and steered a cross from Gabi into the top corner before the break and mid-way through the second half substitute Mario Suarez knocked the ball home from close range.

Antoine Griezmann could have given them a more resounding win five minutes from the end but his shot with the keeper Kiko Casilla beaten came back off the outside of the post.

Atletico moved up to fourth in the table with 17 points from eight games while Espanyol, who struggled against the home side's physical play, were down at 11th on nine points.

Diego Simeone's side have lacked the consistency, especially in defence, that won them the championship but they managed to keep a clean sheet following a 3-1 defeat away to Valencia in their last match before the international break.

'I think the team did what it had to do and was in control,' Simeone told a new conference.

'We were playing in the opposition half with Raul (Garcia) and (Mario) Mandzukic in attack finding space as did Juanfran and Arda (Turan) on the wings.

'We were patient and the goal came. In the second half we were even more dominant.'

Valencia are ahead of Atletico on goal difference and later take on Deportivo La Coruna while Sevilla, a point behind, are away at Elche.

Leaders Barcelona beat Eibar 3-0 on Saturday and Real Madrid swept aside Levante 5-0 as the pair warmed up for the El Clasico next weekend. 

Sassuolo held Juventus 1-1

Juve held to draw by Sassuolo

Modena, Italy (SportsNetwork.com) - Juventus dropped points for the first time in Serie A this season on Saturday as the club was held to a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo, which entered the day on the bottom of the table.

Simone Zaza, who is on loan at Sassuolo from Juve, scored against his parent club in the 13th minute, while the Old Lady answered back six minutes later through Paul Pogba.

The visitors created the better chances over the remainder of the match, but Sassuolo held on for the draw, leaving Juve one point clear of second-place Roma.

Leonardo Bonucci thought he had given Juve an early lead when he turned a header past Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli, but the goal was ruled out for offsides.

And just a few minutes later the hosts grabbed the lead when Zaza had his initial shot blocked by Bonucci and scored on the rebound.

Pogba had Juve back on level terms six minutes later when he scored from the edge of the penalty area after Carlos Tevez cut the ball back for the France international.

But Consigli stood tall in the Sassuolo goal, denying efforts from Pogba, Tevez and Stephan Lichtsteiner before the break.

Domenico Berardi threatened for the hosts after halftime, but his free kick sailed narrowly past the left post.

Roma was able to make the most of Juve's draw by notching a 3-0 win over Chievo on Saturday.

The capital club scored all three goals in the first 33 minutes with Mattia Destro, Adem Ljajic and then Francesco Totti finding the net for Roma.

Monaco scored a win over Evian Thonon Gaillard 2-0

Ligue 1 Review: Monaco beat Evian, Saint-Etienne go fourth

19 October 2014

Monaco produced further evidence of an upturn in form with a 2-0 Ligue 1 win over Evian on Saturday.

Having made a disappointing start to life under Leonardo Jardim, the Principality club have shown signs of improvement in recent fixtures, claiming a 0-0 stalemate at Zenit in the UEFA Champions League before holding chamions Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw.

And they built on those two strong results with a comfortable victory at the Stade Louis II.

Joao Moutinho put the hosts ahead after just two minutes from the penalty spot, and the points were made safe in bizarre fashion in the 70th minute as Ricardo Carvalho's clearance bounced over the head of Evian goalkeeper Jesper Hansen, allowing midfielder Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco to slot into an empty net.

Monaco remain in the bottom half in 11th despite that success, but Saint-Etienne are up to fourth after Fabien Lemoine's 87th minute goal gave Christophe Galtier's side a 1-0 triumph at Lorient.

Saint-Etienne are into the top four as a consequence of slip-ups by Nantes and Lille.

Nantes were held to a 1-1 home draw by Reims, while Lille suffered their third league loss in four matches with a 2-1 reverse at home to struggling 10-man Guingamp.

Lille dominated proceedings, attempting 28 shots to Guingamp's five, yet it was the visiting Coupe de France holders that proved the more clinical side.

A Claudio Beauvue header and a low strike from Ronnie Schwartz put Guingamp in control but midfielder Rio Mavuba hit back in the 79th minute to give Lille hope.

Guingamp defender Benjamin Angoua was shown a straight red card for pulling back Nolan Roux four minutes from time but Lille could not make their numerical advantage count as Guingamp ended their four-match losing streak in the league.

Elsewhere, Bastia won 1-0 at Nice thanks to Floyd Ayite's 51st-minute winner and Metz drew 0-0 with Rennes.

Celta de Vigo extend Athletic Bilbao's woes 1-1

Celta Vigo swipe a point from Athletico Bilbao to stay sixth in La Liga

Celta Vigo striker Nolito scored midway through the second half to end Athletic Club's hopes of halting a winless run which now stretches to seven games.

Ernesto Valverde's Primera Division strugglers had made a dream start when Aritz Aduriz put them in front from the penalty spot with just six minutes on the clock.

But Nolito's 73rd minute effort salvaged a 1-1 draw for Celta who were keen to respond to their 3-1 home defeat to Villarreal in their last match prior to the international break.

The home side did not need to wait long to edge in front after Sergi Gomez handled in the box and referee David Fernandez pointed to the spot.

Aduriz stepped up to fire the penalty past Sergio Alvarez in the Celta goal and Athletic could have doubled their lead when Markel Susaeta shot just wide six minutes later.

Alvarez kept his side in the game as he made a fine save from Susaeta on 15 minutes then five minutes later tipped an Aymeric Laporte header round the post.

The visitors failed to pose any kind of threat to Gorka Iraizoz's goal in the first period and Athletic stayed on top in the second half as an Oscar De Marcos header drifted just wide.

Aduriz shot just wide again before the hosts were made to pay for their missed chances as Celta drew level midway through the second period.

Nolito pounced to fire home a right-foot effort from 12 yards after being played in by Fabian Orellana on the left.

The same player fired over the bar with six minutes left while Athletic's best late chance came from an Ibai free-kick which sailed into the arms of the impressive Alvarez.

Stuttgart clawed back to draw with Bayer Leverkusen 3-3

STUTTGART FIGHTBACK LEAVES LEVERKUSEN STUNNED

Stuttgart - A stunning comeback rescued VfB Stuttgart a dramatic 3-3 draw at home to Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

The Swabians fought back from three goals down thanks to strikes from Timo Werner, Florian Klein and Martin Harnik after Heung-Min Son’s double and Karim Bellarabi had given Leverkusen a seemingly comfortable three-goal half-time lead.

Son brace

Boosted by their streak of four competitive games without a defeat, Leverkusen settled into their rhythm quickly, dictating both pace and possession in the early stages against a deep-lying Stuttgart side. Their dominance paid off after four minutes when Son collected from Stefan Kießling to slot in from close range.

The South Korean was at the heart of all Leverkusen's attacking efforts, imposing a constant threat on the Stuttgart defence. He made it two only five minutes later, picking up Thorsten Kirschbaum’s loose clearance and hammering the ball into the back of the net from a good 30 yards.

Werner pulls one back

Antonio Rüdiger gave the guests their first serious warning at the other end with a promising header near the half-hour mark, but things soon went from bad to worse when, after Kießling’s effort from a tight angle bounced off the post, Bellarabi crowned a fantastic solo effort to hand Bayer a comfortable three-goal lead.

Stuttgart were never going to give in on their own patch, however, with Armin Veh’s men emerging for the second half completely rejuvenated. Martin Harnik came close to pulling one back for the Swabians, swerving marginally wide, before Werner went one better, nodding Klein’s cross into the far left corner.

Harnik to the rescue

The hosts managed to keep up the pressure against a detereorating Leverkusen side, bossing possession and carrying the far greater threat as the game progressed. The 2007 Bundesliga champions soon saw their efforts pay further dividends when Klein hammered the ball home from long range, leaving Bernd Leno in the Leverkusen goal with no chance whatsoever.

Sensing their chance to snatch an unlikely draw, Stuttgart threw men forward in the final stages, and it was the tireless Harnik who sent the home side level with 13 minutes on the clock, nodding in substitute Filip Kostic’s pinpoint free-kick to make it 3-3. Roberto Hilbert passed up one final chance to give Leverkusen a dramatic late win as a thrilling contest ended all square.

Stars picked up in second half as Barcelona subdue gritty Eibar 3-0

Barcelona 3-0 Eibar: Xavi, Neymar and Lionel Messi on target as Barca maintain unbeaten start to league campaign

Lionel Messi celebrated the 10th anniversary of his Barcelona debut with a brilliant goal, as Barcelona maintained their four point lead over rivals Real Madrid ahead of next week's Clasico.

Messi inched closer to breaking Telmo Zarra's all-time La Liga scoring record, notching his 250th goal, leaving him one strike behind the Athletic Bilbao legend. He could now write history against Real Madrid next Saturday, quite probably aided by the return of Luis Suarez from suspension.

Messi was instrumental in this win over Eibar, which saw Barcelona keep their eighth clean sheet in eight games, Claudio Bravo extending his own record to 720 minutes unbeaten—although Eibar deserved to be ahead at half-time.

On Thursday, a decade after he first appeared in a Barcelona shirt, he thanked everyone at the club and the supporters in an emotional message, and pledged to continue in the same vein. He did just that, here.

Luis Enrique likes to his shuffle his pack at the best of times and with two huge games coming up, he made changes. Barcelona host Ajax on Tuesday, an important Champions League clash after their defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, before heading to the Santiago Bernabeu to play arch-rivals Real Madrid on Saturday.

Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic, mainstays in midfield, were rested completely. It meant that Javier Mascherano could play in his favoured defensive midfield position, where he performed so stoically for Argentina during the World Cup, and youngster Sergi Roberto was also afforded his first start of the season. Completing the trio was veteran Xavi, another player who has had limited game-time under the Asturian coach.

This match was a potential banana skin for Barcelona. Eibar, minnows from the Basque Country in La Liga for the first time, have started the season well, out-performing much bigger local rivals Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad. With important games ahead, perhaps Barcelona's eye could have slipped off the ball.

It seemed like that was the case in the first half. The crowd were expecting a goal feast but none were forthcoming, with Eibar making the best two chances of the game.

After 20 minutes Neymar cut in superbly from the left and fed Messi, who took the ball into the box. Four defenders swarmed around him and one eventually lurched in to slide the ball clear. The Argentine should have opened the scoring a minute later, receiving Dani Alves’ low pass but seeing his shot from close range turned behind by goalkeeper Xabi Irureta.

They didn’t have to wait too long for their team to open the scoring though. Although the focus was on Messi trying to score the three goals he needs to overtake Zarra, he was happy to turn provider.

Messi’s played in a slightly more withdrawn role this season and it worked to good effect here, with Xavi feeding him and then darting into the box. Messi waited before slipping in the veteran midfielder, who clipped the ball home comfortably.

And then it was two, with a Brazilian connection. Xavi played in Alves, whose cross was volleyed home into the bottom right corner, by Neymar. The forward has really come to life this season after a mixed start to his Barcelona career.

He turned provider for the third, which was brilliantly taken by Messi. The man they call ‘La Pulga’, the flea, buzzed away from his marker in midfield, found Neymar and then fired the return ball into the far corner from a tight angle. It was typical of so many of the goals that he has put away in this grand arena.

He should have scored again at the death to match Zarra’s record, heading straight at Irureta when chipped through by Andres Iniesta.

But Messi now just needs two goals to become the greatest goalscorer in Spanish football 

history and, with his pedigree, you wouldn’t bet against both of them coming next Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu. After all, he is the man for the big occasion, and has scored more goals against Real Madrid than any other side. Carlo Ancelotti, Cristiano Ronaldo, beware. 

Roma beat Chievo 3-0

Roma cruised to a 3-0 victory over Chievo Verona in Serie A on Saturday to ensure it goes into its Champions League clash against Bayern Munich full of confidence.

Goals from Mattia Destro, Adem Ljajic and a Francesco Totti penalty saw Roma bounce straight back from their controversial 3-2 defeat to Juventusa fortnight ago to keep up the pressure on the Bianconeri at the top of the table.\

Perhaps equally important was the confidence boost victory gave Rudi Garcia's men ahead of their tough encounter with Bundesliga leaders Bayern on Tuesday night.

The Germans hammered Werder Bremen 6-0 in the Bundesliga earlier on Saturday.

Garcia resisted the temptation to rotate his side and fielded 38-year-old forward Totti from the start, opting not to rest the Italian ahead of Tuesday's clash at the Stadio Olimpico.

Totti was involved a lot in the early action as Roma wasted no time attacking the visitors' defence, taking the lead within five minutes when Destro headed in from a corner.

Totti and Ljajic were combining well and it was the Roma captain who set up the latter to double the hosts' lead in the 25th minute.

It was then the turn of Totti, who became the Champions League's oldest goalscorer when he netted against Manchester City, to find the net yet again from the penalty spot.

Dario Dainelli was accused of fouling Daniele De Rossi inside the area and Totti stepped up to beat Francesco Bardi from the spot. Totti went close to making it four early in the second half, with Bardi making a good block at his near post, before Garcia decided the time was right to start resting players.

Totti was first to leave the field, with Miralem Pjanic taken off soon after, but the substitutions did not affect Roma, who continued to look the more dangerous side.

Destro nearly beat Bardi before Ashley Cole was beaten to the rebound, depriving him of a good chance to score for the Giallorossi.