Angleterre: Arsenal faithful to its reputation as the “Corner King”
The league leader Arsenal won a corners battle against Chelsea (2-1) on Sunday, overcoming being reduced to ten men, and sending a strong signal to the competition with ten games left in the Premier League. Chelsea represented a major obstacle on the title path, one that Arsenal hasn’t grabbed since 2004, and the Gunners overcame it with composure, resilience, and with valuable help from goalkeeper David Raya. The cannon club was also aided by the opponent’s defensive weaknesses, especially goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
The Gunners started stronger than their visitors and quickly made them crack on their speciality: a corner, taken by Bukayo Saka, straightened at the far post by Gabriel and headed in by his central defense partner, Frenchman William Saliba (21st, 1-0). The Blues pushed back and equalized just before half-time, using the same method: chaos in the penalty area from a corner, taken by captain Reece James and deflected into his own net by defender Piero Hincapié (45th+1, 1-1). But in this game of corners, Arsenal is the king. The “Corner Kings” struck again, with Declan Rice launching the ball and Jurriën Timber finishing with a header (66th, 2-1).
Mikel Arteta’s team has a five-point lead over runner-up Manchester City, who won against Leeds the day before (1-0). However, they have played one more match, the 31st round against Wolverhampton (2-2).
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Spain: first career hat-trick for Yamal
Led by a superb hat-trick from their prodigy Lamine Yamal, reigning Spanish champions FC Barcelona secured their first-place position on Saturday by defeating Villarreal (4-1) at Camp Nou, temporarily extending their lead over Real Madrid to four points. Relentless on the right flank, Yamal provided the entertainment and guided Barcelona (1st, 64 points) to a thirteenth victory in 13 home matches in La Liga, putting pressure on eternal rivals Real Madrid (2nd, 60 points), who face Getafe (13th, 29 points) on Monday (9 p.m.).
At 18 years and 230 days, Spanish winger Yamal set a new precocity record, becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick in La Liga in the 21st century, according to Opta. Cheered as he left the field, Lamine Yamal, plagued by pubis pain at the start of the season, confirmed his return to form at the right time.
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“I didn’t feel good, I couldn’t be myself on the field. I had pain due to this pubalgia, I wasn’t happy when I played, and I think it showed,” the young left-hander responded on Movistar+. “For a week now, I’ve been feeling much better. I’ve found a good influence in the game that I couldn’t get for a while. And I’m happy again,” he added.
> Bundesliga standings
Germany: Bayern head towards their 35th title and chase records
Bayern took a big step towards the Bundesliga title on Saturday by overturning their runner-up Dortmund in the Klassiker (3-2). Having had a near-perfect season (20 wins, 3 draws, and one defeat), Bayern fought hard to defeat Dortmund and move towards their 35th German championship. With 63 points compared to Dortmund’s 52, Vincent Kompany’s men can serenely approach the end of the Bundesliga season and focus on the Champions League.
Despite this major setback, the Klassiker between the two German football giants lived up to its promises, with drama, turnarounds, and a victory for Munich. The indispensable Harry Kane scored another double, his 29th and 30th goals of the Bundesliga season.
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“In my opinion, it was good publicity for the Bundesliga. Intensity, goals, but also two teams with the desire to always push forward,” commented Bayern coach Vincent Kompany on Sky. The Munich team has now scored 88 goals in 24 league matches. The record of 101 goals achieved in the 1971-1972 season could be broken in the coming weeks.
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Italy: Inter consoles itself in Serie A
Inter Milan resumed their forward march in Serie A by defeating Genoa (2-0), four days after their surprising elimination in the Champions League playoffs against Norwegian side Bodo Glimt. In the absence of witnessing the Champions League round of 16, the Milanese team secured their fourteenth victory in their last fifteen league matches. This victory against the 14th-placed team in Italy certainly won’t completely console the Inter fans, but it solidifies the Nerazzurri’s top spot a week before the clash against their runner-up AC Milan.
Always precious this season, Federico Dimarco opened the scoring for Inter with a header in the 32nd minute, his sixth goal of the Serie A season. The returning Hakan Calhanoglu, who missed the team’s last three matches, put them out of reach by converting a penalty (70th) after a handball by a Genoa defender.
Earlier in the evening, Romelu Lukaku, who hadn’t scored since late May, secured victory for Napoli in the final second against bottom side Hellas Verona (2-1). Thanks to this last-minute win, Napoli consolidated their third place (53 points).
> Serie A standings
> Serie A standings
