Goals from Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, and Marco Asensio gave Real Madrid a win. There is a time and a place for it. Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain had mixed fortunes ahead of the game. Jesse Marsch made his managerial debut, Thomas Muller scored an own goal and Manchester United had a derby day they will want to forget. There are five people with what you need to know from around Europe. Talking points, top goals, and troubled teams are included. Real Madrid warmed up for their biggest game of the season, the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, where they look to turn around a 0-1 deficit. A 4-1 win over Real Sociedad had the crowd at the Bernabeu singing. After the final whistle, the players were brought back out to thank them. La Real were not pushovers. They had won their previous two games and a victory there would have put them in third place. It looked like it was going to be a difficult evening for Madrid when they went ahead through a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty. The long-range strikes from Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric put the hosts in front. Marco Asensio scored his third goal in a month after coming on as a substitute, and then Karim Benzema scored from the penalty spot. Carlo said the performance was almost perfect and gave him a lot of hope. With Casemiro and Ferland Mendy being suspended, and Camavinga showing that he may have a role to play, it will be a challenge of a different magnitude. Remember when Real Madrid was beaten by Paris Saint-Germain? They looked like they were playing against a team from France. They took 21 shots? Did he not have to make a single save? Did he not even start? You know, that one? Since dominating the best team in Spain, the best team in France has lost two of three. The most recent defeat was a one-point loss to Nice. Sure, defeats happen and it is hard to kick a round ball with a not-round foot, but Nice did a better job than the team. You can read more from Ryan O'Hanlon. The team featuring Lionel Messi, Neymar, Marco Verratti, and Angel Di Maria should generate more than eight shots, with just two on target. Does this matter? Even after this loss, Paris Saint-Germain has a 13-point lead. The only thing that counts is the league. If they blow their lead against Madrid, don't say we didn't warn you. The Jesse Marsch era at Leeds United began in the same way that the Marcelo Bielsa era ended, but there was a lot for the American to build upon. They created more chances and gave less away in the game. They lost to a moment of brilliance when Harvey Barnes exchanged passes with Kelechi Iheanacho before curling a shot beyond Illan Meslier, but they failed to show the same ruthlessness in front of them. Marsch's men showed robustness in defence and limitedLeicester to 0.37 xG, even though they had nothing to show for a goals tally of 1.99. Their next five opponents are all fighting for their lives, and they will feel good about it. Marsch's decision to gather his team on the pitch at full-time for a pep talk was a smart move, as his intuitive, player-focused approach could galvanise a team that has been crying out for structure. Jesse Marsch had an impact on the game when he was a part of the team. We have a four-way race for the title, with Milan, Inter and Napoli all three points behind, and with the form team, Juventus, four points back after a pair of narrow wins. The Bianconeri extended their run to 14 matches with a unconvincing win over Spezia. There was more nerves as Milan defeated Napoli by a single goal, thanks to a goal by Olivier Giroud early in the second half, in their top-of-the-table clash at the Stadio Diego Maradona. The guide is for viewers of LaLiga, MLS, FA Cup, and more.
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant accessFour talking points
Madrid prepare for PSG in style ...
... while PSG slip again
Marsch gets everything but the result in Leeds debut
Juve, Milan tighten Serie A race
Massimiliano Allegri won five straight titles in his first spell in charge of the Bianconeri, and the 54-year-old is the only manager in the race to have won the title previously.
The news that Weston McKennie will be out for the rest of the season with a broken foot was a blow to the team, but the arrival of Dusan Vlahovic in January was a positive sign.
Memphis completes comeback with perfect penalty
There are few more satisfying sights than a penalty fired at high speed into the top corner and Memphis Depay's spot kick, which sealed a 2-1 win for Barcelona at Elche and took him into double figures for LaLiga goals this season, was a classic of the genre
With 84 minutes on the clock, time was running out for Barcelona to maintain their push for a top-four finish, but Memphis did not look like he was going to be intimidated and blasted the ball past Badia. For his sake, the goalkeeper dived the wrong way.
Memphis Depay calm and collected 🥶 pic.twitter.com/eVUG8GZMuY
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) March 6, 2022
Muller scores amazing goal ... at the wrong end
One of the weirder own goals you'll see is the one that prevented them from opening up a double-digit lead. Why? Had it been scored in the correct goal?
It was not a big deal to begin with. Muller ghosted in and toe-poke into an empty net at the end of the game after Ulreich had the ball comfortably covered. It showed the veteran forward instinctively knowing where the goal was, but with one obvious flaw.
The free kick bounces off Muller's foot and into the net for an own goal.
Gotze class leads to vital PSV goal
The finish was a simple tap-in forCody Gakpo, which owed almost everything to the composure of Mario Gotze, who showed his class by fooling the retreating Heracles defence when through on goal, then squaring for his teammate to give PSV Eindhoven a 3-1 lead and ease
The man who scored Germany's goal in the World Cup in Brazil has had a difficult time in recent years, but this season he has made 40 appearances for three different clubs and is trying to win a title.
Cody Gakpo is helemaal terug! 🔙
De aanvoerder van @PSV scoort bij zijn rentree de 3-1 na een fraaie assist van Mario Götze!#psvher pic.twitter.com/khwr45IVKM
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) March 6, 2022
Man United failings exposed yet again
The club was tied for eighth in the league with the 11th-best expected-goal differential when they parted ways with Solskjaer. They have won third-most points per game and produced sixth-best xG differential since Ralf Rangnick took over. It is better, but it is not good enough as we saw in the 4-1 loss to Manchester City.
Manchester United's attacking output in the second half today vs. Manchester City. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/Y8psTg6SCG
— The Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) March 6, 2022
The scary part is that United still have to play several other teams. A 12% chance of finishing in the top four is given by FiveThirtyEight because of the daunting schedule and the OK-not-good-definitely-not-great performances under Rangnick.
There is no reason to expect improvement over the rest of the season. It seems less believable now that he is more suited to play against better teams. Right now, FiveThirtyEight has them projected to finish with 62 points, which is two fewer than the disastrous season David Moyes had as manager.
Manchester United lost to Manchester City.
Granada move on from Moreno
The time was at 12:37 a.m. After a Saturday that had brought a 3-1 defeat at Valencia that made it nine games without a win, the announcement finally came that the manager had been fired.
The appointment was a gamble from the beginning and has not done much for the coach. After inheriting the Spain job in difficult circumstances when Luis Enrique was forced to step aside for family reasons in the middle of the season, the subsequent spell at Monaco was a disappointment and this season at Granada has been dreadful.
His relationship with fans and the local media has been strained, despite a brief rally in December that was highlighted by a win over Atlante Madrid. Ruben Torrecilla, the reserve team coach, has been charged with stopping the slide.
Martinez inspires Inter's return to form
Inter had failed to score in four consecutive matches, with their hopes of success in the league, the cup, and the competition as a whole in tatters.
There was relief all-round when the Argentine forward hit a hat trick, and the Nerazzurri rolled to a five goal win over their bottom team.
After opening the scoring on 22 minutes, he doubled the lead five minutes before half-time, but then finished off with an emphatic finish early in the second period. His partnership with Edin Dzeko appeared to be improved; the duo's form could decide how Inter fare for the rest of the season.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
