There could be a winter break within the English Premier League with video games stretched throughout weekends, however there are nonetheless loads of speaking factors occurring in Serie A, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and extra.
On Saturday, we noticed Bayer Leverkusen’s fairytale season proceed with a stoppage-time winner in opposition to RB Leipzig, Ivan Toney return to motion for Brentford, and Arsenal edge Everton within the Girls’s Tremendous League. In the meantime in Italy, Daniele De Rossi secured his first victory as supervisor of Roma after José Mourinho was sacked by the membership earlier this week. Can the membership legend flip issues round within the second half of the marketing campaign?
Here is what you missed in European soccer on Saturday.
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SATURDAY REVIEW
The lead: Leverkusen hold unbeaten streak alive with one other last-minute win
Bayer Leverkusen are seemingly making a behavior of scoring last-minute winners. The Bundesliga leaders and fourth-placed RB Leipzig clashed in an thrilling back-and-forth sport on Saturday which noticed Leverkusen snatch a treasured 3-2 win due to a Piero Hincapié purpose in stoppage time.
Leipzig made an explosive begin, with strikers Loïs Openda and Benjamin Sesko each operating at Leverkusen’s again three time and time once more. The returning Dani Olmo and Xavi Simons supplied the required creativity and had been each concerned within the early go-ahead purpose, as Simons juggled the ball contained in the field and slotted residence left-footed previous Lukas Hradecky.
Whereas Leverkusen had been making an attempt to manage the ball and advance down the sector methodically, as they’ve finished in so many video games beforehand, they confronted the fixed menace of conceding one other purpose by means of a Leipzig counterattack, with Openda and Sesko often lurking tight to the offside line.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN’S FAIRY TALE CONTINUES!
LEVERKUSEN 3-2 LEIPZIG! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cNeuoevcja
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 20, 2024
Bayer skilled one other setback on the half-hour mark when wing-back Jeremie Frimpong suffered a knee damage, prompting supervisor Xabi Alonso to make a substitution. Nathan Tella was introduced on in his place. The 24-year-old Nigerian worldwide arrived from Southampton in the course of the summer season for a switch price of €23m and had so far not proven many convincing performances for Bayer. Nevertheless it was Tella who completed a fast-paced sequence after the half-time break, beating David Raum on the again put up to transform Alejandro Grimaldo’s cross for the equalizer.
In an uncommon show of negligence, Leverkusen subsequently permitted Leipzig to regain the lead after an ill-advised choice to direct a nook kick towards the sting of the penalty space. Simons intercepted the ball, initiating a counterattack that resulted in Openda scoring the 2-1 shortly earlier than the hour mark. At that stage of the sport, it was evident that Leverkusen would want an iron will to maintain their season-long unbeaten streak intact.
They not solely did that but in addition took residence three very important factors by scoring two objectives following nook kicks towards the again put up. In each circumstances, Lukas Klostermann and Xaver Schlager weren’t in place to defend successfully in opposition to Jonathan Tah and Hincapié, respectively. With one other win within the bag, Leverkusen at the moment are seven factors forward of perennial champions Bayern Munich who host Werder Bremen on Sunday. — Constantin Eckner
Saturday speaking factors across the leagues
Ivan Toney scores on return
It took simply 19 minutes for Ivan Toney to remind Brentford — and his attainable suitors within the switch market — what they have been lacking by scoring in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Toney’s first look in 266 days after serving a ban for admitting 232 breaches of the Soccer Affiliation’s betting guidelines ended simply as he imagined earlier within the day.
“I manifest issues like this,” he stated at full-time. “Earlier than the sport, earlier than I left my home I assumed ‘yeah, we’re successful right now and I am scoring’. And I made it occur, so it is good.” Danilo had given Forest a third-minute lead with a superb strike earlier than Toney lined up a free kick simply outdoors the field which he expertly bent across the wall — after transferring the ball a fraction to his proper to enhance the angle — to equalise.
Ben Mee put Brentford in entrance early within the second half earlier than Chris Wooden drew Forest degree just for Neal Maupay to land the decisive blow at 68 minutes, swivelling beautifully with one contact earlier than firing a left-footed volley into the far nook.
However all eyes had been on Toney, who has attracted curiosity from Arsenal and Chelsea this month though each golf equipment are to date deterred by Brentford’s valuation in extra of £80m. Toney has flirted with a transfer away in a number of interviews performed whereas he was suspended and he confirmed little indicators of rustiness in a sometimes combative show which helped Brentford win for the primary time in six video games.
1 shot, 1 purpose ⚽️2 probabilities created ✨7 aerial duels (Most on the pitch) 🙌5/5 Floor duels gained 👊Man of the Match 🏆
Welcome again, Ivan Toney 👑 pic.twitter.com/YP8lVEQO4U
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) January 20, 2024
Brentford boss Thomas Frank described Toney as “impressively good… he would not really feel the stress. He is nonetheless a human being, after all there have been a bit additional regular nerves, butterflies within the abdomen however after they kick off, increase, he switches on and performs the soccer he loves.”
Toney added: “I am grateful to be again enjoying with the lads. I missed it a lot. The followers, everybody. Yeah, I am again. I am again.”
He actually is. — James Olley
Arsenal declare win however questions stay
Issues might have turned ugly in Borehamwood after the Gunners’ opening purpose, the hosts smothering the Toffees from the primary whistle and Caitlin Foord’s ninth-minute effort prompt an extended afternoon for the travelling aspect.
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Everton, to their credit score, managed to tug themselves right into a extra cohesive form and with their second foray into the Arsenal half, pounced on some static defending to tug themselves degree by means of Katja Snoeijs. But all of their exhausting work was undone in first-half stoppage time when Beth Mead met Lia Walti’s neat cross with a thumping header to attain the deciding purpose in a 2-1 win.
Arsenal continued to indicate their means to dominate the ball within the second half however by then Everton had discovered extra resilience in their very own form and did properly to stem the movement, with Courtney Brosnan as soon as once more starring between the sticks for the Toffees. Certainly, with Arsenal unable to place the sport to mattress, they left the door open for Everton’s (very) late flurry because the guests amped the stress, searching for a stoppage-time level.
The Gunners managed to carry out and declare the deserved three factors to maintain themselves within the title race, however, with Arsenal head and shoulders above Everton on paper, there will probably be extra questions on why the win was removed from snug. Jonas Eidevall has requested his squad to be extra environment friendly with their probabilities, however once more they fell into acquainted patterns of wrestle in breaking their opposition down as soon as Everton had managed to find their self-belief. — Sophie Lawson
Profitable begin for De Rossi and Roma in post-Mourinho period
We do not know but if Daniele De Rossi will develop into a fantastic supervisor or not, however historical past will without end keep in mind that he gained his first sport in control of his beloved Roma. The previous Giallorossi midfielder took over for José Mourinho after the latter’s sacking on Tuesday and bought a beautiful reception from a packed Stadio Olimpico. And the Roma followers would have cherished what they noticed within the first half.
With a again 4 and a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation, in distinction to Mourinho’s 3-5-2, De Rossi’s crew performed on the entrance foot and produced some good soccer. They scored two objectives by Romelu Lukaku and Lorenzo Pellegrini and created extra probabilities.
De Rossi promised attacking soccer and his crew delivered. Nonetheless, it was a special story after the break when Hellas Verona had been the higher crew. Roma rode their luck when Milan Djuric missed a penalty after an hour and held agency to win 2-1 and are available again into fifth place within the desk.
After three video games with no win in all competitions, Roma have the proper begin below their new supervisor. De Rossi will now have 9 days to organize till the crew’s subsequent Serie A sport in opposition to Salernitana — who sit backside of the desk — on Jan. 29. Then Roma will probably be at residence to strugglers Cagliari earlier than a visit to Inter Milan. De Rossi has two winnable video games on paper to make much more of an influence on his crew. He’ll need to see extra of their first-half soccer on Saturday than what they delivered within the closing 45 minutes. — Julien Laurens
2:43
Why Roma determined to sack Jose Mourinho
Gab Marcotti dissects Roma’s choice to half methods with Jose Mourinho.
Individuals overseas: Pulisic subbed off as Milan win; Turner struggles
AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic was subbed off within the seventy fifth minute after managing only one blocked shot in opposition to a cussed Udinese aspect. The Rossoneri got here again to clinch a 3-2 victory by means of Noah Okafor’s purpose in stoppage time, however 25-year-old Pulisic will need to add objectives to his in any other case strong efficiency on the appropriate wing in each protection and offense. The U.S. worldwide has 11 purpose contributions this season in 18 appearances, together with his final purpose approaching Dec. 30.
Elsewhere, is the USMNT going through a goalkeeper disaster? We dove into the crew’s woes behind the sticks earlier this week, and on Saturday, Nottingham Forest’s Matt Turner confirmed why. The goalkeeper from New Jersey has conceded 26 objectives in 16 matches within the Premier League this season, with solely two clear sheets. In opposition to Brentford, he conceded three objectives together with a free kick that required a greater wall set-up. With a 70% save proportion, Turner will hope to enhance his type as Forest hover over the relegation zone.
Information of the day
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has stated he believes his crew’s subsequent two video games will outline their season. Barça, who’re eight factors behind league leaders Girona and 7 factors adrift of second-place Actual Madrid, play at Actual Betis on Sunday in LaLiga earlier than travelling to Bilbao for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey quarterfinal in opposition to Athletic Membership. “These subsequent video games will mark the season, but in addition if now we have good outcomes with Betis [in LaLiga] or Athletic [in the Copa],” Xavi stated. He’s assured regardless of being below stress following Barça’s humbling 4-1 defeat in opposition to Actual Madrid within the Spanish Tremendous Cup closing on Sunday and their unconvincing 3-1 triumph at third-tier aspect Unionistas de Salamanca on Thursday.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami began their preseason tour with a draw in opposition to the El Salvador nationwide crew. The Argentina star performed within the first half alongside Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, his new teammate for the upcoming MLS season. Inter Miami will play FC Dallas subsequent Monday on the Cotton Bowl after which will journey to Saudi Arabia to face Al Hilal on Jan. 29 and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on Feb. 2.
Cristiano Ronaldo stated on Friday that the Saudi Professional League is healthier and extra aggressive than the French Ligue 1. Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr after leaving Manchester United simply over a yr in the past, was talking on the Globe Soccer Awards after being honoured because the Greatest Goalscorer and Followers’ Favorite Participant of the 12 months. “To be sincere I feel the Saudi League shouldn’t be worse than French league,” stated Ronaldo. “In Saudi now I feel it is extra aggressive. They will say no matter they need, it is simply my opinion and I performed there one yr so I do know what I am speaking about. However I feel proper now we’re higher than [the] French league, we nonetheless enhance.”
And at last on Saturday …
After making her first begin for Arsenal of their residence win over Everton, U.S. worldwide Emily Fox who has beforehand spoken about her fondness for the English sport, defined the timing behind her Girls’s Tremendous League transfer to ESPN.
“It was essential to get some expertise professionally first in America after which make that step over right here. I really feel like Lindsey [Horan] is a superb instance of somebody who went to Lyon and has actually loved it and thrived there and for me, there are such a lot of UNC gamers who’ve ended up at Arsenal and having that connection and seeing them doing good gave me inspiration to need to come right here. However I’ve at all times needed to do it.”
🇺🇸 Emily Fox 🦊 pic.twitter.com/y9RKxaWRoq
— Arsenal Girls (@ArsenalWFC) January 20, 2024