Spanish La Liga: Matchday 4

Getafe's Angel Diaz celebrated his goal against Sevilla.

       The La Liga Santander is up and running again this week and the teams look ready for an undefined season ahead of them. After the initial match-ups, the players look a little relaxed and set-back as we head down matchday 4.

       In the first match, Huecas lost to Rayo Vallecano at Estadio El Alcoraz. The only goal of the game came from Giannelli Imbula at 29'. Rayo got their first win of the season, climbing to 18th place, while Huesca are at 16th.

       Atlético Madrid were held to a draw by Eibar at Wanda Metropolitano. Sergi Enrich scored for Eibar 3 minutes before full-time, but Borja Garcés scored at 90+4' for Atlético, saving them from sheer humiliation.

       Real Sociedad were defeated by Barcelona at Anoeta Stadium. Though Aritz Elustondo scored for the hosts at 12', goals from Luis Suárez at 63' and Ousmane Dembélé at 69' earned three points for Barcelona, necessary for remaining on top of the table.

       Valencia drew with Real Betis at Mestalla Stadium. No goals were scored by either side, though a total of 8 shots were taken on goal combined. The 0-0 draw meant Valencia dropped to 17th place while Real Betis are now at 11th.

       Athletic Bilbao held Real Madrid to a draw at San Mamés. Iker Muniain scored for the hosts at 32', but he was equalised by Isco Alarcon at 63'. The draw meant that Real Madrid dropped to 2nd place on the table, while Bilbao are at 9th.

       Leganes lost to Villareal 0-1, with the only goal of the game coming from Carlos Bacca at 65'. The hosts are now at the bottom of the table, not winning a single game so far, while Villareal climbed to 14th place with their first win.

       Espanyol defeated Levante at Cornellà El Prat. The sole goal of the match came from Sergio García at 52'. Espanyol are at 4th place, while Levante sit at the 12th spot.

       Valladolid then lost to Alavés at Estadio José Zorrilla. Ibai Goméz scored the only goal of the game at 90+3', giving Alavés the three points necessary for the 8th spot, while the hosts dropped to 19th place.

       Sevilla were then humiliated by Getafe. Ángel Díaz scored two goals for the visitors at 3' and 38' to hand defeat and 13th place to last year's Copa del Rey finalists, while clinching 5th place themselves. 

       Girona then defeated Celta Vigo at Montilivi. Cristhian Stuani opened for Girona at 22', and was equalised by Iago Aspas at 34'. Pedro Alcalá then scored the second for the hosts at 37', and Stuani made it 3-1 at 56'. Sofiane Boufal scored for Vigo at 87', but it was not enough for the draw.

Italian Serie A: Matchday 4

Parma's Federico Dimarco scores from long range against Inter.

       The Serie A TIM has now reached matchday 4, bringing along all the necessary action for a gripping season. There has been a lot of drama in the past week, the teams look fresh and ready for a long season.

       In the first match, Parma shocked Inter Milan as they defeated them at San Siro, with the away goal coming from Federico Dimarco at 79'. This was Inter's second loss of the season, which pushed them back to 15th place on the table, while Parma rest at 17th.

       The second match was played between Napoli and Fiorentina at Stadio San Paolo, and Lorenzo Insigne scored the sole goal at 79' to earn the hosts their third win so far and the 3rd spot on the table, while Fiorentina dropped to 5th place.

       Frosinone were routed by Sampdoria at Stadio Benito Stirpe. Fabio Quagliarella opened for the visitors at 10', while goals from Gianluca Caprari at 46', Grégoire Defrel at 54' and 86' and Dawid Kownacki at 83' ended the score 5-0 for them, and earned them 4th place.

       Roma drew with Chievo at Stadio Olimpico. Stephan El Shaarawy and Bryan Cristante scored for Roma at 10' and 30' respectively, but Chievo made a comeback and goals from Valter Birsa at 52' and Mariusz Stępiński at 83' drew the match 2-2. Roma are at 9th place, while Chievo sit at the bottom.

       Udinese drew with Torino at Stadio Friuli. Rodrigo De Paul opened for the hosts at 28', while Soualiho Meïté equalised him at 49'. No further goals ended the match 1-1. Torino and Udinese are now at 10th and 11th spots respectively.

       Juventus defeated Sassuolo at Allianz Stadium. Cristiano Ronaldo broke his duck as he finally scored for his new club at 50', and then scored again at 65'. Khouma Babacar scored for the visitors at 90+1', but it was not enough for the draw, and Juventus took the three points for the top spot on the table.

       Genoa got over Bologna by defeating them 1-0, with the only goal of the game coming from Kyrzysztof Piątek at 69'. Genoa are now at the 7th spot with the win, while Bologna are down below at 18th.

       Empoli lost to Lazio at Stadio Carlo Castellani. Marco Parolo scored the only goal at 47', clinching three points for Lazio and earning them 8th place on the table, while the hosts sit at 16th.

       Cagliari held Milan to a draw at Sardegna Arena. João Pedro scored for the hosts at 4', but Gonzalo Higuain scored the goal for Milan at 55', his first for the club, and leveled the score 1-1. Cagliari and Milan are now at 12th and 13th place respectively.

       SPAL defeated Atalanta at Stadio Paolo Mazza. Andrea Petagna scored for SPAL twice, at 50' and 56', and got the win for them, earning them 2nd place on the table. Atalanta, meanwhile, are at 14th place.

       Sampdoria then faced Fiorentina on Wednesday. Giovanni Simeone scored for the Violas at 13', but he was equalised by Gianluca Caprari at 60'. The draw earned Sampdoria and Fiorentina 4th and 5th place respectively.

UEFA Champions League: Group stage: Matchday 1

       The much awaited UEFA Champions League is finally here and after the play-offs, the real action has now begun. There have been surprises, shockers and moments of superb magic in the first Matchday of the Group Stage.

Barcelona (4-0) PSV Eindhoven

Inter Milan (2-1) Tottenham

Club Brugge (0-1) Dortmund

Schalke 04 (1-1) Porto

Monaco (1-2) Atlético Madrid

Liverpool (3-2) Paris Saint-Germain

Red Star Belgrade (0-0) Napoli

Galatasaray (3-0) Lokomotiv Moscow

Ajax (3-0) AEK Athens

Shakhtar Donetsk (2-2) Hoffenheim

Real Madrid (3-0) Roma

Valencia (0-2) Juventus

Benfica (0-2) Bayern Munich

Plzen (2-2) CSKA Moscow

Manchester City (1-2) Lyon

Young Boys (0-3) Manchester United

German Bundesliga: Matchday 3

 

Hannover's Niclas Füllkrug (R) celebrates his goal against Leipzig.

     The German Bundesliga is up and running again with goals flying in and cards being shown as we head down Matchday 3.

       In the first match, Borussia Dortmund faced Eintracht Frankfurt. Abdou Diallo opened for the hosts at 36' and was equalised later by Sébastien Haller at 68'. Then Marius Wolf scored for Dortmund at 72' and Paco Alcácer topped it all with a goal at 88', earning Dortmund the 2nd place on the table.

       Wolfsburg drew with Hertha at Volkswagen Arena. Javairo Dilrosun opened for Hertha at 61', but was leveled by Yunus Mallı at 87' with a penalty. Ondrej Duda then scored for Hertha at 90+1', but they were denied three points by Admir Mehmedi's goal at 90+3'.

       Fortuna won over Hoffenheim at ESPRIT Arena. Alfredo Morales opened for the hosts at 45'. Reiss Nelson equalised at 86', but a goal by Dodi Lukebakio two minutes later ensured Fortuna's victory.

       RB Leipzig defeated Hannover 96 at Red Bull Arena. Yussuf Poulsen opened for the hosts at 9' and was equalised at 13' by Niclas Füllkrug. Timos Werner ten scored two goals for the hosts at 40' and 63', and a goal by Miiko Albornoz at 65' was not enough to draw the match for Hannover.

       Mainz played Augsburg next. Ji Dong-Won scored for the visitors at 82', but was equalised by Anthony Ujah 5 minutes later. Alexandru Maxim was the saviour for Mainz as he netted the ball at 90+3' to get three points for the hosts.

       Bayern Munich faced Bayer Leverkusen. Though Bayer opened at 5' with Wendell's penalty, goals from Corentin Tolisso at 10', Arjen Robben at 19' and James Rodriguez at 89' won the match for Bayern and earned them the top spot on the table.

       Mönchengladbach then went against Schalke 04. The hosts opened at 3' with Matthias Ginter, and Patrick Herrmann made it 2 at 76'. Breel Embolo scored a goal at 90+3', but it was not enough to draw the match and the score ended 2-1 for the hosts.

       Werder Bremen drew with Nürnberg at Weserstadion. Maximilian Eggestein scored for Werder at 26', but a spectacular goal by Virgil Misidjan at 90+2' for the visitors drew the match, denying the hosts three points.

       Freiburg then also drew with Stuttgart. Jérôme Gondorf opened for the hosts at 1', but Emiliano Insúa equalised him at 44'. Two goals from Mario Gómez at 48' and 56' made it 3-1 for Stuttgart, but Gondorf's goal at 51' and Luca Waldschmidt's strike at 81' ended the score 3-3.

English Premier League: Matchday 5

Southampton's Emile Højbjerg scored against Brighton.

       The Barclays Premier League is up and running again after two weeks' break and the players and managers are ready to perform for the action-hungry fans. Drama and surprises are seen as we head down Matchday 5.

       The first match was played between Tottenham and Liverpool at Wembley. Liverpool's Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino scored easy goals at 39' and 54' respectively. Tottenham's only goal came from Érik Lamela at 90+3' and was not enough for the draw, meaning Liverpool continued their win-streak.

       In the next match, Manchester City eased past Fulham at Etihad Stadium. Leroy Sané opened for them at 2', David Silva added the second at 21', and Raheem Sterling made it 3-0 at 47'. City are 3rd on the table while Fulham sit at 15th place.

       Bournemouth faced off against Leicester City in an epic showdown. Ryan Fraser scored two for the hosts at 19' and 37', while Joshua King and Adam Smith added one each at 41' and 81'. Leicester's James Maddison and Marc Albrighton scored goals at 88' and 89' respectively, but no further goals meant the match ended 4-2. 

       Newcastle lost to Arsenal at St James' Park. Granit Xhaka opened for the Gunners at 49', while Mesut Özil added another at 58'. The hosts' only goal came from Ciaran Clark at 90+1', which meant that Arsenal took the three points to secure 7th place, while the former rest at 19th.

       Huddersfield lost to Crystal Palace at John Smith's Stadium. The only goal of the game came from Wilfried Zaha at 38'. Three points for the Eagles earned them 12th place on the table, while Huddersfield are at the 18th spot.

       Chelsea defeated Cardiff City at Stamford Bridge. The Welsh scored first with Sol Bamba at 16', but a hat-trick by Eden Hazard; with goals at 37', 43' and 80'; and one from Willian at 83' ended the match 4-1 for the hosts and earning them top spot on the table, beating Liverpool on goal difference.

       Watford lost to Manchester United at Vicarage Road. Lukaku opened for United at 35' and Chris Smalling added another brilliantly at 38'. Andre Gray scored one for Watford at 65', and a free kick for Watford after Matić's red card at 90+3' was denied the net by De Gea as he saved United from a draw. 

       Wolverhampton got over Burnley with the sole goal coming from Raúl Jiménez at 61'. Wolves are now at 9th place, while Burnley sit at the bottom of the table.

       Everton were trodden upon by West Ham at Goodison Park. Andriy Yarmolenko scored for the Londoners at 11' and 31', while Gylfi Sigurđsson scored for Everton at 45+1'. Marko Arnautović topped it off for West Ham with a superb goal at 61', ending the scoring 3-1.

       Southampton drew with Brighton at St Mary's Stadium. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg opened for the hosts at 35', and Danny Ings added the second at 65'. But two minutes later, a goal came from Brighton's Shane Duffy and Glenn Murray's extra-time penalty ended the match as a draw.

French Ligue 1: Matchday 5

Nîmes' Antonin Bobichon in action against Bordeaux.

       With two weeks' break from play, the teams in Ligue 1 Conforama are now back again with new tactics and ideas to put into practice, as we head down matchday 5.

       The first match was played between OGC Nice and Rennes at Allianz Riviera. Rennes opened as Nice's Malang Sarr scored an own-goal at 58'. But goals from Allan Saint-Maximin at 77' and Pierre Lees-Melou at 89' clinched three points for the home team, which was enough to get them 11th place, while Rennes dropped to 9th.

       Paris Saint-Germain played St-Étienne at Parc des Princes. Julian Draxler opened for PSG at 22', while Edinson Cavani added another from a well-placed penalty at 51'. Ángel Di María scored the 3rd at 76' and Moussa Diaby made it 4-0 at 84', thus allowing PSG to remain top of the table, while St-Étienne dropped to 14th place.

       Caen then faced off against Lyon in a dramatic showdown. Nabil Fekir opened for Lyon at 45', while Claudio Beauvue equalised him at 53' with a penalty. Caen took the lead then, with Prince Oniangué scoring at 73', but the score was leveled by Ferland Mendy at 88', while two Caen players received red cards. The latter are now at 13th place, while the visitors sit at 7th.

       Amiens lost to Lille OSC at Stade de la Licorne. Lille opened at 45+2' with two successful penalties by him at 45+2' and 56' and an open-field goal at 76'. Rafal Kurzawa and Saman Ghoddos' goals for Amiens at 79' and 90+3' were not enough to overcome the visitors, who won 3-2. Lille are at 3rd place, while Amiens sit at the 18th spot.

       Montpellier drew with Strasbourg at La Mosson. Damien Le Tallec scored for Montpellier at 50', but Lebo Mothiba's superb equaliser at 90+3' denied the hosts three points, who now sit at 6th place. Strasbourg, meanwhile, are still low at 16th place.

       Dijon were defeated by Angers at Stade Gaston Gerard. Though Wesley Saïd opened for them at 13', goals from Stéphane Bahoken at 20', Flavien Tait at 29', and Baptiste Santamaria at 38' ended the match 3-1 in favour of the visitors. Angers are at 12th place on the table, while Dijon dropped to 5th place.

       Toulouse held Monaco to a draw at Stadium Municipal. Youri Tielemans opened for Monaco at 56', only to be equalised by Aaron Leya Iseka at 79'. The hosts are now at 4th and Monaco at 15th place on the table respectively.

       Nantes drew 0-0 with Stade Reims. Nantes took 6 shots on goal and controlled the ball more, but could not produce a goal-scorer and thus the match ended as a draw. Stade Reims sit comfortably at 10th place while Nantes are at 17th.

       Bordeaux drew with Nîmes in an action-packed match. Jimmy Briand opened for the hosts at 26', and Baptiste Guillaume equalised at 31'. Antonin Bobichon took the lead for Nîmes at 45', but goals from Briand again at 56' and Samuel Kalu at 57' leveled the score. Umut Bozok was the saviour of Nîmes as he clinched victory for them by scoring at 77', earning them the 8th spot on the table, while the hosts are way down at 19th place.

       Lastly, Marseille sprinkled salt on Guingamp's wounds as the latter lost their 5th match since the start of the season. Florian Thauvin opened for Marseille at 57', and Dimitri Payet made it two at 73'. Thauvin scored again at 80', and Konstantinos Mitroglou made it 4-0 at 83', handing Marseille the 2nd spot on the table, while the visitors sit at the bottom.

UEFA Nations League: Match update (11-Sep-18)

       The UEFA Nations League has now progressed to Matchday 2 of the group stage and the national teams look pretty warmed up after a few matches. Results of matches played on 8th, 9th and 10th September, according to respective Leagues, are as follows:

Switzerland (6-0) Iceland

England (1-2) Spain

France (2-1) Netherlands

Portugal (1-0) Italy
Iceland (0-3) Belgium
Spain (6-0) Croatia

Northern Ireland (1-2) Bosnia & H

Ukraine (1-0) Slovakia

Denmark (2-0) Wales

Sweden (2-3) Turkey
Bosnia & H (1-0) Austria

Finland (1-0) Hungary

Estonia (0-1) Greece

Bulgaria (1-0) Norway

Cyprus (2-1) Slovenia
Scotland (2-0) Albania
Serbia (2-2) Romania
Montenegro (2-0) Lithuania
Finland (1-0) Estonia
Hungary (2-1) Greece

Belarus (5-0) San Marino

Luxembourg (4-0) Moldova

Georgia (1-0) Latvia

Macedonia (2-0) Armenia

Liechtenstein (2-0) Gibraltar

Andorra (1-1) Kazakhstan

Malta (1-1) Azerbaijan

Kosovo (2-0) Faroe Islands
Moldova (0-0) Belarus
San Marino (0-3) Luxembourg

Spanish La Liga: Matchday 3

 

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (L) celebrates his goal against Leganes.

     Spain's La Liga Santander has reached Matchday 3, and has brought so far many goals, drama and action necessary for a great season up ahead. The big teams continue their win streaks, while the others scramble for the upper spots on the table as we head down the third Matchday.

       The first match was played between Getafe and Valladolid. Both teams took a few shots on goal while Getafe held 54% possession, but neither could beat the other's keeper and the match ended 0-0. 

       Villareal then lost to Girona at Estadio de la Cerámica, with Cristhian Stuani scoring for the latter at 54'. No further goals from either team ended the match 0-1.

       Eibar face Real Sociedad at Municipal de Ipurua, and the visitors opened the scoring as Willian José scored a penalty for them at 15'. Eibar's Marc Cardona leveled the score at 26', but the hero was Charles Dias, who won the game for them with a superb goal at 90+1'.

       Celta Vigo then stunned Atlético Madrid by beating them 2-0 at Balaídos. The first goal came from Maximiliano González at 46', while Iago Aspas added the second at 52'. Stefan Savić of Atlético received a red card at 70', and his team could not be in any more humiliation.

       Real Madrid won over Leganés at Santiago Bernabéu. Gareth Bale opened for the hosts at 17', however equalised by Guido Carrillo's penalty at 24'. But two goals from Karim Benzema at 48' and 61' and a penalty by captain Sergio Ramos at 66' ended the score 4-1 for Los Blancos.

       Levante drew with Valencia at Ciutat de València. Roger Martí opened for the hosts at 13', but was equalised by Denis Cheryshev 3 minutes later. Martí scored again at 33', but was equalised the second time by Daniel Parejo at 52' with a penalty, thus ending the match 2-2.

       Alavés defeated Espanyol at Mendizorroza. Though the visitors' Léo Baptistão scored one for them at 42' with a penalty, home goals from Borja Bastón at 57' and Rubén Sobrino 2 minutes later meant the hosts won 2-1.

       Barcelona then demolished newcomers Huesca, as they beat them heavily at Camp Nou. Cucho Hernández opened for Huesca at 3', but was equalised by Messi at 16'. Huesca's Jorge Pulido scored an own-goal at 24', while Luis Suárez added another at 39'. Alejandro Falguera scored the second for the visitors at 42', but goals from Ousmane Dembélé at 48', Ivan Rakitić at 52', Messi at 61', Jordi Alba at 81' and Suárez again at 90+3' meant the score ended 8-2 for Barça.

       Lastly, Real Betis won over Sevilla 1-0, with the only goal of the game coming from Joaquín at 80'.

UEFA Nations League: Match update (7-Sep-18)

       The inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League is underway and the teams look ready and prepared for an unusual season ahead. Here are the results of the matches played on 6th and 7th September, 2018:

Germany (0-0) France
Italy (1-1) Poland

Czechia (1-2) Ukraine
Wales (4-1) R. Ireland
Turkey (1-2) Russia

Slovenia (1-2) Bulgaria
Norway (2-0) Cyprus
Albania (1-0) Israel
Lithuania (0-1) Serbia
Romania (0-0) Montenegro

Kazakhstan (0-2) Georgia
Armenia (2-1) Liechtenstein
Latvia (0-0) Andorra
Gibraltar (0-2) Macedonia
Azerbaijan (0-0) Kosovo
Faroe Isl. (3-1) Malta

Inaugural season of UEFA Nations League

       The UEFA Nations League is a brand new biennial competition for the European nations to play in and show their abilities, other than the Euro and World Cup. This competition will mostly replace the international friendly matches organised by FIFA. 

This is how it works:

       All 55 teams from Europe are divided into 4 Divisions, namely League A, B, C and D, that are tiers of the Nations League. The top tier, League A, has 12 teams; League B 12 teams; League C 15 teams; and League D 16 teams. In each League, four groups are formed, with three or four teams in each group playing one another at home and away.

       In League A, the winners of the four groups will advance to the Nations League Finals, with two semi-finals and one final to decide the Nations League Champion. 

       Teams can also be promoted or relegated to a higher or lower League. Each group winner is promoted to the next League while each team finishing bottom of its group is relegated to the lower League.

       The teams in the League are as follows:

• League A:     Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.
• League B:     Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales.
• League C:     Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Montenegro, Norway, Romania, Scotland, Serbia and Slovenia.
• League D:     Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Gibraltar, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova and San Marino. 

       The UEFA Nations League will also be a qualification for the Euros and the World Cup, but here it has seen criticism for allowing weaker teams to compete in tournaments freely, such as from League D, instead of the regular qualification process. But the Nations League is a big breakthrough in European national football. Previously, friendly matches were hardly attended and this League may bring more spectators and, of course, financial profits. 

German Bundesliga: Matchday 2

 

Werder's Milot Rashica after scoring his extra-time winner against Eintracht.

     The German Bundesliga is up and running and though it only began last week, the amount and quality of action presented to the fans has been no less than before. As we head down Matchday 2, we see more drama, goals and stories pointing to a memorable season.

       The first match was played between Hannover 96 and Borussia Dortmund at Niedersachsenstadion. The hosts held Dortmund to a 0-0 draw, and denied them a second consecutive win. In fact, Hannover mostly dominated the ball with 57% possession and more passes. But not goals from either team ended the match as a draw.

       Hoffenheim then defeated Freiburg at Rhein-Neckar Arena. Dominique Heintz of Freiburg opened at 36', but two goals from Ádám Szalai at 50' and 63' handed the lead to the hosts. A late goal by Andrej Kramarić at 90+4' finished the score 3-1.

       Nürnberg then drew with Mainz at Frankenstadion. Jean-Philippe Mateta of Mainz scored the first goal at 25', but he was equalised by Mikael Ishak at 48'. As no further goals were scored, the match ended 1-1.

       Augsburg then also drew themselves with Mönchengladbach, with Michael Gregoritisch scoring for the hosts at 12' and Alassane Pléa scoring for the visitors at 68'. Though the stats were heavily sided with the visitors, they could only produce an equalising goal, finishing the match 1-1.

       Eintracht then lost to Werder Bremen in a nail-biting finish. Werder opened first as Yuya Osako scored at 20'. The pressure was added more as Eintracht's Jetro Willems received a red card at 32' for picking on an opponent. Werder were equalised quite late by Sébastien Haller at 54' with a penalty. But the winner for them came from Milot Rashica, who scored from a free-kick at 90+6'.

       Bayer then got defeated by Wolfsburg. Though the hosts lead first as Leon Bailey scored for them at 24', he was leveled by teammate Ramazan Özcan's own-goal at 36'. Wout Weghorst and Renato Steffen scored for Wolfsburg at 55' and 60' to end the match 3-1 for them.

       Stuttgart lost heavily to Bayern Munich, as Leon Goretzka opened with his first goal for the latter at 37'. Lewandowski added a second at 62' and Thomas Müller made it 3-0 at 76'.

       Leipzig held Fortuna to a draw in the Red Bull Arena, with Matthias Zimmermann scoring for the latter at 47' while Jean-Kévin Augustin equalising him at 68'. 

       Schalke 04 then suffered defeat at the hands of Hertha, with Ondrej Duda scoring for the visitors at 15' and 90+6'.

Italian Serie A: Matchday 3

 

Fabio Quagliarella (C) scores a back-heel goal against Napoli.

     With a new season for the Italians came a whole new bang of action, and after two dynamic Matchdays, the Serie A is far from settling down as we experience drama, shocks and excitement in the third Matchday.

       The opening match was played between AC Milan and Roma at San Siro. Milan lead first as Franck Kessié scored for them at 40', but he was soon equalised by Federico Fazio at 50'. The match went in stalemate through normal time but Patrick Cutrone saved Milan as he scored a brilliant extra-time goal at 90+5', thus earning Milan their first win of the season. They are now at 14th place with a win and a loss, while Roma sit at 9th with a win, a loss and a draw each.

       Bologna were then trodded-upon by Internazionale. Radja Nainggolan scored his first goal for new club Inter at 66', and thus opening the scoring of the match. Antonio Candreva added another at 82' while Ivan Perišić, in superb form after the World Cup, made it 3-0 at 84'. Inter got their first win and are now at 7th place with a win, a loss and a draw, while Bologna are at 18 with a draw and two losses.

       Parma were defeated by Juventus at Ennio Tardini, as Ronaldo stretched his goal-drought to another week. Mario Mandžukić opened for Juve at 2', but was equalised by Gervinho at 33'. Frenchman Blaise Matuidi shone for Juve as he scored the winner at 58', ending the match 1-2 for the hosts. Juventus are top of the table with three wins, while Parma sit at 17th place, having lost two and drawn one.

       Fiorentina eased past Udinese in a comfortable 1-0 victory at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Marco Benassi was the sole man on the scoresheet as he netted the ball in the 73rd minute, handing Fiorentina their second consecutive win. The latter are at 3rd place on the table, while the visitors are at the 11th spot with a win, a loss and a draw each.

       Atalanta were deprived of goals in their match against Cagliari. They have scored 7 goals so far, but this time they could not produce their magic and lost 0-1 to the Sardinians. The only goal of the match came from Nicolò Barella at 45'. Atalanta are at 6th place with one win, one draw and one loss, while Cagliari are six spots below with the same points, further back only due to smaller goal difference.

       Torino beat SPAL 1-0 at Olimpico di Torino. Nicolas Nkoulou scored the only goal of the match with a brilliant strike at 52'. This secured Torino's first win of the season, who are now at 10th place with a win, a draw and a loss, while SPAL sit at 4th place with a loss and two wins.

       Sampdoria then defeated Napoli in a shocking showdown. Grégoire Defrel opened the scoring at 11' for Sampdoria, and added a second at 32'. Fabio Quagliarella made it 3-0 at 75', and Sampdoria, who clinched their first win, now sit at 13th place with a win and a loss. Napoli, however, have dropped to the 5th spot, as this was their first defeat after two successful wins.

       But Sassuolu vs Genoa was arguably the most interesting match to watch. The scoring started with Krzysztof Piątek of Genoa scoring at 27'. Kevin-Prince Boateng equalised him 7 minutes later, while goals from Pol Lirola at 38' and Khouma Babacar at 41' made it 3-1 for the hosts. An own-goal by Genoa's Nicolás Spolli at 45+1' added to their misery while Gian Marco Ferrari made it 5-1 at 62'. But goals from Genoa's Goran Pandev at 70' and Piątek again at 83' meant the score ended 5-3.

       Chievo drew 0-0 with Empoli in a relatively passive match at Marcantonio Bentegodi. Empoli are now at 8th place with a win, a draw and a loss, while Chievo are bottom-of-the-table with two losses and a draw.

       Lastly, Lazio defeated Frosinone 1-0 at Stadio Olimpico, with the only goal of the game coming from Luis Alberto at 49'. Lazio are surprisingly down at 16th place with a win and two losses, while Frosinone are second-to-last with a draw and two losses.

French Ligue 1: Matchday 4

 

Marseille's Valere Germian celebrates his goal against Monaco.

     The 2018/19 season of the Ligue 1 Conforama got off to a pretty hefty start, with the first few matchdays being loaded with goals. Now the Ligue is starting to settle down and Matchday 4, as you expect, has been a little passive.

       In the first match, Lyon faced OGC Nice at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, and lost to the Niçoises. The only goal of the game came from Nice's Allan Saint-Maximin at 50', and no further goals from either team meant that the match ended 0-1. Lyon are now at 9th place with two wins and two losses, while Nice have climbed up to the 17th spot with their first win of the season.

       Nîmes then went against Paris Saint-Germain in an epic showdown. PSG opened first with Neymar at 36', while Ángel Di María added another as he netted the ball from a corner kick at 40'. However, a superb goal by Antonin Bobichon at 63' and a bullet penalty by Téji Savanier at 71' leveled the playfield again. But a goal by Kylian Mbappé of PSG made it 3-2 for them, and Edinson Cavani topped it all with a nice finish at 90+2'. Meanwhile, Mbappé and Savanier received red cards at 90+4' and 90+5' respectively.

       Strasbourg then got defeated by Nantes at Stade de la Meinau. Strasbourg opened with Ludovic Ajorque at 21', but an own-goal by his teammate Stefan Mitrović at 34' equalised the score. Lucas Evangelista of Nantes added the second for them at 45+2', while Emiliano Sala made it 3 at 59'. Strasbourg's Nuno da Costa scored at 81', but no further goals meant the match ended 2-3. Strasbourg and Nantes are at spots 15 and 16 on the table respectively.

       Angers eased past LOSC in a relatively passive match. The only goal was scored by Angers' Ismaël Traoré at 60', while his teammate Thomas Mangani received a red card 4 minutes later. LOSC received their first loss after 2 wins and a draw, and are now at 4th position. Angers, meanwhile, got their first win after 3 losses and now sit at the 18th spot.

       Dijon were trampled by Caen at Stade Gaston Gérard. Caen's Enzo Crivelli and Claudio Beauvue were the goalscorers, netting the ball at 21' and 90+4' respectively. Dijon are at 2nd place, having received their first loss after 3 opening wins, while Caen sit at 12th place with a win, a loss and 2 draws.

       Stade Reims lost to Montpellier 0-1, with the sole goal coming from Montpellier's Ambroise Oyongo at 77'. Stade Reims are at 11th place with 2 wins and 2 losses. Meanwhile, Montpellier are in 7th place with 2 wins and a loss and draw each.

       Gunigamp were beaten by Toulouse 1-2, with Max-Alain Gradel opening for the Violets at 2' and Ibrahim Sangaré at making it two at 12'. Marcus Thuram scored for Guingamp at 45', but only one goal from their side was not enough to at least draw the match. The latter are at bottom place with 4 losses, while Toulouse are 3rd with 3 wins and a loss.

        St-Étienne drew 0-0 with Amiens at Geoffroy-Guichard, even though the stats were purely one-sided towards them. They had 64% possession, more passes and more shots on goal, but no magic was created by either team. Thus, St-Étienne ended up at the 8th spot with a win and three draws, while Amiens are 14th with a win, a draw and two losses.

       Rennes won over Bordeaux which was the second home win of the Matchday. A goal each by Benjamin André at 12' and Rami Bensebaini at 16' meant the match ended 2-0. In the table, Rennes are at 6th place with 2 wins and a loss and draw each, while Bordeaux are 19th with a win and 3 losses.

       In the last but surely not the least action-packed match was played between Monaco and Marseille. The latter's Konstantinos Mitroglou opened the scoring at 45+1', but was equalised at 48' by Youri Tielemans. Monaco then took the lead as Radamel Falcao scored at 53', but goals from Florian Thauvin at 74' and Valére Germain at 89' meant that Marseille won 2-3. 

English Premier League: Matchday 4

Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette poses after his winner against Cardiff.

       As the players are now beginning to get used-to to the upcoming football season, the Barclays Premier League has now set its foundations as teams start battling for the top position on the table, while others battle to not get relegated. As we head down Matchday 4, things are looking a little spicy.

       The first match was played between Leicester City and Liverpool, and the latter lead first as Sadio Mané scored a quick-action goal at 10'. Roberto Firmino made it 2-0 at half-time, as he found the back of the net with ease. But a horrible mistake by Liverpool's keeper Alisson Becker allowed Rachid Ghezzal to score an easy goal at 63'. Liverpool won 2-1 and are still top of the table with 4 wins in 4 matches, while Leicester sit at 8 with 2 wins and 2 losses.

       Crystal Palace then got defeated by Southampton at Selhurst Park. Southampton scored two goals, one from Danny Ings at 47' and the other a late goal by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg at 90+2'. The visitors won 0-2, and are now at the 12th spot with a win, a draw and two lossed. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace sit in at the number 15 spot, three losses and only one win.

       Everton then drew with Huddersfield Town, with each of them scoring a goal for themselves. It was Huddersfield who led first, as Philip Billing scored at 34'. But he was equalised just two minutes later by Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The match ended as a 1-1 draw, which was Everton's third draw, who, along with a win, sit at 7th place, while Huddersfield are at the 17th spot.

       The next match between Brighton and Fulham was also a draw. André Schürrle of Fulham opened the scoring at 43', and his teammate Aleksandar Mitrović added the second at 62'. He was leveled, though, by two goals from Glenn Murray, one at 67' and the other at 84' on a penalty. This draw meant that Brighton and Fulham are now at the 14th and 13th place on the table respectively.

       Chelsea continued their win-streak under Sarri, as they won over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge. The first goal came late in the second half as Chelsea's Pedro netted the ball at 72'. Belgian Eden Hazard made it 2-0 at 85', as he shot the ball home from a rather close angle. Chelsea are at 2nd place on the table, behind only Liveprool due to smaller goal difference. Bournemouth, however, are surprisingly high at 6th place, with 2 wins and a loss and draw each.

       West Ham lost to Wolverhampton 0-1, with the only goal coming from Adam Traoré at 90+3'. If the match ended in a draw, Wolves would have seen their third draw with no win. But the stoppage-time goal by Traoré handed them their first win of the season and 11th place on the table, while West Ham are at the bottom of the table with 4 losses in 4 matches.

       Manchester City beat Newcastle at Etihad Stadium. Raheem Sterling of City opened the scoring with a goal at 8', only to be equalised by DeAndre Yedlin at 30'. But Kyle Walker struck for Man City and he scored the winning goal at 52' from a brilliant long-range strike. City are now at 4th place on the table, having won 3 and drawn one game. Newcastle are in peril, now at 18th place, with three losses and a draw and still winless.

       Wales' only team in the Premier League, Cardiff, were beaten by Arsenal, under new manager Unai Emry, in a spectacular showdown at Cardiff City Stadium. Shkodran Mustafi of Arsenal opened at 11', but was equalised by Víctor Camarasa at 45+2'. Aubameyang then scored for the Gunners at 62'. but he too was equalised by Cardiff's Danny Ward at 70'. Then the winner came for Arsenal as Alexandre Lacazette scored at 81', thus handing them their second win after two opening losses and a number 9 spot on the table. Cardiff, however, are at 16th place.

       Watford stunned Pochettino's Tottenham as they defeated them 2-1, and thus ending their win-streak. Watford fell behind at first, with Abdoulaye Doucouré scoring an own-goal at 53'. But they came back, and goals from Troy Deeney at 69' and Craig Cathcart at 76' secured their fourth consecutive win. They are now at 3rd place, behind Liverpool and Chelsea, while Tottenham have fell to the 5th spot, with 3 wins and a loss.

       Burnley were defeated by Manchester United at Turf Moor. Romelu Lukaku of the Red Devils struck two times at 27' and 44' and the match ended 0-2. Man United are now at the 10th spot, having won two and lost two, while Burnley are in a dangerous spot at 18th place with three losses and a draw.