TOP of the Weekend
La Liga Roundup
Matchday 4 in La Liga has come and gone, and with it, some pertinent takeaways with some predictable results and some off-the-left-field. The action started with big boys Madrid playing in front of 60k fans at La Cartuja in Betis, a ground they have found no joy in and last won at in 2021. Irish international Troy Parrott scored in the 81st minute to hand Jose Mourinho his first loss of the new campaign.
Madrid had gilt-edged chances to put this tie to bed, but profligacy, mainly from Kylian Mbappe, played a part in Madrid leaving with 0 points, as the Frenchman missed a late penalty kick. Marc Bartra encroached as the spot kick was taken, but KyKy from Bondy needs to finish his dinner—no excuses, as the Capital side dropped vital points. Vini Jr, however, looks to be back to his menacing best as he took on and beat Betis’ defence at will, only to be thwarted at the last. The Merengues will have to polish up their act as they face Italian Champions Inter in the UCL midweek.
Elsewhere, at the Mestalla, Valencia soaked five goals as Barca cruised to a dominant win, with Lamine Yamal once again showing he is coming into form with a couple of goals, and new signing Anthony Gordon showing how quickly he has adapted to life in Catalunya, assisting Fermin Lopez’s goal. Valencia fans have been bemoaning the ownership of Billionaire Peter Lim, as their struggles continue. They must turn their fortunes around for a club that is much celebrated, but has struggled to hit the heights of the early 2000s.
Alaves demolished Osasuna by five goals to two, but special mention has to go to the Lions of Athletic Club who put in a stellar performance to blank out Loco Cholo’s Atletico Madrid by three goals to nil at San Mames. The headlines should go to the winning team who were vertical and terrorized Atleti’s defence, but they will also shine a spotlight on wantaway Atleti forward Julian Alvarez, who was subbed in at around the hour mark, and put in a tepid shift before leaving the pitch in tears amidst rumours of the mental hardships he has been facing since he was denied a move to Barcelona.
It remains to be seen how Atleti as an establishment deal with Julian, but hopefully, he can get past his summer woes to fire the Mattress Makers into a respectable league finish. 3-2 was a common score this last weekend, as Super Depor came back to beat Villareal at the Ceramica, Rayo winning by the same scoreline vs Racing Santander, and with Kenyan Job Ochieng bagging a goal and two assists to help La Real beat a spirited Elche side to round up the weekend’s fixtures.
Further afield
Continental football is back on the menu, with some mouthwatering clashes on the horizon. The Yellow Submarine face the Black and Yellow of BVB on Tuesday night, but the headline fixture has to be Madrid vs Inter at The Bernabeu. Madrid come off the first loss in the Mourinho era, and face an Inter side that came from two goals down vs Napoli to scoop all three points over the weekend, a tantalizing prospect of Mourinho facing his former employers, with whom he had great success and won the treble in 2010.
On Wednesday night, a wounded Atleti side go away to Anfield to face Liverpool, with the Merseyside outfit having Alex Isak to rely on. The Swedish striker bagged a double in the weekend win over Ipswich Town. Napoli, who lost to Inter, host English Champions Arsenal, who beat Chelsea 2-1over the weekend to make a perfect start to the PL season with three wins from three. Last year’s finalists Arsenal look like they will take some stopping though, as they seek to go one further and lift a trophy that has eluded them. And so it begins, another European adventure…
