TOP of the Weekend
La Liga Weekend Roundup
Alaves lead La Liga, and no, the table is not in alphabetical order! Getafe, who are Spain’s MMA outfit, had Kiko Femenia sent off in the first half, making way for three second-half goals by Quique Sanchez-Flores’ men, with Real Madrid old boy Mariano Diaz scoring and assisting late on to secure the W.
Espanyol run riot in Catalunya, beating Levante UD 3-0 with 2 first-half goals from Roberto in a game that was all one-way traffic. Roberto had seven La Liga goals last season, but can now claim to be the weekend’s Pichichi. Levante, on this initial showing, have a task on their hands to stay in the Primera Division.
Newly promoted Racing did well to hold the Yellow Submarine to a 2-2 draw on a warm afternoon in Santander, with Sergio Martinez (Santander-born and raised) and Nicholas Pepe both scoring early goal of the month contenders with two absolute bangers for either team.
Sevilla made hard work of Madrid outfit Rayo Vallecano after going down to a peculiar defensive blunder. Credit to them for leveling and winning the game with a late penalty by Peque, after they had Kike Salas sent off in the 87th minute. Mental fortitude that will hold them in good stead for the upcoming season, considering they had very bad defensive showings last term.
From the four games played, it seems like it will be an early season of goals and mistakes as players play themselves into better fitness. Legs are naturally heavy, and with that, mistakes make for a bit of chaos. A lovely token for the neutral, but a painful watch for the devout fan. All in all, we are in it for the long haul!
Further afield...
Arsenal wiped the floor with a disjointed-looking Manchester City side in Cardiff, a Community Shield fixture that was played away from the traditional Wembley venue, apparently because The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) was playing there over the weekend.
Legohead Arteta’s men cut through City in 24 seconds as Calafiori latched onto a dime of a pass by Miles Lewis-Skelly. It was a horrendous outing by the giant Gigio Donnarumma, as he let Kai Havertz’s weak header trickle underneath him, and seemed to take the 23rd Psalm too seriously as Gunners captain Martin Odegaard madeth him lie in green pastures to seal a conclusive three-to-nothing win.
Enzo Maresca now has a job on his hands to instill confidence in his charges and dispel claims that he is Pep Guardiola from Jumia, after Arsenal laid down a marker for the new season, making them Premier League favourites.
