AC Milan’s unbeaten start to the year in Serie A continued with a 1-0 victory over Napoli at the San Siro.
Scudetto champions Napoli have failed to match the form which saw them win the title last season and were beaten by Theo Hernandez’s first-half strike.
The France international latched onto Rafael Leao’s through ball and fired into the bottom corner to secure Milan a sixth win in seven league games.
Fiorentina snapped a three-game winless run with a crushing 5-1 victory over Frosinone.
The hosts were out of sight by half-time through goals from Andrea Belotti, Jonathan Ikone and Lucas Martinez.
Nicolas Gonzalez made it four eight minutes into the second half and Antonin Barak completed the rout after Luca Mazzitelli’s brilliant free-kick had pulled one back for Frosinone.
Bologna’s quest for European football continued in style with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Lecce.
Sam Beukema put the hosts 1-0 up before Riccardo Orsolini bagged a brace and Jens Odgaard added a fourth with eight minutes to go to give Bologna back-to-back wins.
Atalanta earned a fourth consecutive Serie A win with a 4-1 triumph over Genoa.
Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring in the 22nd minute but Ruslan Malinovskyi levelled things up in the second half.
However, Genoa were not level for long as Teun Koopmeiners fired Atalanta back in front and stoppage-time goals from Davide Zappacosta and El Bilal Toure made it 4-1.
Hellas Verona picked up a vital point in their fight for survival with a goalless draw at Monza.
In LaLiga, Barcelona slipped 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid after twice coming from behind to draw 3-3 with Granada.
Lamine Yamal’s opener was cancelled out by Ricard Sanchez two minutes before the break and Granada took the lead in the second half when on-loan Manchester United midfielder Facundo Pellistri bundled into an empty net at the back post.
Robert Lewandowski crashed in his 15th goal of the campaign on the hour but Granada regained the lead three minutes later, only for 16-year-old Yamal to rescue a point for Barcelona with 10 minutes to go.
Sevilla pulled six points clear of the relegation places with a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, who also lost further ground in the title race.
The winner came in the 15th minute when Lucas Ocampos flicked a header on for Isaac Romero to nod in at the back post.
Rayo Vallecano slipped to a fourth defeat in five as Vedat Muriqi scored a last-minute winner to earn Mallorca a 2-1 win, while Jaime Mata also left it late to snatch Getafe a dramatic 3-2 victory over Celta Vigo.
In Ligue 1, Denis Zakaria scored twice as Monaco moved a point behind second-placed opponents Nice with a 3-2 victory.
Zakaria put Monaco in front with a 30-yard screamer before Gaetan Laborde equalised, but the Swiss midfielder bagged his second of the night five minutes after the break.
Nice’s hopes of taking anything from the game diminished when Dante was handed a straight red card for a late challenge on Takumi Minamino.
But Evann Guessand did manage to level, only for Aleksandr Golovin to nick a winner.
Fourth-placed Brest were held to a 1-1 draw by rock-bottom Clermont Foot as both sides were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages.
Lyon came from behind to beat Montpellier 2-1 and earn a second successive win as second-half goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Maxence Caqueret cancelled out Armaud Nordin’s opener.
Goals from Mohamed Bamba and Tiemoue Bakayoko boosted Lorient’s survival hopes as they ran out 2-0 winners over Reims.
Nantes moved above opponents Toulouse with a 2-1 victory after goals from Mostafa Mohamed and Tino Kadewere put them two up before Thijs Dallinga scored a consolation late on.
Benjamin Bourigeaud struck on the hour to give Rennes earned a fifth straight win – 1-0 over Le Havre.
In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart kept their bid for Champions League football on course with a 3-1 win against Mainz.
Maximilian Mittelstadt, Jamie Leweling and on-loan Brighton striker Deniz Undav gave the hosts a commanding three-goal lead before Ludovic Ajorque grabbed a consolation as Mainz slipped to an 11th game without a win.
Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramaric snatched a last-gasp equaliser to cancel out Max Finkgrafe’s 79th-minute opener to deny Cologne three vital points in their survival bid as the two sides drew 1-1.
Milan 3-3 Genoa: Thiaw own goal denies Rossoneri in six-goal thriller
Milan were pegged back to a thrilling 3-3 draw by Genoa in Serie A on Sunday.
Second-half goals from Matteo Gabbia and Olivier Giroud put Milan on course for victory, but a late own goal from Malick Thiaw rescued a point for the visitors.
Genoa's Mateo Retegui converted a penalty five minutes in, but Milan equalised just before half-time through an Alessandro Florenzi header.
The visitors regained the lead three minutes into the second half, however, when Caleb Ekuban sent a towering header home.
Milan turned the game around in three minutes, as Gabbia headed home in the 72nd and Giroud scored the hosts' third of the match with a volley from an acute angle.
Yet Genoa continued to push and a cross into the Milan box was inadvertently turned into his own net by defender Thiaw.
Second-placed Milan have 71 points, six ahead of Juventus who play later on Sunday. Genoa are 12th with 43 points.
Data Debrief: Like a fine wine
Age really is just a number for Milan's veteran campaigner Giroud, who has scored 14 goals in Serie A this season.
It is his highest tally in a single league campaign since netting 16 for Arsenal in the Premier League in 2015-16.
Reggae Girlz forward Jody Brown graduates from Florida State University
Reggae Girl and Florida State University soccer star Jody Brown celebrated a significant milestone this past weekend as she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Humanities. At just 22 years old, Brown has achieved remarkable success both on the soccer field and in her academic pursuits.
Brown was among 101 student-athletes who graduated from FSU between last Friday and Saturday.
During her time at Florida State, Brown played a pivotal role in securing two National Division 1 Soccer titles in 2021 and 2023, adding to her impressive list of accolades. She was also part of four ACC Division One championship-winning teams in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, highlighting her exceptional talent and contribution to collegiate soccer.
Brown's impact extended beyond the field, as she excelled academically, culminating in her graduation this year. Reflecting on her university experience, Brown took to Instagram to express her gratitude and nostalgia: "Four years of unforgettable memories, lessons, and lifelong friendships. Thank you Florida State University."
Her Instagram post garnered warm congratulations from fellow Reggae Girlz teammates, including Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, Kiki van Zanten, and Tiffany Cameron. Jamaican track and field icon Veronica Campbell Brown, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 200m, also joined in celebrating Brown's achievement.
Brown's journey from representing Jamaica at the age of 16 to competing in the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2019 and 2023 underscores her dedication and talent both on and off the field. As she embarks on the next chapter of her career, Brown's achievements serve as an inspiration to aspiring athletes and scholars alike, demonstrating the power of determination, resilience, and academic excellence in pursuit of one's goals.
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-5 Bayer Leverkusen: Alonso's champions roll on
Bayer Leverkusen extended their unbeaten streak as they secured a 5-1 away victory at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
The result leaves champions Leverkusen at the summit with 84 points, while Frankfurt sit sixth with 45.
Leverkusen's record unbeaten run, meanwhile, has now extended to 48 matches across all competitions.
Xabi Alonso's team opened the scoring through Granit Xhaka's bending strike from outside the box after 12 minutes.
Hugo Ekitike's perfectly timed header restored parity just after the half-hour mark, however.
Leverkusen retook the lead just before half-time through Patrik Schick's towering header.
It was 3-1 in the 58th minute, Exequiel Palacios converting a penalty after Niels Nkounkou pulled Nathan Tella by the shirt.
Jeremie Frimpong added a fourth for the visitors with 13 minutes remaining, tapping in from short distance, before the wing-back played a key role in Leverkusen's fifth, winning a penalty which was put away by Victor Boniface.
Data Debrief: Club history for free-scoring Leverkusen
Leverkusen have now scored 82 goals in this Bundesliga season, a new season record for the Werkself in the top flight.
They also lead the Bundesliga for the most goals from long-distance (11), most goals from set-pieces (23) and most goals in the final 15 minutes of matches (19).
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