The LA Galaxy thrashed the Colorado Rapids 5-0 in their MLS playoff opener, with Dejan Loveljic and Riqui Puig scoring twice each.

In Saturday's first contest of a best-of-three series, the Galaxy, who finished second behind Los Angeles FC in the Western Conference, made light work of the Rapids.

Loveljic opened the scoring in the 32nd minute at Dignity Health Sports Park, heading in from Puig's corner.

John Nelson coolly put Galaxy 2-0 up early in the second half, with Puig grabbing his first two minutes later to put them out of sight, with Loveljic the provider on that occasion.

Loveljic doubled up when he finished from a rebounded attempt by Gabriel Pec, who subsequently turned provider for Puig to slot in a fifth late on.

The Rapids must now beat the Galaxy next week if they are to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

Data Debrief: Home comforts

The Galaxy have now won 31 of their 37 all-time home playoff matches, including the last 10 in a row.

Indeed, the Galaxy have not lost a home playoff game since a 1-0 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes in 2012.

The Rapids, meanwhile, have lost their last eight away postseason matches, scoring just three goals in those games. 

Hansi Flick is loving his time at Barcelona as he celebrated a resounding 4-0 success over Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Flick's side ran out convincing victors at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice in quick succession before Lamine Yamal and Raphinha sealed the result.

Barca snapped a four-game losing streak against their fiercest rivals, while they also ended Madrid's hopes of matching their LaLiga-record unbeaten run of 43 games, which was set under Ernesto Valverde in 2018.

The Blaugrana's win came on the back of a 4-1 thrashing of Flick's former club Bayern Munich, and the ex-Germany coach is enjoying life at Barca.

"I'm delighted to be working at Barcelona and to live in Barcelona," he said after collecting his 10th LaLiga win from 11 games this season.

"It's a fantastic job, I'm very happy.

"We have played a fantastic game and I am so proud.

"We pressed better with and without the ball [in the second half]. We had more possession and that's why the game changed."

Barca's high line was a key factor in their victory, with Madrid caught offside eight times in the first half alone, with Kylian Mbappe in particular struggling to stay on the right side of the defence.

"The defensive effort was key," Flick added.

"We have trained a lot on how to defend with a high line and on how we want to press on the ball. It's also important not to leave spaces when you play Real Madrid because they have incredible players.

"I think we are doing well. We are sticking to our idea and right now we are fluid and we want to move forward."

Lewandowski has now scored 10 goals in 16 meetings with Madrid in all competitions, while he has already netted 14 times in LaLiga this term.

"We are very happy, very happy. To win here like this is a great victory," Lewandowski told DAZN.

"The season is long, but this victory can help us with a lot more, with confidence and football. So far we haven't won anything, but the important thing is that we have a clear idea, we know where we want to go on."

Everton showed an "endless desire" in their draw against Fulham that pleased Sean Dyche, though Marco Silva bemoaned an "unfair" draw at Goodison Park.

Former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi put Fulham, managed by ex-Toffees boss Silva, on course for victory in the Premier League on Saturday.

Yet Iwobi's neat 61st-minute finish was cancelled out when Everton substitute Beto headed home deep into added time to salvage a 1-1 draw for the hosts, who are now unbeaten in five league matches, which is their longest such run under Dyche.

Fulham had 60.3% possession and 14 shots to Everton's 10, while also mustering 1.25 expected goals (xG) to the Toffees' 0.79, though Dyche's team did have five shots on target to the visitors' three. 

Everton also had a goal disallowed after Dominic Calvert-Lewin strayed offside before tucking in the rebound from an Idrissa Gueye shot that hit the bar in the first half, albeit Fulham were largely untroubled otherwise.

Dyche knows Everton were not at their best, but was delighted with the grit that was on display to claw out a leveller.

He told Sky Sports: "The mentality is growing, you have to have that in the Premier League.

"We know we're not the real deal, but on a day when we weren't close to where I want us to be, we got a point and kept going and the mentality stayed strong to make sure we did that.

"We've had to grind, had to find a way, that’s sometimes the way the Premier League is. We didn't deserve to win, but we nicked a draw, and have that endless desire to get something from the game. I was really pleased with that side of things."

Silva, meanwhile, insisted his side deserved the points.

"The best team was Fulham, from the first minute until the last minute of the game. We controlled all the game, with the ball, in our way," he told Sky Sports.

"We had three or four clear chances in the first half, and the second half was the same story. When we scored the first, we should have killed the game. We had the chances to score and kill the game and it would have been much more difficult for them.

"They were really lucky – we should have defended it better, that moment inside the box. Our defenders should be there, to control that situation, but the result was really unfair to my players. It's clear we were the better team on the pitch."

Fulham have scored the opening goal in seven Premier League games this season.

However, Fulham have now dropped 10 points from winning positions – only Brentford (11) have lost more.

Michel acknowledged the impact of the rigorous schedule on his Girona players following a loss at Las Palmas on Saturday.

Last season's third-placed team experienced a 1-0 defeat against struggling Las Palmas, with a first-half goal from Alex Munoz proving decisive.

The result left Girona languishing in 13th place in the standings.

And Michel conceded a demanding schedule, which includes Champions League games in Girona's maiden European campaign, is taking its toll.

"I have a lot of faith in all the players, and I believe we competed very well in the first half," Michel said.

"I can't make substitutions due to the lack of available players. That's the main issue.

"The credit goes to [Las Palmas] for winning a match at a lower rhythm than they usually have with the ball, yet remaining solid," Michel concluded.

Girona will play CD Extremadura in the first round of Copa del Rey on Wednesday, before they take on Leganes in LaLiga.

Kemps Hill High and Ocho Rios registered the widest margin of victory to kick start the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata daCosta Cup round of 16, as both secured 5-0 scorelines over Alphansus Davis High and Happy Grove, respectively, on Saturday.

The win by Kemps Hill saw them take pole position in Zone One ahead of Garvey Maceo and St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS), who played out a 1-1 stalemate. Alphansus Davis is the early cellar dweller.

Ocho Rios’ win also put them tops in Zone Three ahead of the in-form Glenmuir High, who were 4-0 winners over Dinthill Technical.

Meanwhile, reigning champions Clarendon College were held to a 1-1 stalemate by Frome Technical in Zone 2. That result allowed Munro College to grab early pole in the zone after they registered a  4-1 win over Cornwall College.

Saturday’s results

Frome Tech 1, Clarendon College 1

Kemps Hill 5, Alphansus Davis High 0

STETHS 1, Garvey Maceo 1

Happy Grove 0, Ocho Rios High 5

Munro College 4, Cornwall College 1

McGrath High 3, Denbigh High 2

Central High 3, Manchester High 1

Glenmuir High 4, Dinthill Technical 0

Former champions Kingston College continued their rich scoring form in the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Digicel Manning Cup as they hammered Hydel High 6-1 to kick start the second round in a dominant manner at Stadium East on Saturday.

Having tallied 71 goals in the first round of the competition, Kingston College showed that they are by no means scored out as they overwhelmed a timid-looking Hydel unit with consummate ease.

Deshawn Byfield led the way with a brace in the 36th and 77th minutes, while Kamaul Patterson (8th), Kvist Paul (20th), Shereef Ricketts (57th), and Zaire Douse (86th) got the others.

Captain Ronaldo Barrett (72nd) got Hydel's consolation from the penalty spot.

The win pushed Kingston College into pole position in Group Three, ahead of St Andrew Technical (STATHS) and Wolmer's Boys on a point each. Hydel will have to play catch up from the foot of the four-team standing as only the top two progress to the quarterfinals.

Winning coach Vassell Reynolds attributed their performance to proper preparation and efficient execution.

"We spoke about our goalscoring exploits, and we rode on it today; we had no doubt that we would have created opportunities; it's just a matter of whether we would have made good use of them, and we did that very well. One of the other contributors to this win is the fact that we were well prepared for this; we did some work against our opponents, and it worked well, and I'm proud of the youngsters," Reynolds said.

It was expected to be a more competitive encounter, and the manner in which Hydel started hinted at that possibility, as Shannon Power got off their first warning shot from close range in the sixth minute.

However, Kingston College quickly found their rhythm and broke the deadlock two minutes later when Patterson headed home at the far post from Jaeshawn Edwards' weighted corner kick.

As the heavy rains poured down, Kingston College unlocked the floodgates, and before Hydel could catch their breaths, they were hit again in the 20th when Paul converted a free header at the far post from another weighted cross, this time from captain Kimani Reece in the 20th.

It should have been three minutes later as Byfield went on the break down the right channel and played a pass across the face of goal, but Damaine Smith failed to apply the finishing touch from close range.

Kingston College again went close in the 26th when Patterson rifled one from a distance, but Daquan Jemison, in goal for Hydel, did well to parry.

The North Street boys inevitably increased their tall courtesy of the menacing Byfield, who tucked away an effort from deep inside the 18-yard box to make it 3-0 at the break.

With a handsome lead under their belt, Kingston College gradually eased up on the resumption, but such was the lack of resistance from Hydel that they continued to score at will. The fourth goal came 12 minutes after the break when Ricketts drove a left-footer past substitute keeper Idrian Robinson.

Hydel eventually showed some semblance of like in attack and pulled one back when captain Barrett converted from the 12-yard spot.

But it was back to regular proceedings for Kingston College two minutes later when Byfield finished a rebound after Robinson pushed Ricketts' initial effort into his path.

And as if things couldn't get any worse for Hydel, Douse, with his first touch mere seconds after coming onto the pitch, drove home a delightful strike on the volley from the top of the 18-yard box after Robinson's weak punch fell perfectly into his path.

Hydel's Head coach, Devon Anderson, was bitterly disappointed with the outcome.

"This is definitely not how we wanted to start the second round but we failed to contest the crosses coming into the box and so we were left with the bitter end of the stick. Football is a game of competing with and for the ball and we didn't do that; Kingston College did so kudos to them," Anderson stated.

Saturday's results

Jamaica College 3, Calabar 3

Eltham 2, Excelsior 3

Kingston College 6, Hydel 1

Campion College 3, St George’s College 0

St Catherine 1, Charlie Smith 0

Tivoli Gardens 5, Jonathan Grant 0

Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid will not "throw everything in the trash" despite losing the first Clasico of the season 4-0 to a rampant Barcelona side at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid suffered their first league defeat since September 2023 – when they went down 3-1 to Atletico Madrid – on Saturday, as Robert Lewandowski netted twice and was joined on the scoresheet by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

Los Blancos fell just short of equalling the longest unbeaten run in the history of LaLiga, a 43-match streak by Ernesto Valverde's Barcelona between 2017 and 2018.

They are now six points adrift of the Blaugrana at the top of LaLiga, but Ancelotti is choosing to remain calm, recalling that his side lost another Clasico by the same scoreline in their double-winning season of 2021-22.

"We don't have to throw everything in the trash, we have to forget the last 30 minutes," he said. 

"It does not reflect what happened on the field. We couldn't get ahead on the scoreboard and they took advantage. The game, until the first goal, was very even and we had more chances.

"We already lost 4-0 here to Barca and won LaLiga and the Champions League. We won't be far from last season." 

Madrid were continually caught out by Barca's high line, being caught offside eight times in the first half alone, with Kylian Mbappe being flagged eight times throughout the game.

Ancelotti said Madrid had chosen to target Barca's defence with balls in behind after watching them play a high line in Wednesday's Champions League win over Bayern Munich.

"It was known that they use the high line and we almost didn't take advantage of it. He had chances and sometimes he was offside," Ancelotti added of Mbappe.

"But we had three or four opportunities where they needed more success. I don't regret our approach. We did have opportunities. 

"It's a tough moment, as always when you lose. And even more so when you do it after so many games unbeaten."

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler accused his team of a lack of professionalism after they squandered a 2-0 lead with two minutes of the 90 remaining versus Wolves.

The Seagulls were on course for their fifth win of the season when goals from Danny Welbeck and Evan Ferguson gave them a comfortable lead, only for a remarkable collapse to cost them at the death.

Rayan Ait-Nouri halved Wolves' deficit in the 88th minute, then Brighton missed a glorious four-on-one chance at one end and conceded a stoppage-time equaliser seconds later, Matheus Cunha powering home to double Wolves' points tally for the campaign.

It was the first time Brighton had failed to win a Premier League game after leading by two goals since a 3-3 draw with Liverpool in October 2022, and Hurzeler has demanded they learn from the experience.

"We were not clean enough in the defending during the last 10 minutes. We were too passive and not professional enough to finish the game in an ugly way," Hurzeler said.

"We haven't managed this today, so we have to learn from it. Hopefully we learn quickly but how to manage a game and win in an ugly way is a big topic for us. 

"It is important to also have bad experiences because if you only have good experiences, you won't grow personally. 

"In these moments, you can show your character and you can show how strong you are. You can lift yourself up and show a reaction."

The result could prove to be a pivotal one for Wolves boss Gary O'Neil, who had come under pressure after a difficult start to the season, with his team already having faced Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City this term.

"Obviously coming back late gives everyone a lift. It was something we deserved from the game," O'Neil said. 

"It looked very unlikely at 85 minutes, of course, when we'd just gone 2-0 down, but in the second half we were the dominant side. 

"To come here with where they are in the league, how well they've done against some really good sides recently, the players they have, the money they've spent in the summer... to come and be the better side for 45 minutes, the players deserve an awful lot of credit.

"We went about it in a strange way, but as it is at the moment, we decide to try and do it the hard way, and it ended up a little bit crazy at the end.

"But I'm delighted for the boys, because they've had some tough, tough breaks, some deflections go against us – [Fabian] Schar and the last-minute goal at the weekend."

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said his side were made to pay for "soft" defending against Werder Bremen.

Bremen twice came from a goal down to snatch a point and leave Leverkusen with a third draw from their last four league games.

Victor Boniface, returning to action after sustaining a hand injury in a car crash last week, opened the scoring in Saturday's Bundesliga contest, yet Marvin Ducksch restored parity midway through the second half.

Felix Agu's own goal put Leverkusen back in front, but late on, Romano Schmid fired in an equaliser.

"The fact that Werder could come back was down to both sides," Alonso said. "We were too soft in defending and they used their chances.

"We can and must defend better. At the moment we are missing a bit of stability. When we win it back then we will improve.

"At the end of the day we cannot be satisfied having twice wasted a lead.

"It is not the first time this has happened to us this season. There are things we need to correct."

Leverkusen's latest slip-up in the league has left them five points off leaders RB Leipzig in third place.

They also drew 1-1 at Brest in the Champions League on Wednesday.

"This feels like crap," said central defender Jonathan Tah. "Like a defeat. We just have to keep defending until the last second.

"The goals we let in were frustrating. I feel responsible. But we will get the chance to silence those talking about us now." 

Jamaica College and Calabar High had a positive start to the second round of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Digicel Manning Cup as they played out an entertaining 3-3 stalemate in Group Four at Stadium East on Saturday.

Many-time champions Jamaica College entered the contest slightly favoured and had their goals from Jahmarly Bennett (10th), Nashordo Gibbs (16th), and a 75th-minute own-goal from Calabar's Damano Blackwood.

But it is Calabar, contesting the second round of the tournament for the first time in many years, that left happiest, as they got goals from Obryan Marks (4th), Kevaun Campbell (59th), and the talismanic Jaheim Rankine (90+1) to secure a share of the spoils.

With the result, both teams sit joint top of the group on a point, with Charlie Smith and St Catherine doing battle in the late group contest.

Calabar's Head coach Andrew Price was delighted at the manner in which his team stepped up to the challenge.

"We told the youngsters to continue to fight; we have been underdogs all season because people didn't expect us to be where we are right now but we came out here and we fought and showed some character. We believe in ourselves and we believe we can get results against good teams.

"I told the team we are stepping up in class and we will be up against good teams and Jamaica College is an excellent team. So to get a points out of this must be a plus for us going into the remainder of the round," Price said in a post-match interview.

It was a frantic start for the boys from Red Hills Road, as they stunned their more fancied rivals when Marks unleashed a one-time effort from a distance that caught Jamaica College's custodian Nathaniel Aiken off his line.

However, the lead lasted a mere six minutes, as Bennett pulled Jamaica College level with his fourth goal of the season from the penalty spot after Amarlie King was taken out inside the area.

The game continued at a decent tempo as Jamaica College grabbed the ascendancy six minutes later when Gibbs well-taken free kick from way out eluded all and sundry and bounced into the net for his eighth of the season.

They should have added another in the 43rd, but Gibbs dragged his right-footer wide of the target after doing well to dismiss his marker.

Minutes later, Giovanni Taylor went on the break, but he too failed to maintain his composure and fired high and wide.

The Old Hope Road boys enjoying a decent passage of play had another chance to add to their tally before the break. However, Omari Grant, in goal for Calabar, did well to deny Jabarie Howell from close range.

Both teams continued to trade blows on the resumption as Calabar pulled level on the stroke of the hour-mark when Campbell arrived in time to tap in from close range after Aiken spilled Jaiquan Stewarts's cross.

However, the 'Dark Blues' again stuck the nose in front when Gibbs' attempted cross was turned in by the hapless Blackwood to put Jamaica College 3-2 up.

With their motto stating 'the utmost to the highest,' Calabar didn't relent and just when it seemed as Jamaica College had the three points in the bag, Rankine came to the fore with a lovely left-footed drive that took a wicked deflection to steal a point for his team in time added.

Jamaica College's assistant coach Raymond Watson rued his team's wastefulness.

"It's three points lost than a point gained. I thought we had many moments to put away the game, especially in the first half and we just gave it up. We kept doing individual things instead of playing for the team and that cost us in the end," Watson noted.

Saturday's early results

Jamaica College 3, Calabar 3

Eltham 2, Excelsior 3

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said his side deserved the win after they were pegged back in a late 1-1 draw by Bournemouth in the Premier League. 

Coming on the back of a 2-0 defeat of Bologna – their third straight win in the Champions League which propelled them to the top of the 36-team table – Villa were frustrated by a brilliant goalkeeping display from Mark Travers. 

But they found a way past the 25-year-old custodian in the 76th minute when Ross Barkley came off the bench to turn in a ball from Leon Bailey. 

The Cherries, however, had the final say at Villa Park as Evanilson glanced a Marcus Tavernier free-kick into the net to salvage a point for the visitors in the sixth minute of stoppage time. 

The result left Spanish tactician Emery frustrated as Villa were held to a third draw in four league matches, despite an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.8 and several attempts on target against the visitors on Saturday. 

"We played a fantastic match. We played I think the best minutes since the start of the season. The first half we controlled the game, but we didn't score, or when we did it was a no goal,” Emery told Sky Sports. 

"The second half we started even better than the first half. We were pushing, dominating, creating chances. The goalkeeper was saving a lot of times.

"We scored the goal, fantastic, but we didn't manage the last 10 minutes. They scored at the last moment and we have to accept it.

Barcelona crushed rivals Real Madrid 4-0 in the first Clasico of the season to move six points clear at the top of LaLiga and halt Los Blancos' year-long unbeaten run.

Madrid entered Saturday's game hoping to equal the longest unbeaten run in LaLiga history – a streak of 43 games set by Ernesto Valverde's Barcelona between 2017 and 2018.

However, they were blown away in front of a stunned Santiago Bernabeu crowd as Robert Lewandowski scored twice in two second-half minutes, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha later joining him on the scoresheet.

While Carlo Ancelotti's side slumped to their first league defeat since September 2023, Hansi Flick's Barca made a statement regarding their title aspirations, recording their 10th win in 11 games this campaign.

Madrid were on the front foot early on, though they were continually caught out by Barcelona's offside trap. Mbappe dragged one shot wide after going too early, then saw another shot clawed off the line by Inaki Pena before the flag went up again.

Mbappe broke clear to chip Pena on the half-hour mark, but his celebrations were short-lived as the flag went up once more. 

The momentum switched after half-time, though, and Barca made the breakthrough nine minutes after the restart as Lewandowski took in Marc Casado's pass before finishing low from the edge of the area.

Lewandowski had his second just over two minutes later, directing a wonderful header into the bottom-right corner after being picked out by Alejandro Balde.

Madrid desperately sought a response as Pena denied Mbappe with a one-on-one save, while Lewandowski missed two golden chances for a hat-trick, clipping the post with the goal gaping then blazing over from a tight angle.

But Barca did get their third when Raphinha sent Yamal racing into the box and the 17-year-old lashed his shot inside Lunin's near post.

And things got even better with six minutes to play as Raphinha got in on the act, dinking a shot over Lunin after latching onto Inigo Martinez's searching pass. 

A sky full of stars

Ahead of Saturday's game, each of Barca's last five head coaches had lost their first match in charge against Madrid (Xavi, Ronald Koeman, Quique Setien, Valverde and Luis Enrique), since Gerardo Martino oversaw a 2-1 win in his first Clasico in 2013.

However, Flick bucked that trend as Barca made it a perfect week, having also routed their boss' former club Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Lewandowski dragged them clear with his quickfire double, and he now has 10 goals in 16 career games against Madrid in all competitions, though these were his first strikes against them in LaLiga.

Yamal and Raphinha then added some gloss to the scoreline. The latter is one of just three players to register at least five goals and five assists in one of Europe's top five leagues this campaign (six goals, six assists).

The match stats were all in Barca's favour, painting the picture of a dominant display. The visitors had 15 shots to Madrid's nine, got seven of those on target and accumulated 2.45 expected goals (xG) to Los Blancos' 1.48.

Donning their Coldplay-sponsored kits, it really was a sensational Clasico display from Barca, who face Espanyol next as they bid to put further distance between themselves and the chasing pack.

Madrid caught out as unbeaten run ends

Having gone 42 games unbeaten in LaLiga since a 3-1 defeat to rivals Atletico Madrid last year, Madrid were chasing a slice of Spanish top-flight history on Saturday.

With bottom club Valencia up next for Ancelotti's men, this felt like the final real obstacle between them and the outright record unbeaten run in LaLiga. 

However, just like Bayern in midweek, Madrid continually struggled to spring Barcelona's aggressive offside trap, with Flick's bold out-of-possession approach paying off again.

Madrid were caught offside eight times in the first half – their joint most on record (since 2003-04) in a single LaLiga match, equalling their tally against Celta Vigo in March 2013.

Mbappe alone was caught offside eight times, the most by any player in a single game in Europe's top five leagues since Karim Benzema against Eibar in November 2018.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank said he was still irritated after his side defeated visitors Ipswich Town 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller in the Premier League.

Bryan Mbeumo struck a 96th-minute winner at the Gtech Community Stadium as the Bees recorded their fourth win of their 2024-25 league campaign. 

Sam Szmodics and George Hirst gave Ipswich a 2-0 lead, but Yoane Wissa initiated a Brentford comeback before Harry Clarke’s own goal levelled the scores. 

Mbeumo then struck to give the hosts the lead before Clarke was sent off for Ipswich, who did not give up without a fight and restored parity through substitute Liam Delap late on. 

However, Mbeumo scored his second of the game to cap off a positive, yet tense outing for Frank and the Brentford faithful. 

"Being completely honest, I am still irritated. In many ways we did not do well enough, so big respect and praise to Ipswich,” the Brentford boss told BBC Sport after the game.

“They were by far the better team for the first 40 minutes, there was only one team on the pitch. It was one of our worst ever in the Premier League. 

"The last five was better and then in the second half, we were clearly the better team and got back to 3-2 and then lacked the killer instinct to finish it off.

Bayer Leverkusen twice took the lead but conceded a 90th-minute equaliser to draw 2-2 at Werder Bremen.

Victor Boniface, playing with a bandaged hand, flicked in a Jeremie Frimpong cutback in the 30th minute to put the champions in the driving seat.

He had missed Wednesday's Champions League 1-1 draw at Brest after suffering minor hand and foot injuries as a passenger in a car crash on Sunday, a day after he had scored the winner in Leverkusen's victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Boniface, who has now scored six league goals this season, had a chance to add another on the hour but Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer pulled off a stunning save.

Instead, it was Bremen who scored with Marvin Duksch's powerful header in the 74th to level. Their joy only lasted three minutes, though, as Felix Agu, under pressure, spectacularly miskicked for an own goal.

Bremen, however, came back again, and Romano Schmid fired in a 90th-minute equaliser to snatch a point.

Leverkusen are third on 15 points, two behind second-placed Bayern Munich, who are in action on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Ducksch comes up trumps

Duksch accumulated the second-highest expected goals (xG) total in the game (0.65) and took the most shots in the match (seven).

That tally of shots is the most by a Bremen player in a Bundesliga match this term.

Lukas Hradecky, meanwhile, was making his 200th Bundesliga appearance for Leverkusen, becoming the first non-German player to hit that milestone for the club.

Despite Bremen's late equaliser, they have now won just one of their last 15 competitive matches against Leverkusen.

Girona suffered a 1-0 defeat at lowly Las Palmas as a first-half goal from Alex Munoz proved decisive in LaLiga.

Munoz put Las Palmas ahead three minutes before the break with a first-time strike, capitalising on a cross that sailed over the box to find him unmarked.

The visitors showed little urgency in chasing an equaliser, allowing Las Palmas to control most of the match with the home side coming close to doubling their lead.

Girona saw their substitute goalkeeper Juan Carlos sent off from the bench in the 74th minute for abusive language, with their team also awarded a further five yellow cards.

As the clock ran down, Girona intensified their efforts to find a leveller, but their momentum was disrupted by injury stoppages, and Las Palmas secured the victory.

After defying expectations to finish third last season, Girona now sit 13th with 12 points, while Las Palmas are just outside the relegation zone in 17th with nine.

Data Debrief: Las Palmas clinch victory against the odds

Prior to facing Girona, Las Palmas had not won any of their last 12 home games in La Liga (D6 L6), their longest winless run at home in the top flight.

They had a similarly poor record against Girona. At home, Las Palmas had not won any of their last five games in all competitions against their opponents (D1 L4).

Defeat ends Girona coach Michel's unbeaten streak against Las Palmas. He had previously faced them six times in all competitions without losing (W5 D1).