Barcelona moved nine points clear at the LaLiga summit following a 3-1 victory over Espanyol in the Catalan derby.

Dani Olmo scored twice while Raphinha was also on target as Hansi Flick's side stretched their advantage over second-place Real Madrid, whose scheduled showdown with Valencia this weekend was postponed.

Barca broke the deadlock after just 12 minutes. Olmo latched onto Lamine Yamal's brilliant throughball with the outside of his boot, before beating Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia with a well-taken first-time finish.

The hosts doubled their lead 11 minutes later with Marc Casado finding Raphinha, who bravely lifted over the advancing Garcia.

It was 3-0 just after the half-hour mark, as Olmo received Alejandro Balde's pass before drilling home from the edge of the penalty area.

Espanyol, who saw two goals disallowed following VAR reviews, pulled one back when Javi Puado turned home Carlos Romero's cross in the 63rd minute.

However, it proved a consolation for the visitors, who suffered their sixth defeat in seven league games. 

Data Debrief: Free-scoring Barca maintain derby dominance

Now unbeaten in 27 LaLiga derbies against Espanyol, Barcelona have now scored 40 goals this season; their second-highest tally after the first 12 games of a LaLiga season (42 in 1950-51).

Following Olmo's brace, which took his tally for the campaign to five, the Blaugrana are the only team with four different players to have scored at least five goals in Europe's top five leagues this term.

In setting up Raphinha's goal, Casado is the first Barca player from Spain to provide an assist in three successive games in all competitions since at least the 2014-15 season.

Robert Lewandowski's first-half strike proved enough as LaLiga leaders Barcelona overcame Getafe 1-0 on Wednesday.

Hansi Flick's side were wasteful at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, but ultimately got over the line to make it seven league wins out of seven matches to start the season.

Barca were without a glut of stars due to injury, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is set to be out for the rest of the season, joining Dani Olmo, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, Fermin Lopez and Andreas Christensen on the treatment table.

The Blaugrana also rested Pedri, though his absence was not felt as Lewandowski pounced on David Soria's error to put the hosts ahead after 19 minutes.

Barca had 16 attempts in total and mustered 1.92 expected goals, yet could not find a second to put the result beyond all doubt.

Winless Getafe, though, could not make Barca pay as they slipped to a fourth defeat of the season.

Data Debrief: Lewy breaks Getafe duck

Lewandowski's winner was his first goal against Getafe in LaLiga, at the fourth attempt. He had seven shots across his previous three league appearances against them without finding the net.

Flick, meanwhile, is the third Barca coach to win his first seven LaLiga games, after Gerardo Martino in 2013 and Ernesto Valverde in 2017.

Getafe coach Jose Bordalas, on the other hand, has lost 10 of his 13 games against Barca in LaLiga (W1 D2). Only against Real Madrid (11) has he suffered more defeats in the competition.

Barcelona confirmed that Dani Olmo has been sidelined for up to five weeks with a hamstring injury.

The 26-year-old appeared to suffer muscle discomfort after scoring in Sunday's 4-1 league win at Girona and was substituted in the 61st minute.

Olmo, who signed from RB Leipzig for €55million, missed the first two games of their season due to registration issues but has played in all three since.

He has netted three goals in those appearances, with only Robert Lewandowski netting more so far (four).

Olmo's injury is a blow to Hansi Flick's side as they begin their Champions League campaign against Monaco on Thursday, having already made a perfect start to LaLiga, with five wins from five.

The Spaniard is set to miss at least six games up to the October international break.

Raphinha's first career hat-trick helped Barcelona remain perfect in LaLiga as they thumped Real Valladolid 7-0 at Camp Nou.

A commanding display saw Barcelona enter the international break top of the table as Hansi Flick became the first head coach of the club to win each of his first four league games in charge since 2017-18. 

Brazilian Raphinha opened the scoring with 20 minutes on the clock, beating Karl Hein with a deft finish after being picked out by Pau Cubarsi.

The hosts entered the interval with a three-goal advantage as Robert Lewandowski struck his fourth of the season before Jules Kounde picked out the top corner in the second minute of added time.

Raphinha grabbed his second of the game just after the hour, completing his maiden treble eight minutes later with another fine finish. 

Dani Olmo later marked his home debut with his second goal in as many games for his new club, with Raphinha then turning provider for Ferran Torres to complete the emphatic display. 

Data Debrief: Seventh heaven for Barcelona

Raphinha's treble was the first of his career across Europe's top five leagues, scoring two goals for the second time for Barcelona, having done so in April 2024 against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, has now been involved in 14 goals in 42 appearances in LaLiga (six goals and eight assists), the most by a player before turning 18 in the competition in the 21st century, surpassing Bojan Krkic (13 - 10 goals and three assists).

It also marked Barcelona's biggest win in a LaLiga match since since April 2016 against Deportivo La Coruna at Riazor (8-0) and their biggest home win in the competition since March 2014 against Osasuna (also 7-0).

Dani Olmo was delighted to help Barcelona end their Rayo Vallecano hoodoo after scoring the winner in their 2-1 win at the Estadio de Vallecas on Tuesday.

Olmo's strike eight minutes from time saw him become the first player to score on his LaLiga debut for Barcelona away from home since Sandro Ramirez did so in August 2014 against Villarreal. 

Unai Lopez had given the hosts the lead in the ninth minute, only for second-half goals from Pedri and Olmo helping Hansi Flick maintain his unbeaten start to the season. 

It also marked Barcelona's first league triumph at the home of Los Franjirrojos since a 3-2 win back in November 2018. 

Having starred for Spain at Euro 2024, Olmo was forced to miss Barca's first two league games until he was able to be registered due to LaLiga's strict financial control rules. 

But his return to the club where he spent seven years in the youth academy was worth the wait, according to the 26-year-old after full-time. 

"I've been looking forward to my debut since for a long time and it couldn't have been in a better way," Olmo told DAZN.

"It's been many years since Barcelona won here, it's such a tough place to play so the end result is just unparalleled.

"I've felt very good, I was really looking forward to it. Today it finally happened, I'm very happy to have helped the team and even better to have scored. I'm delighted."

Barcelona top the standings on nine points from three games, two ahead of second-placed Villarreal. They next host Real Valladolid on Saturday. 

Barcelona debutant Dani Olmo struck a late winner to steal a 2-1 comeback victory at Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday, as the LaLiga leaders continued their perfect start to the season with a third consecutive win.

Rayo dominated proceedings in the first half and took the lead with a strike by Unai Lopez in the ninth minute, but Barca were livelier after the break, with Pedri levelling from a counter-attack in the 60th minute.

Olmo, introduced as a substitute for his first outing since leaving RB Leipzig, scored the winner with a curling strike in the 82nd minute, snatching Barca a deserved win to maintain their momentum.

Barcelona top the standings on nine points from three games, two ahead of second-placed Villarreal, while Rayo are eighth on four points.

Data Debrief: Olmo impresses on maiden bow

Olmo is the first player to score on his debut for Barcelona in LaLiga away from home since Sandro Ramirez in August 2014 against Villarreal.

Yet a familiar face paved the way for the leveller, too, with Raphinha setting up Pedri for his 17th assist in 67 LaLiga outings.

Since his arrival at Barca in the 2022-23 campaign, only Antoine Griezmann (24) has provided more assists than the Brazilian in the competition (also 17 for Alex Baena).

RB Leipzig have confirmed the capture of 19-year-old attacker Antonio Nusa from Jupiler Pro League side Club Brugge. 

Nusa, who was of interest to several Premier League sides in the January transfer window, has signed a five-year deal with the Bundesliga outfit. 

The Norwegian made 46 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring four goals and helping the Blauw-Zwart to a 19th league title. 

He takes the number seven shirt vacated by Dani Olmo following his reported £51m transfer to Barcelona after his impressive showings at Euro 2024. 

Nusa is the second signing made by Die Roten Bullen from the Belgian top flight, with goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt arriving from Genk earlier in the window. 

"I'm just incredibly proud to be at RB Leipzig and in the Bundesliga now. The club showed me a clear vision and a clear path, which totally convinced me," Nusa said.

"It's a big step for me, of course – but I'm ready for it. RB Leipzig has developed into one of the top clubs in Europe and is above all one of the top addresses for young players.

"It's just an outstanding feeling to be able to play there in front of over 45,000 fans in a few days."

Dani Olmo has become Barcelona's second signing of the transfer window after his reported £47million switch from RB Leipzig was confirmed on Friday. 

Olmo, who starred at Euro 2024 in Spain's record fourth success in the competition, has signed a six-year deal with a release clause of €500m (£428.5million). 

The Spaniard brings an end to his time with RB Leipzig, leaving the club having scored 29 goals and adding 34 assists across 148 appearances in all competitions. 

Olmo created 32 chances in his 21 Bundesliga outings last year, a total bettered only by Lois Openda (35), Benjamin Henrichs (40), David Raum (68) and Xavi Simons (79) in the Leipzig squad. 

During the European Championships, Olmo became the first Spanish player to score in three successive games, despite only starting three of La Roja's seven games. 

His five goal involvements (three goals, two assists) was also the most by a Spaniard at a major tournament since David Silva at Euro 2012 (two goals, three assists). 

Olmo is Hansi Flick's second signing since becoming Barca's new head coach following the arrival of Pau Victor from Girona for a reported €3m fee. 

The 27-time La Liga champions start their league campaign on August 17 away to Valencia. 

RB Leipzig's Spain international Dani Olmo is leaving after more than four years at the Bundesliga club, the midfielder said on Friday.

The 26-year-old signed for Leipzig in 2020, extending his contract until 2027 last year. He played 148 times for the team in all competitions, scoring 29 goals and winning the DFB-Pokal twice.

"A young club, a young player... We grew up, won our first trophies and made history together," Olmo said in a post on social media.

"Two Cups and the Super Cup are just some of the many unforgettable moments that'll always stay with me. Thank you, RB Leipzig, you'll forever be in my heart."

The versatile Olmo was a vital part of his country's Euro 2024 triumph and one of six Spain players in UEFA's team of the tournament.

Olmo is expected to sign for Barcelona, returning to the club where he spent seven years in the youth academy before joining Dinamo Zagreb aged 16.

Dani Olmo has said he has several options ahead of a potential move from RB Leipzig after playing a starring role in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph. 

Olmo scooped the Golden Boot at the European Championships while also helping La Roja triumph a record fourth time in the competition. 

His goal against France in their 2-1 semi-final victory saw him become the first Spanish player to score in three successive games at the Euros finals. 

Olmo's five goal involvements at Euro 2024 (three goals, two assists) is the most by a Spaniard at a major tournament since David Silva at Euro 2012 (two goals, three assists). 

The 26-year-old's form at the European Championships have seen him touted for a move in the transfer window, with Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all potential destinations for the midfielder. 

The Spaniard joined RB Leipzig in 2020 from Dinamo Zagreb and has played 148 times for the Bundesliga club, scoring 29 goals and providing 34 assists in all competitions. 

Olmo has said he’s already made it clear to his representatives where he wants to play his football next season. 

"We'll see. Yesterday we celebrated all day and now I'm at the campus," Olmo told reporters.

"The people who deal with that (transfer market) already know what I want to do. I don't know if I'll stay in Germany, we'll see.

"I want to be somewhere where I'm valued and loved and what I want to do is win. There are several options, we'll see what happens.

"The truth is that between the Euro cup, the celebration and the campus I have seen little of that. What I want is an ambitious project and I want to win titles."

For now, the Spaniard is expected to take a short break before joining Marco Rose's side for pre-season.

The German club are set to travel abroad for pre-season for the first time in history as they will visit the US later this month, playing games against Aston Villa and Wolves.

Harry Kane insists full focus remains on securing England's first international trophy since 1966 as he prepares to do battle with Spain's Dani Olmo for the Golden Boot in the Euro 2024 final. 

England face Spain in the tournament's showpiece game on Sunday in Berlin having beaten the Netherlands in the semi-finals thanks to Ollie Watkins' late strike. 

Kane levelled the scores in Dortmund from the penalty spot, netting his third goal of the competition and putting him out on his own as the all-time top scorer in knockout games at the European Championships (six). 

He now has more knockout stage goals in major tournaments than any other European player (nine), overtaking Gerd Muller, Miroslav Klose, Antoine Griezmann, and Kylian Mbappe (all eight).

The Three Lions captain currently finds himself in a six-way tie for the Golden Boot, with Spain's Olmo posing the biggest threat. 

Olmo currently holds the edge over Kane, having recorded two assists along with his three goals in Germany for Luis de la Fuente's side. 

Cody Gakpo, Georges Mikautadze, Jamal Musiala and Ivan Schranz all have three goals to their name too. However, they have all exited the competition. 

But Kane insists scooping the Golden Boot will be an added bonus, with full focus on ensuring England lift the Henri Delaunay Cup in Berlin. 

"Ultimately, when you come this far in a tournament, you're not thinking about the golden boot," Kane said.

"You're thinking about winning the championship and that's all that matters.

"So, of course, as a striker I'd love to score on Sunday but if someone else scores and we win, I'm not going to be disappointed."

Kane's wait for a first trophy in his professional career could come to an end in Berlin, having come close in both his domestic and international outings. 

During his time with Tottenham, the striker received three runners-up medals, including one in the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2019. 

His switch to Bayern Munich promised to end that wait, but defeat on his debut in the DFL-Supercup and a third-placed finish in the Bundesliga saw the German club endure their first season without a trophy in 11 years. 

Kane also captained England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, as well as their Euro 2020 final run which ended in defeat to Italy on penalties at Wembley. 

The Three Lions striker admitted the pain of their defeat to the Azzurri brings extra motivation, but confirmed that if England are to end their 58-year wait for an international trophy, it will be down to the team. 

"Everyone wants to achieve the same goal," he concluded.

"And whether you play one minute or you play every minute, if we win it, we're all going to celebrate together and we’re all going to be extremely happy, so that's the most important thing."

Harry Kane insists full focus remains on securing England's first international trophy since 1966 as he prepares to do battle with Spain's Dani Olmo for the Golden Boot in the Euro 2024 final. 

England face Spain in the tournament's showpiece game on Sunday in Berlin having beaten the Netherlands in the semi-finals thanks to Ollie Watkins' late strike. 

Kane levelled the scores in Dortmund from the penalty spot, netting his third goal of the competition and putting him out on his own as the all-time top scorer in knockout games at the European Championships (six). 

He now has more knockout stage goals in major tournaments than any other European player (nine), overtaking Gerd Muller, Miroslav Klose, Antoine Griezmann, and Kylian Mbappe (all eight).

The Three Lions captain currently finds himself in a six-way tie for the Golden Boot, with Spain's Olmo posing the biggest threat. 

Olmo currently holds the edge over Kane, having recorded two assists along with his three goals in Germany for Luis de la Fuente's side. 

Cody Gakpo, Georges Mikautadze, Jamal Musiala and Ivan Schranz all have three goals to their name too. However, they have all exited the competition. 

However, Kane insists scooping the Golden Boot will be an added bonus, with full focus on ensuring England lift the Henri Delaunay Cup in Berlin. 

"Ultimately, when you come this far in a tournament, you're not thinking about the golden boot," Kane said.

"You're thinking about winning the championship and that's all that matters.

"So, of course, as a striker I'd love to score on Sunday but if someone else scores and we win, I'm not going to be disappointed."

Kane's wait for a first trophy in his professional career could come to an end in Berlin, having come close in both his domestic and international outings. 

During his time with Tottenham, the striker received three runners-up medals, including one in the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2019. 

His switch to Bayern Munich promised to end that wait, but defeat on his debut in the DFL-Supercup and a third-placed finish in the league saw the German club endure their first season without a trophy in 11 years. 

Kane also captained England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, as well as their European Championship final run which ended in defeat to Italy on penalties. 

The Three Lions striker admitted the pain of their defeat to the Azzurri brings extra motivation, but confirmed that if England are to end their 58-year wait for an international trophy, it will be down to the team. 

"Everyone wants to achieve the same goal," he concluded.

"And whether you play one minute or you play every minute, if we win it, we're all going to celebrate together and we’re all going to be extremely happy, so that's the most important thing."

Spain's Dani Olmo has said he is not afraid of England's Jude Bellingham ahead of their Euro 2024 final in Berlin on Sunday. 

Olmo has starred for La Roja in Germany, notching three goals and two assists, which crucially gives him the edge in the race for the Golden Boot ahead of Harry Kane. 

The Spaniard's statistics are more impressive having only started one of their first four games at the tournament. 

Olmo's goal against France made him the first Spanish player to score in three successive games at the European Championships. 

His five goal involvements for Luis de la Fuente's side is also the most by a Spaniard at a major tournament since David Silva at Euro 2012 (two goals, three assists). 

However, Bellingham has also shone at Euro 2024, carrying on his impressive form that saw him net 23 times in all competitions during his debut season for Real Madrid. 

Bellingham has scored twice for England at the tournament, including the Three Lions opening goal of the competition against Serbia. 

The 21-year-old's late strike against Slovakia in the last 16 was England's latest-ever goal scored in normal time at a major tournament. 

However, Olmo has insisted that he does not fear Bellingham ahead of their showdown for the Henri Delaunay Cup. 

“I'm not afraid. Bellingham is a reference point there, football is played through his boots. He is always in the thick of things," Olmo said. 

"He is a player to be taken into account, but I don't fear anyone.”

 

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente labelled Lamine Yamal's goal as a "touch of genius" following their 2-1 triumph over France in the semi-finals of Euro 2024. 

De la Fuente's side came from a goal behind to book their place in Sunday's final in Berlin, with Yamal starting the comeback with a fine effort from outside the area. 

The 16-year-old became the youngest player to score a goal at a major tournament, a record previously held by Brazil’s Pele against Wales at the 1958 World Cup. 

"We all know who he is. We need to take care of him," de la Fuente said. 

"I want him to work with the same humility, keep his feet on the ground in order to keep improving, learning with the same kind of attitude and that professionalism, that maturity that he shows on the pitch.

"He looks like a much more experienced player to be honest but fundamentally I celebrate that he's in our team, that he's Spanish and that we count on him and I hope we can enjoy him for years to come."

Spain's triumph also saw them become the first team to win six matches at a single edition of the Euros, reaching their first international final since 2012. 

It was just the second time in the tournament that La Roja had fallen behind in a game, previously doing so against Georgia in their last 16 clash in Cologne. 

De la Fuente praised his sides cohesion and quality to come from a goal down, lauding Spain's spirit of sacrifice. 

"Our idea of football is based on our self-assurance. This is what we want to play, we want to play to our strengths," the Spain head coach said.

"I know that we are able to play football, we've seen it throughout the tournament. 

"Individually they are fantastic but they offer the collective benefits of their individual qualities, they always work for the common good, for the collective effort.

"They are very generous in their efforts and work rate. This is just one more sign that this is an insatiable team, that they want to keep improving with the spirit of sacrifice."

Kylian Mbappe has admitted both he and France failed at Euro 2024 after Les Bleus' campaign was brought crashing to a halt in the semi-finals by Spain.

France had struggled to live up to their tag as pre-tournament favourites in Germany but still ground their way through to the last four, only to come unstuck in Munich.

Randal Kolo Muani gave them an early lead with Les Bleus' first non-penalty goal (excluding own goals) of the tournament, but Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo netted – the former becoming the youngest goalscorer in World Cup or Euros history – in a quickfire turnaround.

France were unable to force an equaliser in the second half as they lost a major tournament semi-final for the first time since Euro 1996, with Mbappe wasting one good opportunity late on.

Mbappe ended the tournament with no non-penalty goals from 23 such shots. Since records began in 1980, only Deco in 2004 (24) has ever had more non-penalty shots without netting at a single edition of the European Championships.

Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after the defeat, Mbappe said: "They played a better game than us. We conceded two goals quickly and in the second half we had chances to come back but we didn't take them.

"The competition was a failure. I wanted us to be European champions and we're not. That's football."

Having suffered a broken nose during France's Group D opener against Austria last month, Mbappe was asked whether his condition had impacted his form. 

The forward – who will link up with his new Real Madrid team-mates in the coming weeks – refused to blame the injury for his lack of goals, saying: "We have to move on. 

"It's been a long year, I'm going to go on vacation to rest, it's going to do me a lot of good. We mustn't complicate football too much.

"You're good or you're not good. I wasn't good and we're going home, it's simple. I have to rest. After that, I'm leaving for a new life."

Mbappe played the semi-final without the protective mask he wore for France's last three games, which Didier Deschamps previously said was impacting his vision.

Asked about the decision to abandon the mask, Mbappe said: "We made the choice before the match.

"I was fed up with the mask. I asked the doctor if I could play without it, and he told me to do what I want."

Page 1 of 2
© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.