Barcelona, Paris St-Germain & Bayern keep up perfect starts
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Kylian Mbappe didn't find the back of the net in his initial three La Liga matches, but he's turned things around lately, netting three times in his last two games.
The major teams in the European leagues showed their strength once again this weekend, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Paris St-Germain all keeping their perfect records intact.
Youngster Lamine Yamal stood out for Barcelona, scoring twice in their 4-1 victory over Girona. Meanwhile, Harry Kane achieved his fifth hat-trick with Bayern Munich, leading the team to a convincing win against Bundesliga newcomers Holstein Kiel.
Tammy Abraham and Conor Gallagher also found the back of the net.
Here's a recap of what happened in Europe this weekend that you might not be aware of.
Mbappe Shines As Barca Takes The Lead
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Dani Olmo has become the fifth player in history to net goals in his first three La Liga games for Barcelona. The others who achieved this feat were Hristo Stoichkov in 1990, Dani in 1999, Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2009, and Cesc Fabregas in 2011.
Barcelona maintained their position at the top of the Spanish league as Yamal netted two goals during a commanding first half performance.
Dani Olmo and Pedri both scored, and then Ferran Torres, a former Manchester City player, received a red card just 17 minutes after entering the game for a significant tackle on Yaser Asprilla.
Real Madrid trails by four points after they clinched a 2-0 victory against Real Sociedad, thanks to second-half penalties scored by Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe.
The true leader, Carlo Ancelotti, stated that his team didn't play strongly enough to earn the victory, even though they were missing key midfielders Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, and Aurelien Tchouameni.
"It was a challenging game. We didn't earn the victory since Real Sociedad put a lot of pressure on us," he stated.
"We persevered through challenges and endured difficulties, demonstrating both resilience and strong dedication. I truly appreciate this, as it's rare to see such commitment in a team filled with exceptional talent and skill, and we managed to achieve it."
England midfielder Conor Gallagher and ex-Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez netted their inaugural goals for Atletico Madrid in a 3-0 victory against Valencia.
Fabregas Stuck As Napoli Climbs To The Top
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Cesc Fabregas has not secured a victory as the head coach of Como yet.
Romelu Lukaku contributed to Napoli's commanding 4-0 victory over Cagliari by providing two assists and scoring one goal, leading the team to the top of Serie A.
Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, both players from the Premier League, made their debut appearances as substitutes in the final moments of the game. Their team, led by Antonio Conte, celebrated their third victory out of four matches.
Cesc Fabregas, the ex-Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder, felt disappointed after missing out on his first Serie A victory as a head coach.
Como, who just moved up to Serie A this season, let a two-goal advantage slip away and ended up with a 2-2 tie against Bologna on Saturday.
An early own goal by Nicolo Casale and a second-half shot from Patrick Cutrone just outside the box gave their team the upper hand. However, late goals from Santiago Castro and Samuel Iling-Junior brought Bologna back into the game.
"We had a crucial opportunity to secure the win. We performed well, but we need to improve our ability to finish strong," Fabregas stated.
"I need to do more to encourage the guys to be tougher when it comes to scoring and finishing off the match."
Juventus, still without a loss this season, played to a goalless draw against Empoli. Meanwhile, Paulo Fonseca, the new coach of AC Milan, celebrated his first victory in Serie A in impressive fashion, with his team scoring four times before the first half-hour to secure a convincing 4-0 win over Venezia.
A pair of swift penalties from ex-Chelsea players Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham secured the victory.
Inter, the reigning champions, had an opportunity to take the lead in the standings but ended up drawing 1-1 with Monza.
Kane's Streak Keeps Going As Bayern Dominates
Kane nets three goals in Bayern's dominating victory.
Bayern Munich climbed to the top of the Bundesliga standings after a convincing 6-1 victory over Holstein Kiel on Saturday. Kane, who scored twice for England the previous week, netted a hat-trick against the newly promoted team.
Last season, Bayern lost their grip on the Bundesliga title as Bayer Leverkusen claimed victory, achieving an impressive undefeated streak throughout the season.
"I've mentioned that we're only three games into the season. I understand how crucial it is for Bayern to be at the top, but right now, we’re just looking at three matches," stated coach Vincent Kompany.
"If we keep moving forward in the same way we are now, I'm worried about what might happen by the end of the season. I don't even want to think about it... We just need to stay focused and persist."
Bayer Leverkusen recovered from their recent loss to RB Leipzig two weeks ago, delivering an impressive 4-1 win against Hoffenheim.
Dembele Scoring Twice
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Ousmane Dembele has scored three goals in his first three league matches this season.
Ousmane Dembele netted two goals as Paris Saint-Germain rallied from a goal down to defeat Brest 3-1, maintaining their flawless record in the Ligue 1 season.
Brest surprised everyone by scoring first against the champions when Romain del Castillo scored a penalty after Nuno Mendes tripped Ludovic Ajorque in the box.
However, Dembele, who caused plenty of trouble for Brest on the right flank, leveled the score before halftime by heading in a cross from Marco Asensio.
In the second half, two goals scored just two minutes apart made all the difference for PSG. Fabian Ruiz gave the home team the lead with an impressive long-range shot that flew into the top corner of the net.
A minute later, Dembele extended their lead by scoring after Randal Kolo Muani's shot was deflected.
