Undefeated side, Athletic Bilbao, top La Liga’s 2019-20 table after a one-sided 2-0 home win over Alaves that could have been a much larger victory but for the woodwork and some good saves.
Bilbao, with three wins and two draws, second placed Real Madrid with the same results if with one less goal scored, and tenth placed Osasuna with four draws and a win, are the only undefeated sides so far this season.
On Sunday, Real Madrid and Sevilla played an intense match at Ramon Snachez-Pizjuan Stadium with the hosts coach, Julen Lopetegui, anxious to show up his former employers. Both teams played with full awareness that the winner would go top of the table.
The match had but a single score, Real winning 1-0 on Karim Benzema’s close-range header off a perfect Dani Carvajal cross after great recuperative and playmaking support from Rafael Varane, who obtained the change of possession and then set the play up.
Getafe took full advantage of home field and beat Mallorca 4-2, while Espanyol squandered their hosting opportunity losing 1-3 to Real Sociedad. Valencia were held at home 1-1 by Leganes.
On Saturday, Villarreal defeated visiting Real Valladolid 2-0, Levante were held 0-0 at home by Eibar and Atletico Madrid suffered the same fate at the Wanda Metropolitano when facing Celta Vigo. Granada pulled the upset of the week by convincingly defeating visitors Barcelona 2-0.
On Friday, Osasuna drew 0-0 at home to Real Betis.
By the round’s end, Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid, at eleven points each were followed by four teams at ten points—Granada, Real Sociedad, Sevilla, and Atletico Madrid. Villarreal, at eight points, closed out the top seven so far qualifying for future European play.
It is interesting to note that Athletic Bilbao, who began the season with a bang, defeating the defending champion in the first game of the competition, are now five matches in and still managing to find new heroes weekly–four different scorers in five game–to keep their undefeated streak alive.
Real Madrid’s Benzema and Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno with five goals a piece lead the scorers’ table while three players follow with three goals a piece and twenty follow them with two a piece.
In other European Play
In Ligue 1, Neymar once again rescued three points for PSG with a late single score win. In the Premiership, Liverpool has remained perfect with five consecutive wins already five points clear of second place Manchester City. In Serie A, with but a single loss among them, Inter with 10 points, leads Juve with 10, Napoli at 9 and Roma at 8. In the Bundesliga, surprising RB Leipzig leads all comers with 13 points followed by Bayern Munich with 11, Borussia Dortmund leading the five teams trailing with ten points each.
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