📰 Table Of Contents
Bundesliga
- Biggest win (scoreline): 1.FSV Mainz 05 4-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
- Shock result: Bayern Munich 3-0 Union Berlin
- Star Performance: Oliver Baumann (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) – 11 saves vs Borussia Dortmund
Matchday twenty-two in the Bundesliga once again featured the hotly-contested title race as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund remain deadlocked on points at the top of the table after the pair of German giants posted wins against Union Berlin and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim respectively. Bayern’s top-class performance against a budding neutral fan favorite and league dark horse showed the gap that exists between the Bavarians and the rest of the competition when Julian Nagelsmann’s men are truly on it, while Dortmund struggled to beat Hoffenheim keeper Oliver Baumann who produced a man of the match performance.
Bayern Munich’s gameplan vs Union Berlin
– Numerical superiority in the build-up phase (3vs2 + Kimmich as a DM)
– Muller attracting Ladouni away from his zone while Goretzka occupies space created
– Numerical superiority in the last line pic.twitter.com/CTgFVdmkNI— Marco Lai (@MarcoLai_23) February 26, 2023
RB Leipzig climbed back into the top four with a key win over Eintracht Frankfurt, while Freiburg drew Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen to round out the top six. Wolfsburg, Mainz, and Werder Bremen also collected three-point hauls across the weekend, with the top half of the table boasting a 6-1-2 record overall. The only bottom-half sides to win came by way of Hertha BSC and FC Schalke 04, with wins over FC Augsburg and VfB Stuttgart to give them a possible fighting chance at avoiding relegation.
La Liga
- Biggest win (scoreline): Athletic Club 2-3 Girona FC
- Shock result: UD Almería 1-0 Barcelona
- Star Performance: Gabri Veiga (Celta Vigo) – Two goals & one assist vs Real Valladolid
It was a frustrating weekend for the top four in La Liga, headlined by Barcelona’s shock 1-0 loss at Almería which left Xavi enraged by the performance. Thankfully for the Barça icon, the Catalan outfit’s chief rivals could not officially capitalize on the hiccup, with Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid battling to a 1-1 draw in El Derbi Madrileño, while Real Sociedad also suffered a shock 1-0 loss at the hands of bottom-three side Valencia.
Barcelona lost to 19th place Almeria 😬 pic.twitter.com/fnxxkF3Zt9
— GOAL (@goal) February 26, 2023
The bottom half of the table had a field day at the weekend, however, securing seven wins across the matchday, with Girona, Espanyol, Celta Vigo, Cádiz, Valencia, Getafe, and the aforementioned Almería enjoying themselves at the expense of Athletic Club, Mallorca, Real Valladolid, Rayo Vallecano, and Real Sociedad. Just five points separate 12th from 19th in the table, a gap that expands to just twelve from 6th to 19th. Barcelona and Real Madrid may be in a dogfight at the top of the table, but the bulk of the rest of the Spanish top flight is as tight as ever.
Ligue 1
- Biggest win (scoreline): Angers SCO 1-3 Olympique Lyonnais
- Shock result: Olympique de Marseille 0-3 Paris Saint-Germain
- Star Performance: Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain) – two goals & one assist vs Olympique de Marseille
Holding Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain finally added breathing room between them and the chasing pack at the top of the table after a vital win against Olympique de Marseille on France’s south coast as Kylian Mbappé drew level with Edinson Cavani as joint-top scorer in club history after hitting a brace, with Lionel Messi adding two assists and a goal of his own while also hitting the woodwork. The pair continue to flourish overall in the Argentine’s second season in the capital, with the result giving PSG an eight-point cushion over OM.
Kylian Mbappé makes PSG history as he’s now club’s joint all-time top scorer levelling Edinson Cavani on 200 goals scored 🔴🔵✨ #PSG
It’s 29 goals in 29 games with PSG for Kylian Mbappé this season 💯
…and one more fantastic assist by Leo Messi, second of the night 🧞♂️ pic.twitter.com/sqncUPibTh
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 26, 2023
Monaco and Lens also dropped points in a loss against Nice and a draw at Montpellier respectively, but Stade Rennes, LOSC Lille, Olympique Lyonnais, and Stade de Reims all posted wins to keep the race for the European periphery alive and kicking. At the other end, Auxerre and Ajaccio moved one step closer to the pair both emerging from the four-team relegation zone with wins over Lorient and Troyes.
Serie A
- Biggest win (scoreline): US Salernitana 3-0 AS Monza
- Shock result: Torino 2-2 Cremonese
- Star Performance: M’Bala Nzola (Spezia Calcio) – Two goals vs Udinese Calcio
Bologna continue to haunt Inter…👻
Bologna have now won back-to-back home Serie A games against Inter for the first time since 1999 🔥
Inter have now lost 7 games this season. They only lost 4 last season. pic.twitter.com/xxfcDglc6V
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) February 26, 2023
Salernitana and Sassuolo were the only bottom sides to win this time around, posting three-point extractions against Monza and Lecce. Both Torino and Udinese still have an outside shot of making a run for the peripheral European places should they rediscover form but are currently ten points adrift of Atalanta and still sit just inside the top half moving into this week.
