Raphinha scored as Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-0 to keep the pressure on Real Madrid, who stayed top of La Liga by beating Real Betis; Olivier Giroud played his part in AC Milan beating rivals Inter in the derby; Bayern Munich drew at Union Berlin to surrender top spot in the Bundesliga
Saturday 3 September 2022 22:01, UK
Raphinha scored his first Barcelona goal as the Catalans beat fellow LaLiga hotshots Sevilla 3-0 to move within two points of the top of the table.
The former Leeds winger opened the scoring for Barcelona in the first half and Robert Lewandowski doubled the advantage before the break, with that goal being the Polish striker's fifth goal in four league games for his new club.
Barcelona put the result beyond any reasonable doubt five minutes after half-time with former Manchester City defender Eric Garcia making sure Xavi's side continued their unbeaten start to the campaign with three wins and a draw in four matches.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid preserved their perfect start to the LaLiga season as they beat Betis 2-1 thanks to a second-half winner from Rodrygo at the Bernabeu on Saturday, keeping the defending Spanish and European champions at the top of the table.
Real struck first when David Alaba passed to Vinicius Jr with a magnificent long ball in the ninth minute, and the Brazilian raced forward and lobbed the ball over Betis 'keeper Rui Silvas' head.
Betis responded eight minutes later when Real Madrid academy alumni Sergio Canales smashed an equaliser in between Thibaut Courtois legs.
Carlo Ancelotti's team fought back with a vengeance but missed several opportunities until they finally managed to break the deadlock in the 65th minute, when Rodrygo thumped home a close-range finish from a Federico Valverde cross. Real Madrid now top the table on 12 points, the only team to win all of their first four games.
Two goals by AC Milan forward Rafael Leao helped the defending champions fight back from a goal down and earn a 3-2 win over local rivals Inter on Saturday in their fifth Serie A match of the season.
Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic scored his first Serie A goal of the season in the 21st minute after an assist by forward Joaquin Correa.
Milan, however, levelled seven minutes later through forward Leao, who slotted home past Inter 'keeper Samir Handanovic after collecting a pass from Sandro Tonali.
Milan forward Olivier Giroud completed the comeback in the 54th minute with a weak but effective strike as it caught Handanovic unprepared, while Leao scored his second soon after by firing home in the 60th minute to extend the lead.
Inter did not go down without a fight and scored just seven minutes later through forward Edin Dzeko, whose strike bounced off the post and slipped in.
Milan top the table on 11 points after five games and travel to Sampdoria next Saturday while Inter, fifth with nine points, host Torino on the same day.
German champions Bayern Munich stumbled to their second 1-1 draw in a row on Saturday, coming away from Union Berlin with only the one point and dropping off the top of the Bundesliga table.
The Bavarians, who also drew 1-1 against Borussia Moenchengladbach last week and travel to Inter for their Champions League group opener next week, are third on 11 points, as many as Union.
The hosts, enjoying their best-ever Bundesliga start and looking for their first win over Bayern, were never intimidated by the champions and went in front through the league's leading scorer Sheraldo Becker with a perfect volley at the far post. Their lead was short-lived, however, with Joshua Kimmich thundering a low drive into the far corner three minutes later.
Bayern came agonisingly close to a second goal in the 37th minute when Jamal Musiala weaved his way into the box and flicked a sensational ball to send Leroy Sane through, only for his shot to be blocked by 'keeper Riis Ronnow.
Union's solid back line, the second best in the league behind Bayern, hardly missed a beat and held firm in the second half as the visitors looked for ways past it.
Union's Ronnow ensured that with a sensational save of his own, tipping a looping Sadio Mane header over the bar in stoppage time to protect their point.
Kylian Mbappe scored either side of half-time as PSG beat 10-man Nantes 3-0 to remain top of Ligue 1.
The France forward put the visiting champions in front midway through the first half, just six minutes before the home side saw former Manchester United full-back Fabio sent off for a dangerous challenge on Vitinha.
Mbappe doubled the lead nine minutes after half-time and Nuno Mendes added gloss on the scoreline. PSG are joint-top with Marseille but have a better goal difference.
