Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry both net doubles as Bayern Munich run riot at Bayer Leverkusen, scoring five times in opening 37 minutes; Moise Kean's first-half goal sees Juventus beat Jose Mourinho's Roma; Ansu Fati scores one and creates another as Barcelona beat Valencia
Sunday 17 October 2021 22:50, UK
Bayern Munich thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 on Sunday as Julian Nagelsmann's side ran riot and silenced a stunned BayArena, scoring five goals by half-time to reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga from Borussia Dortmund.
Two each from Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry moved Bayern up to 19 points, one point ahead of Dortmund while Leverkusen remain third with 16.
Bayern took the lead with just three minutes on the clock from a set-piece when an unmarked Dayot Upamecano crossed the ball into the six-yard box where Lewandowski scored with a neat back-heeled flick.
Lewandowski made it 2-0 at the half-hour mark when a Bayern counter-attack allowed left-back Alphonso Davies to dribble his way into the box towards the Polish striker, who simply stuck a leg out to tap the ball into the net.
Bayern then scored three goals in three minutes with Thomas Mueller scoring from point-blank range before Gnabry scored twice, benefiting from a Mueller assist and then a lay-off from Leon Goretzka as Leverkusen failed to deal with the press.
Manuel Neuer kept Leverkusen at bay with some fine saves but he was finally beaten 10 minutes after the restart when Patrik Schick was released down the right channel by Florian Wirtz and the Czech forward fired a shot that went in off the post.
Leverkusen substitute Lucas Alario had the ball in the net in the dying stages but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Also on Sunday, Augsburg drew 1-1 with Arminia Bielefeld, thwarting both teams' hopes of putting some distance between themselves and the relegation zone.
Augsburg took the lead when Reece Oxford headed home from a corner, scoring his first Bundesliga goal after five seasons and 58 games in the league.
Bielefeld did not have a shot on target until Jacob Laursen volleyed in the equaliser in the 77th minute. Augsburg are in 16th place and Bielefeld sit 17th in the 18-team German top flight.
Juventus continued their march up the Serie A standings with a 1-0 win over Roma, as Moise Kean's unorthodox early goal sealed a fourth consecutive league win for the Turin club.
Rodrigo Bentancur's header ricocheted off Kean's head and into the back of the net after 16 minutes.
But Jose Mourinho's side were furious when Tammy Abraham put the ball in the net but the goal was not allowed to stand because referee Daniele Orsato had already whistled for a penalty. Jordan Veretout took it and his effort was saved by Wojciech Szczesny.
Juve are seventh with 14 points, level with Lazio and Atalanta above them, and one point behind fourth-placed Roma.
Earlier in the day, Victor Osimhen scored a towering header nine minutes from time as Napoli extended their perfect start to Serie A with a 1-0 win over Torino.
After Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne had seen his weak first-half penalty saved and Giovanni Di Lorenzo had a goal ruled out by VAR for offside, Osimhen came to the rescue for Napoli. The striker finished off an assault on Torino's goal following efforts from Dries Mertens and a deflection that set up Osimhen's header.
Josip Ilicic netted twice and Duvn Zapata became the first Colombian player to score 100 goals in Serie A as Atalanta won 4-1 at Empoli.
Also, Sassuolo forward Gianluca Scamacca scored twice against his former team in a 2-2 draw at Genoa, 10-man Udinese came back for a 1-1 draw with Bologna and Cagliari finally earned their first win of the season by beating Sampdoria 3-1.
Ansu Fati marked his first start in almost a year by scoring one goal and creating another as Barcelona came from behind to beat Valencia 3-1.
Despite being allowed a full capacity crowd for the first time since March 2020, Barca's ground was only half full - and those in attendance were silenced after five minutes as Jose Gaya's long-range strike swerved into the far corner.
Barca responded well and Fati levelled after 13 minutes with a wonderful curled finished from the edge of the box.
The youngster was then felled inside the area by Gaya four minutes before the break and Memphis Depay stepped up to net from the penalty spot.
Carlos Soller hit the woodwork after the break as Valencia pushed for an equaliser, but Barcelona were able to secure all three points when substitute Philippe Coutinho fired in from close range five minutes from the end.
The victory moved Ronald Koeman's side up to seventh in the table on 15 points, five behind league leaders Real Sociedad, having played a game fewer.
Rafa Mir's second-half strike secured a 1-0 win for Sevilla at Celta Vigo, while Rayo Vallecano saw off Elche 2-1.
Ezequiel Avila scored with four minutes left as Osasuna won 2-1 at Villarreal.
Second-placed Lens lost ground with Ligue 1 leaders PSG when they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Montpellier.
Montpellier were rewarded for their domination three minutes into the second half when Stephy Mavididi beat Jean-Louis Leca with a low shot after being played through by Teji Savanier.
Lens had some hope when Jordan Ferri was sent off in the 86th minute for picking up a second yellow card for pulling Seko Fofana's shirt, but their efforts were in vain.
Lens now have 18 points, trailing PSG by nine points. They are now in danger of being overtaken by Marseille, who moved to within one point after Matteo Guendouzi's double inspired them to a 4-1 comeback win against Lorient.
At the Stade Velodrome, Guendouzi added to goals by Boubacar Kamara and Arkadiusz Milik after an early penalty by Armand Lauriente had put Lorient ahead.
But Marseille's pressure was too intense for Lorient with Guendouzi, who now has scored three goals and set up two in nine appearances this season, playing chief tormentor.
Third-placed Marseille have a game in hand to play against Nice, who are fourth on 16 points after losing 1-0 at Troyes. Defender Giulian Biancone set up Troyes' Mama Balde in the fourth minute for the winning goal.
Gaetan Laborde continued his fine scoring form with his league-leading seventh goal as improving Rennes won 3-0 at lowly Metz.
After starring in a well-deserved home win against PSG two weeks ago, Laborde netted midway through the first half before 19-year-old Ghana winger Kamaldeen Sulemana added a superb solo goal. Martin Terrier completed the scoring just before the break.
Saint-Etienne coach Claude Puel is under increasing pressure to keep his job after his side lost 5-1 at Strasbourg. His side sit bottom and are the only side yet to win apart from 19th-place Brest, who drew 1-1 at home to Reims. South Korea striker Hwang Ui-jo also scored for strugglers Bordeaux in a 1-1 home draw with mid-table Nantes.
