Analysis
Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe on form ahead of El Clasico, Bayern Munich top and Lazio march on in Euro Debrief
Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane were all on target again but Lazio are the talk of Europe. Adam Bate picks out the big stories from the continent in the Euro Debrief, a Sky Sports column focusing on the major European leagues and more...
Monday 19 October 2026 07:41, UK
Welcome to The Euro Debrief, the Sky Sports column in which Adam Bate rounds up some of the key stories from the latest matches across the continent. This week:
- More Lamine Yamal magic
- Kane and Bayern move top
- Lazio keep surprising Italy
- Yet another PSG late show
- Surprise package in Sweden
LaLiga: Barca blow away Betis
"When you see the first goal he scored, unbelievable," said Hansi Flick of Lamine Yamal. "This is, for me, at the moment, the best player in the world." It was an outrageous opener in his side's 5-2 win away to Real Betis as Barca made it nine wins from nine in LaLiga.
There is certainly nothing outrageous about Flick's claim. The teenager's manipulation of the ball at speed is unparalleled. Betis competed - Giovani Lo Celso unfortunate to have a sensational strike of his own ruled out - but Barca's firepower is something else.
They have scored 39 goals in their nine games so far, the best scoring start to a season in LaLiga by any team in 86 years and the longest run of victories to begin a campaign in 58 years. They will take some stopping and it is Real Madrid who will be next to try.
Having been lucky enough to be there to see the first Clasico of last season, in which Lamine Yamal failed to back up his comments, released pre-match, accusing their great rivals of "stealing and complaining", it will be fascinating to see how this one plays out.
The winger was relatively becalmed that day. One year on, and just one day before the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, momentum seems to be with him this time. A chance for this 10-out-of-10 player to make it 10 wins out of 10 for this thrilling Barcelona side.
LaLiga: Table | Fixtures & results
In truth, Real Madrid were just as impressive in their 4-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday. Arda Guler set the tone with an ambitious angled finish in the Bernabeu before Kylian Mbappe danced through for the first of his two goals as he warmed up for El Clasico too.
All eyes will be on that showdown but the two great rivals are still separated in the league table by the presence of Atletico Madrid in second spot. That is because Alex Baena came off the bench to produce a fine finish into the side-netting to beat Espanyol late on.
LaLiga results: Deportivo A Coruna 1-1 Levante, Espanyol 0-1 Atletico Madrid, Villarreal 0-0 Elche, Real Betis 2-5 Barcelona, Valencia 0-0 Athletic Club, Osasuna 2-0 Racing Santander, Celta Vigo 2-1 Alaves, Malaga 2-5 Real Sociedad, Real Madrid 4-1 Sevilla.
Bundesliga: Bayern take top spot
Harry Kane has not given up on grabbing the Ballon d'Or for himself at next week's ceremony and he offered more evidence for his compelling case as Bayern Munich went one better than Barcelona and racked up six goals in their dismantling of RB Leipzig.
The England captain marked his 100th Bundesliga appearance by scoring one and setting up two more in what was a demolition at the Allianz Arena and something of a return to form for Bayern back in Bavaria after two consecutive draws away from home.
Luis Diaz scored three goals and the slip-ups elsewhere in Germany saw normal service resume in the Bundesliga with Bayern claiming top spot. Borussia Dortmund do remain unbeaten themselves but they could only muster a disappointing draw away to Union Berlin.
It means Dortmund go into their game against Eintracht Frankfurt next week, live on Sky Sports, still one point shy of the tally that seemed in the bag when two up to Werder Bremen last week. Niclas Fullkrug changed that and the striker pulled off another rescue act on Saturday, scoring twice to salvage a point against Paderborn.
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- Bundesliga: Table | Fixtures & results
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Freiburg, meanwhile, went into the weekend top of the table but suffered a 2-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen despite opening the scoring. That man Patrik Schick netted the winner, having now scored in all six of Leverkusen's Bundesliga games so far this season.
How Borussia Monchengladbach could do with any kind of winner, from anyone. Our weekly check-in on the five-time champions of Germany reveals that they remain pointless after the latest 2-1 home defeat to Hoffenheim. New coach but the same old problems.
Eintracht Frankfurt have parted ways with their sporting director Markus Krosche but the feel-good story in Germany goes on with newcomers Elversberg beating Augsburg 4-3 at home. Few fancied them to win many games but this was their second 4-3 win alone.
Bundesliga results: Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 Cologne, Elversberg 4-3 Augsburg, Hamburg 1-0 Stuttgart, Schalke 0-1 Mainz, Union Berlin 0-0 Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen 2-2 Paderborn, Bayern 6-1 RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Freiburg, Borussia Monchengladbach 1-2 Hoffenheim.
Serie A: Lazio stun Juventus
Inter came from behind to win at Bologna and they remain top of the table in Italy but they are certainly not the biggest story in Serie A. That accolade belongs to Lazio after their remarkable 3-0 win over Juventus in Turin continued their astonishing run of form.
It was already their best ever Serie A start but this was the most emphatic win yet, underlining their unexpected improvement under Gennaro Gattuso. The club had sold a tiny number of season tickets going into the campaign with fans at odds with the owner-president.
But the team have been a revelation with so many players raising their level. Oliver Provstgaard opened the scoring against Juve with a glancing header, only the second top-division goal of his career, the previous having come for Velje in his native Denmark.
His compatriot Gustav Isaksen scored too. Mattia Zaccagni has been magnificent. Nuno Taveres is in the form of his life. But it is true of so many. Davide Frattesi did not get a goal for Inter last season but recently scored in three games in a row. Dare Lazio dream of glory?
- Serie A: Table | Fixtures & results
Their neighbours Roma might have something to say about that. They remain unbeaten themselves and will be encouraged to have won comfortably enough against Genoa without the services of Donyell Malen, Roma's star striker still serving a suspension.
Ruben Amorim's Milan, as they must now be known, are also yet to be beaten despite a wobble against Atalanta - holding on for a 3-2 victory. But it was not such good news for Napoli, who were defeated at Venezia - Kevin De Bruyne having a tame penalty saved.
Serie A results: Frosinone 4-2 Sassuolo, Venezia 1-0 Napoli, Bologna 1-3 Inter, Roma 2-0 Genoa, Udinese 0-3 Lecce, Fiorentina 1-3 Como, Milan 3-2 Atalanta, Juventus 0-3 Lazio.
Ligue 1: Lyon now on top
PSG briefly clambered their way to the top of Ligue 1 on Saturday as Luis Enrique continued his policy of patiently waiting to introduce his most devastating players from the bench. Strasbourg were one goal up on Saturday until Ousmane Dembele came on.
Dembele proceeded to squander the opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot but then provided the assist to level it up and go on to score what proved to be the winner. Fellow substitute Desire Doue added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage-time. Such depth.
- Ligue 1: Table | Fixtures & results
Elsewhere, Olivier Giroud, now 40, did score from the spot to earn a point for Lille and there was a 5-2 win for a resurgent Marseille at Angers. But both Monaco and Rennes missed the chance to go top, losing their away games to Lorient and Paris FC respectively.
Liam Rosenior's Paris team were 4-3 winners, staying level on points with their illustrious neighbours from the capital. He is enjoying a superb start there. But it is Lyon who are top of the table now, hanging on with 10 men for a 2-1 win at home to Nice.
Ligue 1 results: Le Mans 0-3 Toulouse, Strasbourg 1-3 PSG, Lille 1-1 Brest, Troyes 1-3 Lens, Angers 2-5 Marseille, Le Havre 1-3 Auxerre, Lorient 1-0 Monaco, Paris FC 4-3 Rennes, Lyon 2-1 Nice.
Elsewhere: History in Sweden
There was a defeat for reigning champions PSV in the Netherlands, beaten in stoppage-time by Den Haag. Meanwhile, the Portuguese league took a break but over in Turkey credit is due to Youssoufa Moukoko who scored a late winner for his new side Corum.
His smart finish was the Germany international's first goal since joining on loan as he attempts to rebuild a career that has lost momentum since his Dortmund days when Erling Haaland was describing him as the brightest young talent anywhere in the world.
It was great fun to be in Denmark on Thursday evening to see Moukoko's parent club Copenhagen surprise Braga 3-0 with two superb finishes from the former Cardiff striker Andreas Cornelius, the 33-year-old veteran doing his best Haaland impression.
Unfortunately, Cornelius missed Copenhagen's draw with AGF on Sunday, suspended for suggesting the referee had been FC Midtjylland's twelfth man the previous weekend. Hopping over the Oresund Bridge, it was a chance to catch up on the travails of Malmo.
The Swedish club won the Allsvenskan in 2023 and 2024 but find themselves down in seventh after a 1-0 home defeat to Hacken. It is little-known Sirius top of the table with six games to play despite conceding a stoppage-time equaliser. They remain eight points clear.
These are topsy-turvy times in Sweden because Sirius are on the brink of emulating Mjallby's achievement of becoming first-time winners of the Allsvenskan. The last time the competition had back-to-back first-time winners was in 1944 - Malmo themselves.
