Real Madrid's title hopes suffer a blow after being held to a 1-1 draw by city rivals Atletico Madrid; Borussia Dortmund move top of the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win against Hoffenheim; Victor Osimhen scores again as Napoli beat Empoli 2-0 and extend their lead at the top of Serie A
Sunday 26 February 2023 12:20, UK
Ten-man Atletico Madrid dealt a blow to Real Madrid's LaLiga title hopes as they held the defending champions to a 1-1 draw at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
After substitute Angel Correa had received a straight red card in the 64th minute for an elbow to the chest of defender Antonio Rudiger, Jose Maria Gimenez gave Atletico the lead when he netted a header from an Antoine Griezmann free-kick in the 78th minute.
However, 18-year-old Alvaro Rodriguez levelled the match seven minutes later with a header from a Luka Modric corner.
Real Madrid are second in the LaLiga standings on 52 points, seven behind leaders Barcelona who face lowly Almeria on Sunday. Atletico are fourth on 42 points.
A goal by striker Victor Osimhen and an own goal by Empoli defender Ardian Ismajli earned 10-man Napoli a 2-0 away win in Serie A, extending their lead over second-placed Inter Milan to a staggering 18 points.
Napoli dominated the clash from the outset and pushed mid-table Empoli enough to pressure Ismajli into opening the scoring with an own goal in the 17th minute.
Osimhen made it 2-0 for Napoli just before the half-hour mark, tapping in a rebound from close range after Empoli 'keeper Guglielmo Vicario had parried a strike by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia right into the Nigerian's path.
The visitors were left with 10 men in the 67th minute after defender Mario Rui received a direct red for a foul on Empoli striker Francesco Caputo.
Napoli remain top of the standings on 65 points. Empoli are 12th on 28 points.
Julian Brandt was on target as Borussia Dortmund held on to move top of the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win against Hoffenheim.
It was Dortmund's ninth win from nine games across all competitions this year and enough for the team to move three points clear of 10-time defending champions Bayern Munich and surprise challengers Union Berlin.
Bayern, who have seen their four-point lead disappear since the winter break, host Union on Sunday.
Brandt scored for the fourth consecutive league game for Dortmund. Marco Reus whipped in a free-kick and Brandt bent forward so that the ball skimmed off his back and in after 43 minutes.
Marius Wolf thought he had made it 2-0 with a powerful strike inside the near post, but the goal was chalked off by the VAR for an apparent foul by Nico Schlotterbeck on Ihlas Bebou.
The loss was American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo's third consecutive defeat since taking over at Hoffenheim.
Elsewhere, Hertha Berlin climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win over Augsburg in snowy conditions in the capital.
Marco Richter broke the deadlock with a shot from distance in the 61st minute, nine minutes before Dodi Lukebakio sealed what was only Hertha's fifth win of the season.
Earlier on Saturday, Leipzig held on to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1, Cologne lost 2-0 at home to Wolfsburg, and Werder Bremen enjoyed a 3-0 win over Bochum.
