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Lewandowski powers Barcelona to victory over Real
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski scored a quick-fire second-half double to set the leaders on course for a 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid that handed the hosts their first defeat in 42 LaLiga games in a sensational Clasico encounter on Saturday.
The Polish striker pounced with two goals in three minutes early in the second half before Lamine Yamal at 17 years and 106 days old became the youngest Clasico scorer and captain Raphinha wrapped up a comfortable win late on at a stunned Bernabeu.
Barca stretched their lead at the top with 30 points, six above Real who saw their unbeaten LaLiga run come to a bitter end after 13 months, leaving them one tantalising positive result away from equalling the Catalans' league record of 43.
After four consecutive Clasico defeats, Barcelona claimed their first triumph over Real since March 2023 in style with a clinical performance in which they were true to coach Hansi Flick's ideas of gambling with an aggressively high defence.
The visitors were more than comfortable playing on the counter-attack, exploiting the lightning speed of Raphinha and Yamal to help feed LaLiga top scorer Lewandowski.
Real were on top at the start but became frustrated as they wasted several chances, mainly through off form Kylian Mbappe who missed four clear opening from close-range and was caught offside nine times, including having two goals ruled out.
Despite Real dominating proceedings, Barca kept playing their risk-taking tactics and the gamble paid off when Lewandowski silenced the crowd with a two-goal blitz in the 54th and 56th minutes to reach 14 goals in 11 league games.
The hosts tried to get back into the contest but their batch of missed opportunities continued with Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Mbappe wasting clear openings that infuriated their fans, who started booing the players.
Barcelona kept playing their game and it was a matter of time until they ended the contest with two more goals on the counter through the precocious Yamal after 77 minutes and the ever dangerous Raphinha six minutes from time.
"We are very happy, very happy. To win here like this is a great victory," Lewandowski told DAZN.
"The season is long, but this victory can help us with a lot more, with confidence and football ... so far we haven't won anything, but the important thing is that we have a clear idea, we know where we want to go on."
Mbappe's off key performance will have increased the growing concern in the Spanish capital over the France captain's slow start at Real since he arrived from Paris St Germain in June.
Three of the eight goals he has scored for Real in his first 13 games were penalties and he has found the net only once in the last five matches in all competitions.
Mbappe has struggled to connect with Vinicius Jr, Bellingham and Rodrygo up front, raising questions over how he fits into a Real team who have just enjoyed a successful season without him, having won a Champions League and LaLiga double.
Leverkusen twice waste lead to draw at Werder
Bayer Leverkusen twice took the lead but conceded a 90th minute equaliser to draw 2-2 at Werder Bremen on Saturday despite striker Victor Boniface, back after being involved in a car crash last week, getting on the scoresheet.
Boniface, playing with a bandaged hand, flicked in a Jeremie Frimpong cutback in the 30th minute to put the champions in the driving seat.
He had missed Wednesday's Champions League 1-1 draw at Brest after suffering minor hand and foot injuries as a passenger in a car crash on Sunday, a day after he had scored the winner in their victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Boniface, who has now scored six league goals this season, had a chance to add another on the hour but Werder keeper Michael Zetterer pulled off a stunning save.
Instead it was Werder who scored with Marvin Duksch's powerful header in the 74th to level. Their joy only lasted three minutes as teammate Felix Agu, under pressure, spectacularly miskicked for an own goal.
Werder, however, came back again and Romano Schmid fired in a 90th minute equaliser to snatch a point.
Leverkusen are third on 15 points, two behind second-placed Bayern Munich, in action at VfL Bochum on Sunday. RB Leipzig, 3-1 winners over Freiburg, are in top spot on 20.
After defying expectations to finish third last season, Girona now sit 13th with 12 points, while Las Palmas are just outside the relegation zone in 17th with nine.
Di Lorenzo goal earns Napoli win over lowly Lecce
A second-half goal from Giovanni Di Lorenzo was enough to earn Napoli a 1-0 win over struggling Lecce on Saturday, and the home side extended their unbeaten run to eight games to stretch their lead in the Serie A standings.
Napoli move on to 22 points, five ahead of defending champions Inter Milan, who take on third-placed Juventus in Sunday's Derby d'Italia.
Di Lorenzo, who had a goal disallowed in the first half, bundled the ball into the net in the 73rd minute after his initial effort had been saved, and it proved enough to take all three points at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Lecce, despite their lowly position and dismal run of results, were far from outplayed by the league leaders but fell to their fourth successive defeat and they remain second from bottom in the standings with five points.
The visitors came into the game on the back of a 6-0 loss to Fiorentina last weekend and with just one win under their belts this season, but they stifled a Napoli side who struggled to create many clear-cut chances.
Last weekend, Napoli laboured to a 1-0 win at Empoli, needing a penalty to unblock the game and, while they were a livelier outfit this time, they still struggled to find a breakthrough in an evenly balanced first half.
The home side's only real chance in the opening 45 minutes came close to halftime when Cyril Ngonge's effort from distance brought a save from Wladimiro Falcone but Lecce's Federico Baschirotto also had a header saved by Alex Meret.
Napoli finally found a way through when Scott McTominay's header from a corner kick was parried away by Falcone and, while the keeper also got a hand to Di Lorenzo's first attempt from the rebound, Napoli's captain scrambled home the follow-up from close range.
Lecce tried to push forward in search of an equaliser but the side who have scored just three league goals this season never seriously threatened Meret's goal and Napoli, while again far from convincing, earned the all-important three points.
Both teams are back in action on Tuesday, with Lecce hosting Hellas Verona and Napoli away to AC Milan, who are not playing this weekend after Saturday's game at Bologna was postponed due to flooding.
